I had a really hard time in our class discussion when we talked about what is ethical or not ethical when it came to PAS, VPE, VAE. The interesting part about this discussion was that there were so many different opinion. Some were based personal experiences, while some were religious based. It is fascinating how this discussion struck different points with people. My group couldn’t decide what was right or not. I kept trying to put myself in those people’s shoes and I just couldn’t. Because it is so hard to see where the line would be drawn, it makes it hard to make a law to allow or not allow. All of them are okay in certain situations. I think every person should have to have counseling first, and there should be specific guidelines that would have to be followed. Before learning about this in class I think I would have been more against these practices; however after observing the individual people in the video, I now have a hard time saying any or all shouldn’t be allowed.
The Betty and George Columbus story had a big effect on me. While I couldn’t see myself wanting to pass away while I was completely healthy, after watching the clip you could tell that it was something they truly wanted. It was sad how they had to wait so long and it was never possible for them to die in each others arms.
I think situationally these three process are acceptable therefore I suppose if I had to state my opinion on the legality, I’d say I was for it. I feel that is it really a personal decision so it is hard to judge unless you’re that person.
I agree that we can't really make a fully informed opinion on this matter because none of us have been in that situation personally. However, I think most laws are made without the lawmaker having personal experience with the situation in question. I also agree with you that before actually seeing the faces of people in these situations, it's a lot easier to take a stance against it but then when you see them and hear their story, it muddies things a bit. I felt the same way in class.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree that one can never fully know what another is going through physically or mentally. So to make a broad law about PAS, VPE, and VAE, would be so hard. This is proven by the exercise we did in class, as a class we still didn't come to a conclusion. The point that was brought up about seperation of church and state is very true. It's hard to keep morality out of the issue and playing in the decision of making these a law.
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way--I could never truly judge PAS and euthanasia unless I was in the situation. I also support these processes and feel that people should have the right to decide if they want to receive them or not, but I also agree with you when you say that these should be determined on a case by case basis. Every situation is different and every patient is different, and I think that is the most important thing in deciding whether PAS and euthanasia is ethical or not. I'm not really sure how I feel about the Betty and George case, however, because I don't think that perfectly healthy people should be able to receive PAS, but I also can't imagine having to watch my husband die and have to live on without him.
ReplyDeleteI definately agree with your comments Rachel. I "think" I know how I feel about these procedures, but what if I am ever in this situation. Will I still feel the same way? I know for sure that Betty should have been denied PAS like she was. At the time, she was a perfectly healthy women, and there was no reason for her to die. I understand the Broken Heart Philosophy, but there was no reason for her to die. I also found it very ironic that she was the one who ended up dying first and her husband was still living and quite "healthy"
ReplyDeleteConsidering the fact that a small classroom of somewhat simular people can't agree on much in this department, I am even more surprised that Oregon has a legal avenue for PAS. I think another difficultly is separating religion from the governmental policy on the topic. While I am religious, I recognize the importance of separating parts of my moral code into 'religious' versus 'basic human ethics,' which has been very difficult for me during this class.
ReplyDeleteI agree that our discussion just complicated my mind, as well. Before we talked about these topics in our group with the senarios, I was firmly against all three. Then, after hearing what my group had to say I began to see it from another perspective. I came to the conclusion that VPE and VAE could be ok, but I still felt that PAS was wrong. I think a lot of the determining ethical factors deal with what the specific situation is.
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