Patient Rights to End Life

Matthew Warner

Psytext

Introduction

The MAID program is the Canadian version of our legal ability to receive medically induced suicide. This controversial procedure in carried out in a medial setting by a trained practioner.

Illness 

Illness is one of the main reasons why patients require or request the use of medically induced suicide. It will alleviate their pain, by ending all of their pain permanently. This is a very definite, and irreversible answer to a disease that may or may not have a definite or irreversible solution. A medical practitioner, family doctor and multiple other parties need to be responsible for understanding whether or not a patient is sick or ill enough to receive medically induced suicide. This is based on many factors.

Eligibility 

What type of patients are eligible, or able to receive assisted suicide? In order for a patient to be eligible for assisted suicide, or medically induced death they will have to be diagnosed by a medical practitioner who can prove that their condition is universal, and will ultimately lead to their death. They also must be able to demonstrate that their life has been drastically altered, making their comfort level intolerable. This has to also be directly related to their physical well-being, along with their psychological outlook.

The eligibility rates change from region to region and are always in direct relation to social, political and financial value and available resources.

Diseases

Cancer

Cancer is a serious disease that can be long, ongoing and extremely painful. It affects not only the patient, but the family and friends of those around them. It can be expensive, time consuming and in the end end up with negative results. Depending on the extent of the patients decline, there may be no option for recovery. This is also related to available medical options, Treatments and other resources. There needs to be a clear understanding of what is considered a terminal illness, or end of life resources will become misconstrued with allegations such as murder.

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          By going into detail about the different legislations, phonological awareness and ethics. The patients who have mental or psychological issues affect how they may deem themselves, making it harder to determine who is fit to undergo the procedure. There are committed doctors who are allocated toward this specific issue, and they must provide their professional knowledge for ethical usage of end of life proceedings. The document is written in a manner that would assume the reader has a basic understanding of assisted suicide. My assessment of this article would state the depicted, factual notoriety; that allows the reader to understand ethical values on multiple levels. The writers provide layers of international mandates that explain how “The Patients Rights to End Life'' differentiate. In critical response, I would suggest adding more information pertaining to the cultural heritage behind the end of right ethics. This can be done by adding citations, or by adding links to other sources that will provide more in-depth knowledge. 

Jessica Shaw, Peter Driftmier, (2021), “Dying with a Smile, Just Knowing that Somebody’s Listened to Me: End-Of-Life Care and Medical Assistance in Dying in Canadian Prisons” Published by: Omega  https://doi.org/10.1177/00302228211052341 (page 1)

Medical Assistance in Dying has been legal in Canada since 2016. This article explains how it is used in the penile system for those suffering from the same symptoms of those who are incarcerated. Prison statistics in relation to how many elderly individuals are incarcerated are explained, relating the information to the declining health rate. Prisoners may be more inclined to use assisted suicide, then those who are not in prison. Eldely incarcerated individuals who are not eligible to leave prison suffer from psychological problems that lead to physical issues. There are ongoing research efforts towards the development, understanding and utilisation of MAiD. There has been a decline in available resources, because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Because of the mitigating circumstances among inmates, eligibility will always play a crucial role in determining if it is feasible for an inmate to end their own life. The important part to focus on in this article, is the factual details. The ability to end your own life under specific circumstances is a public health option that is offered to the general public, and inmates legally should have access to the same health care. The difference is that the prison environment may be contributing to the decline in health, and the option itself will allow prisoners an “out” for their suffering of being incarcerated. 

Explaing how the assited suicide is implemented in the prison system is required for understanding social issues that may effect you in the future. MAiD, or assisted suicide needs to be discussed. The prison system is something that most people would consider in regards to assisted sucide, but it is a standard medical procedure. 

It's all about the individual's right to choose: A qualitative study of Australian culturally and linguistically diverse nurses’ knowledge of and attitudes to voluntary assisted dying

Joy Penmana, Gulzar Malik, Kelly Rogerson, Julie Murphy, Yaping Zhong, Claire Johnsona (2022), “It's all about the individual's right to choose: A qualitative study of Australian culturally and linguistically diverse nurses’ knowledge of and attitudes to voluntary assisted dying.” Published by: Science Direct https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1322769621000731

Assisted suicide does come with its own emotional and religious connotations. This article explains a study that took place to measure how the nurses and other medical practitioners are dealing with the fact that they have to care for patients who have chosen to end their own life. It covers the different backgrounds each nurse or medical practitioner May have, and explains why they will be trained or not be trained in a specific format to render the services correctly. This study was important for determining who has the professional and/or psychological experience to carry out the procedure. The article itself is short, and explains basically how that information goes from one place to the next in terms of dealing with psychological elements related to suicide by choice. It measures the female nursing population, and relates it to the male nursing population, and draws a comparison towards how they are feeling themselves toward giving care to those who are choosing to end their own life. It places a necessary importance to document the emotional effects, and feelings of those who are working alongside people who have chosen to take their own lives. Cultural and religious beliefs do play an important factor, but they do not affect those who still need to have the procedure completed. There is a beginning called middle and end that has a very clear conclusion. This makes it easy to understand, and find specific information you require if you are looking for it. Similar to the article related to inmate incarceration versus assisted suicide, the psychological effect of those who have to assist with suicide themselves is something that needs to be taken into account. Education, and a general understanding and respect for the legal mandates is something that needs to be put into practice for medical practitioners, and those who work alongside them. 

References 

          Scott Y.H. Kim, Trudo Lemmens, “Should assisted dying for psychiatric disorders be legalized in Canada?“ Published by: CMAJ, (2016) 

https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.160365

          Jessica Shaw, Peter Driftmier, (2021), “Dying with a Smile, Just Knowing that\

          Scott Y.H. Kim, Trudo Lemmens, (2016) “Should assisted dying for psychiatric disorders be legalized in Canada?“ Published by: CMAJ (page, 1)

https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.160365

https://code-medical-ethics.ama-assn.org/ethics-opinions/physician-assisted-suicide

https://www.healthline.com/health/terminal-cancer