The Right to Live or Die Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Right to Live or Die - Essay Example Another one is a comatose patient who for a time cannot think because of the current state of his brain and body. And two, there are other species besides ours who have a biographical sense because they too have thoughts, emotions etc. According to Moreland, they probably have more value than humans who have only the so-called biological life. Advances in the 21st century have allowed both doctors and patients to have more options regarding different diseases and conditions. Different methods of resuscitation, ventilation and testing procedures have made the many lives easier. However, the right to withhold or discontinue treatment has brought unto people the emergence of ethical problems. In the past, the concept of being "brain dead" was unheard of, but nowadays the idea has saved many recipients of organ donors. The Church has been an active participant in the debates of different medical practices. Organ donation, pain management and natural death are all concepts that they are okay with since it deals with life and its different dimensions. On the other hand, abortion and euthanasia both deal with death, effectively exterminating life. Ethics may be defined as the basic principles of the right action, specifically in reference to a certain person or profession. Ethical compliance and professional competence come hand in hand especially in the practice of medicine, which coincidentally deals with the issue of life. In the article "Traditional Principles of Medical Ethics," discusses how religious principles apply to patient care. The recent legalizations of abortion in some parts of the world have aroused disagreements in the medical and religious practices. Moreover, normal people and citizens have become either disillusioned or confused regarding their own predicaments on the issue. And with a dynamic society such as ours, to agree unanimously on moral issues is quite impossible to achieve. Biomedical Ethics or Bioethics which applies to both people's ethical and moral principles regarding issues concerned with human life is then considered. As the "Traditional Principles of Medical Ethics" article said, "Western medicine was founded on our Judeo-Christian and Greco-Roman heritage, where the sanctity of life and the dignity of the human person are paramount for decision-making in patient care." The article also mentioned seven principles of medical ethics: a Moral Code and Moral Justification, the Doctor-Patient Relationship, Patient Autonomy, Beneficence (the Good Samaritan), Non-Malificence (Do No Harm), Justice, and Moral Integrity. According to the code of ethics, all of these seven must go together in order to achieve the ideal type of patient care. The Moral Code and Moral Justification guide the physician in whatever he does. The bible clearly declares the sanctity of life, saying that we were created in God's image and likeness. And as all of us were created in such a manner, we are supposedly called to respect the dignity of each one's claim to life. Of course if we were to talk about life, one specific rule