end of life dilema

1. Informal surveys have indicated that the vast majority of doctors would decline potentially life-extending treatments, such as being placed on a ventilator or given parenteral nutrition, if they were near the end stage of an incurable disease, with the only exception being treatment for pain control. All doctors informally surveyed indicated that they would decline CPR. Yet a very large percentage of the lay population would accept such treatments, including CPR. Why do you think this difference between doctors and patients exists? What ethical dilemmas for doctors might arise out of this difference? Do you think this issue should fall under the purview of a hospital’s ethics committee? If not, why? If so, what considerations might the committee view as important in offering guidance?

2. If you were a doctor living in a state that allowed physician assisted suicide, and a patient requested this, what would you do? Given a physician’s directive to first, do no harm, and keeping the patient’s wishes and wellbeing in mind, as well as the laws of the state, explain the considerations and approach you would take to address this ethical dilemma.

3. Explain the controversies that surround euthanasia in human medicine. Consider that, unlike in human medicine, euthanasia in veterinary medicine is often requested and performed when an animal is suffering, even for patients that are considered cherished members of the family. Both medical professions require doctors to act in the best interest of the patient, yet in veterinary medicine, euthanasia is an accepted practice, while in human medicine, it generally is not. Why do you think the approaches to resolving the conflict between patient advocacy and euthanasia are so different between these two medical professions?

4. What is the purpose of ethics committees? What are their responsibilities? Do you think they can be helpful or do you think they unnecessarily complicate already difficult ethical dilemmas? In your opinion, do you think that it is acceptable for doctors to refer all ethical dilemmas to an ethics committee and then perform medicine solely based on the decisions of the committee? Explain your answer.
Please address each question and in text citation.