Based on the changes, you and your team have made to the original concept map
- identify some of the misconceptions held by all of you
- explain what are the new things you and your group members uncovered through the collaborative learning and research
The misconceptions that our group made regarding euthanasia is it is carried out by the person who has made the decision to end his life. This act is not considered as euthanasia, but rather, suicide. Euthanasia is carried out by a doctor, who administers a lethal dosage to his patient. Euthanasia can be carried out voluntarily, involuntarily and non-voluntarily. In voluntary euthanasia,
the patient is competent enough to request for this act of killing from the doctor. For involuntary euthanasia, the patient is competent enough but is not consulted before the act. In non-voluntary euthanasia, the patient is not competent enough to make the decision or request.
Euthanasia is different from assisted suicide. In assisted suicide, the doctor hands the patient the lethal dose. The patient then administers the dosage himself. Euthansia is done by the doctor himself.
New things that we discovered about the points supporting euthanasia:
1. Euthanasia should be a natural extension of patient's rights allowing him to decide the value of life and death. Maintaining life support system against the patient's wish is considered unethical by law as well as medical philosophy. If the patient has the right to discontinue treatment, why would he not have the right to shorten his lifetime to escape the anguish? Isn't the pain of waiting for death more traumatic
2. Health care expenditure is and will always be a concern for the family irrespective of the euthanasia laws, and only those who can afford a prolonged unproductive treatment will continue to do so. A section of those in support of mercy killing often ask whether it is rational to keep a person - who has no hopes of survival, alive on a support system when our medical infrastructure is already under immense pressure.
New things that we discovered about the points against euthanasia:
1. Family members would take undue disadvantage if euthanasia was legalized by influencing the patient's decision into it for personal gains. Also, there is no way you can really be sure if the decision towards assisted suicide is voluntary or forced by others.
2. Even doctors cannot firmly predict about the period of death and whether there is a possibility of remission with advanced treatment. So, implementing euthanasia would mean many unlawful deaths that could have well survived later. Legalizing euthanasia would be like empowering law abusers and increasing distrust of patients towards doctors.
