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KMID : 0377619890540040249
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Korean Jungang Medical Journal
1989 Volume.54 No. 4 p.249 ~ p.252
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Ethical Viewpoint on Stopping Treatment for Extending Life
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Abstract
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Social change and technological development have brought about many changes in our way of life, and caused many new norms of behaviour to appear. This situation has been proved over and over by human history and is also true in the field of medical ethics and medical law.
Now let´s think about the topic "Stopping Treatment for Extending Life". Although the facts are important, how we choose, what we decide, and how we follow up on our decisions are equally important.
In order to evaluate any fact or incident ethically, we need certain definitive standards. So, to consider "Stopping Treatment for Extending Life" ethically, we need to follow the given standards.
1) We need to know the present facts concerning "Stopping Treatment for Extending Life." If we can consider the extension of life, we can also consider the opposite, ie, the shortening life, then can we call the medium "Natural Death"? Medical treatment is understood as a way of preventing disease and protecting and extending life. Otherwise, medical treatment for extending or shortening life can become an immoral agent that ignores the dignity and inviolability of human life.
2) The real situation also needs to be understood. It is normal for human behaviour to have a given purpose and that direct and indirect results flow from this bahaviour.In order that "Stopping Treatment for Extending Life" follows this pattern, all people involved should be part of the decision making process. For example, to make the best decision for a patient, the patient´s condition, his human rights and duty, his family´s social and economic condition and the capabilities of the medical team need to be considered.
3) In the process of making the decision, the patient´s intentions must be considered first and then the family or guardian and what the medical team can offer as a means of treatment should be considered. I suggest this process because the patient´s rights are most important. However, in reality, there is still a problem with who is capable of making an objective decision. The patient is suffering, the family is emotionally involved with the patient and who can guarantee that the medical teams are always objective? Therefore, it might be necessary to have a third party who can be more objective.
4) The Stopping of Treatment for Extending Life" is generally described by morally acceptable euphemisms-Right to Die, Death with Dignity and Avoiding Meaningless Existence. The reason is that sometimes Treatment for Extending Life is considered cruel and inhumane.
5) Without considering each case and each method separately, I think, we cannot say definitely whether the Treatment for Extending Life is morally right or wrong, because human morality is highly complex. In some cases, shortening life can be immoral while in other cases extending life can be unethical. What is needed is not a new law but dialogue based on human dignity and human rights. In order to make the best decision, the patient, the family and the medical team should engage in sincere and open dialogue. We need to accept that established laws and ethical regulations are limited and support generally acceptable methods.
Advanced technology enables us to extend or shorten human life. However, dignified life, not length of life, should always be the basis on which we make our decisions to extend or shorten life. If we do not use dignified life as our basis, we destroy human dignity and become slaves to technology.
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