morality and medicine

Question 1

Euthanasia

Answer 1

painless killing to relieve dreadful suffering from an incurable illness

Question 2

Voluntary euthanasia

Answer 2

when the person asks for their life to be ended

Question 3

non-voluntary euthanasia

Answer 3

when a person is unable to make about their condition

the decision is made for them by an appropriate person (relative or doctor)

Question 4

passive euthanasia

Answer 4

something that would keep a person alive is taken away eventually bringing about their death
e.g. medication, oxygen

Question 5

active euthanasia

Answer 5

when a person directly or deliberately causes someone’s death

Question 6

indirected euthanasia

Answer 6

action taken by medical staff to relieve patients pain.

however as a side effect patient dies quicker

Question 7

assisted suicide

Answer 7

when someone deliberately assists or encourages a patient to end his or her life

the only difference between assisted suicide and euthanasia is that assisted suicide involves the doctor giving the means to end their own life- they kill themselves

Question 8

sanity of life

Answer 8

means that life is valuable and so shouldn’t be ended early

many christians believe in this

Question 9

palliative care

Answer 9

active holistic care of patients with advanced progressive/terminal illness, they also support friends or family.

hospice is a specialised place which provides palliative care

Question 10

living will

Answer 10

semi-legal document which a person who can demonstrate mental competence records his or her wishes regarding treatment in the case of a life-ending illness

Question 11

BMA guidelines

Answer 11

guidelines published to help, advise and protect doctors dealing with complex issues such as euthanasia
the guidelines help ensure there’s consistency in decision making and to help reassure the patients and their families that care has been properly thought out

Question 12

moral dilemmas raised by euthanasia

Answer 12

1. is it ever right to end the life of a terminally ill patient who is undergoing severe pain and suffering?
2. under what circumstances, if any, can euthanasia be justible?
3. is there a moral difference between killing and letting them die?
4. who has the right to decide about life and death?
5. what would be the consequences if euthanasia was legalised?

Question 13

Christian arguments against euthanasia

Answer 13

some christian believe in the sanity of life and so see euthanasia as a violation of the law of God
some believe that God gives life and has a plan for all of us and so only he can take it away
some believe christ suffered and through his suffering saved mankind form sin and so can bring a person closer to God
some churches see no difference between murder and euthanasia

Question 14

Islamic view on euthanasia

Answer 14

expressly forbidden by Allah, as he decides when life should be ended
some muslims believe Allah makes all decisions and to decide in euthanasia is to remove a decision from allah
qur’an expressly forbids taking life or quickening death

Question 15

Humanist view on euthanasia

Answer 15

some believe euthanasia should be legalised for the terminally ill as each person should have the right to make decisions about their own life, including their own death
also believe that no one should be put in the position of having to watch a loved one suffer before death and legalisation would allow for a compassionate, humane choice to the terminally ill

Question 16

Arguments for euthanasia

Answer 16

• all human have the right to choose and control their own life, even death
• allows someone to die with dignity and not suffer
• relieves the burden
• people don’t want to live a life without quality
• the money saved if euthanasia was legalised could be put toward care for those who have a chance of survival

Question 17

Arguments against euthanasia

Answer 17

• why is it wrong to kill others but acceptable to kill ourselves
• how do we know the person fully understands what euthanasia is
• no person should be viewed as a burden on society, if proper care is given the person won’t feel like a burden

Question 18

Bodily Autonomy

Answer 18

the principal that means that your body is yours, and you have control over it and the right to not have others harm your body

Question 19

IVF

in-vitro-fertilisation

Answer 19

a process where eggs are fertilised outside the body and are then implanted back into the body in the hope that they will lead to a successful pregnancy

Question 20

fertility treatment

Answer 20

medical assistance which helps people to have babies when they aren’t able to conceive in the natural or conventional way

Question 21

infertility

Answer 21

an inability to conceive a child

Question 22

the human fertilisation and embryology authority

Answer 22

closely regulates the use of sperm and ova for research or infertility treatment

Question 23

embryology

Answer 23

use of human embryos in scientific research to learn more about the human body and to find cures to major illnesses

Question 24

Therapeutic cloning

Answer 24

creating an embryo which is a clone of an ill persons and then taking stem cells from it to grow new organs

Question 25

cloning

Answer 25

involves extracting the nucleus from the living person and inserting it into the cell of another living person. This produces an exact replica of the living person

Question 26

genetic engineering

Answer 26

the manipulation of genes- inc moving genes from one organism to another- to produce an organism with more useful features

Question 27

stem cells

Answer 27

cells from young human embryos which haven’t yet become the specialised cells that form body parts

Question 28

negative eugenics

Answer 28

the elimination of painful conditions and disabilities

Question 29

positive eugenics

Answer 29

adding desirable features to a foetus to improve the body’s physical intellectual and creative ability

Question 30

PGD

pre-implanted genetic diagnosis

Answer 30

the process by which an embryo is tested for the presence or lack of genes that would lead to a particular disease

Question 31

saviour sibling

Answer 31

a child that is conceived through IVF in order to provide an organ or cell transplant to an older sibling

Question 32

Informed consent
Opt-in system
(organ donation)

Answer 32

currently the system in the UK (exception of Wales)

people over the age of 12 can sign up to the organ donation register