scholarly journals Euthanasia from the Islamic Perspective: Ending Life of a Patient whose Recovery is Absolutely Impossible

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maularna Akbar Shah @ U Tun Aung

Life and death of men is in the discretion of Allah, SWT. No one can decide how long they should live, but Allah, SWT. However, in our society today, life is being terminated by someone such as doctor or family of terminally ill patients when their recovery is absolutely irretrievable according to medical expert opinions. In medical science, ending life for such a situation is called euthanasia i.e. an act or practice of painlessly putting to death persons suffering from painful and incurable disease or incapacitating physical disorder or allowing them to die by withholding treatment or withdrawing artificial life-support measures. Justification given by pro-euthanasia is that it is the right of the patient who should not suffer unbearable pain physically and who does want to be a burden to their family. They insisted mercy killing is absolutely appropriate if the patient’s body is in gradual decline, their organs are in continuous failure, their agonizing pain is unbearable, and the cost of their artificial support system is beyond their limit. This issue has been controversial to many Islamic as well as social organizations as it is against their doctrine and norms. Since life and death is in Allah’s hand, who is to decide that a life has to be ended at a specific time? Is it against predestination and fixation of life by Allah that when the time come no one can stop its arrival? This undesirable situation is confronted by many Muslims in our world too, hence is there any room in Shari’ah law that allows a physician to end the life of a patient? The objective of this paper is to explore any possibility in Shari’ah law that authenticates ending of a life.

2003 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-76
Author(s):  
Rob McStay

In 1997, the U.S. Supreme Court tacitly endorsed terminal sedation as an alternative to physician-assisted suicide, thus intensifying a debate in the legal and medical communities as to the propriety of terminal sedation and setting the stage for a new battleground in the “right to die” controversy. Terminal sedation is the induction of an unconscious state to relieve otherwise intractable distress, and is frequently accompanied by the withdrawal of any life-sustaining intervention, such as hydration and nutrition. This practice is a clinical option of “last resort” when less aggressive palliative care measures have failed. Terminal sedation has also been described as “the compromise in the furor over physician-assisted suicide.”Medical literature suggests that terminal sedation was a palliative care option long before the Supreme Court considered the constitutional implications of physician-assisted suicide. Terminal sedation has been used for three related but distinct purposes: (1) to relieve physical pain; (2) to produce an unconscious state before the withdrawal of artificial life support; and (3) to relieve non-physical suffering.


PEDIATRICS ◽  
1979 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-16
Author(s):  
Joel E. Frader

The results of a pilot project investigating the feelings, attitudes, and behavior of physicians working in a pediatric intensive care unit are presented. With recent technologic advances in our capacity to help patients suffering from catastrophic illness, various segments of American society have become concerned about the unrestricted use of medical science. Questions have arisen about the economic costs, long-term medical out-come, emotional costs to patients and families, legal problems, and ethical implications of "heroic" therapy. By contrast, we have asked relatively few questions about the social processes involved in providing intensive care. We know little about the emotional and functional responses of the physicians in critical care facilities, and their decision making processes remain obscure. This investigation evolved from the conviction that environments comprised of sophisticated medical technology and extensive life support systems pose pressing problems for those working and learning in them.


2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisa Pizzolato ◽  
Alberto Peano ◽  
Letizia Barutta ◽  
Emanuele Bernardi ◽  
Elena Maggio ◽  
...  

Nowadays myxedema coma is a rare medical emergency but, sometimes, it still remains a fatal condition even if appropriate therapy is soon administered. Although physical presentation is very non-specific and diversified, physicians should pay attention when patients present with low body temperature and alteration of neurological status; the presence of precipitating events in past medical history can help in making a diagnosis. Here we discuss one such case: an 83-year-old female presented with abdominal pain since few days. Laboratory tests and abdomen computed tomography scan demonstrated alithiasic cholecystitis; she was properly treated but, during the Emergency Department stay she experienced a cardiac arrest. Physicians immediately started advance cardiovascular life support algorithm and she survived. Later on, she was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit where doctors discovered she was affected by severe hypothyroidism. Straightway they started the right therapy but, unfortunately, the patient died in a few hours.


2015 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 299-301
Author(s):  
Suman Das ◽  
Dilip Kumar Paul ◽  
Anish Chatterjee ◽  
Sumantra Raut

A 28 days old neonate presented with high fever, abdominal distension, poor feeding and lethargy. Sepsis screen was positive; ultrasound and computed tomography of the abdomen demonstrated a multiloculated hepatic abcess in the right lobe of the liver. The baby was treated with intravenous antibiotics for 6 weeks and percutaneous aspiration of the abcess, resulting in excellent recovery.Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol.14(3) 2015 p.299-301


2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 278-282
Author(s):  
Humberto Ferreira Arquez

Background: The purpose of this paper is to describe an anatomical variation of the hand extensor on the little finger of the right hand which receives four tendons, condition unknown, as it is the first case reported so far in the literature. The human extensor tendons of hand often display an array of variations. Awareness of the anatomy and variations of the extensor tendons on the dorsum of the hand is necessary not only for the anatomist but also for surgeons when considering tendons for hand surgery, tendon rerouting or transplants. Materials and Methods: Bilateral anatomical variation in the upper limb was found during routine dissection in a 75-year-old male cadaver in the Morphology Laboratory at the University of Pamplona. The variations were recorded and photographed. Result: In the left hand the extensor digitorum there was a single tendon to the index, double tendon to the middle, triple tendon to the ring finger, a single tendon to the little finger or digiti minimi. The extensor digiti minimi has double tendon. In the right hand the extensor digitorum there was a single tendon to the index, triple tendon to the middle finger, triple tendons to the ring finger, a double tendon to the little finger. The extensor digiti minimi has double tendon. The little finger receives four tendons, 2 of extensor digitorum and 2 of extensor digiti minimi. The dorsum of the left hand and right showed juncturae tendinum type 2, between the extensors tendons in the 3rd intermetacarpal space; type 3, between the extensors tendons in the 4th inter metacarpal space. Conclusion: The presence of multiple tendons may alter the kinematics around the site of attachment to the phalanx. Knowledge of anatomical variations and normal anatomy of the extensor tendons, may be helpful while performing graft and tendon transfer operations.Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol.15(2) 2016 p.278-282


Author(s):  
Zhizheng DU

LANGUAGE NOTE | Document text in Chinese; abstract also in English.儘管醫學在飛速進步,但由於種種原因,放棄治療在臨床中有日益增多的趨勢。放棄治療是人們的一種理性選擇。合理的放棄治療是醫學人道主義在某種特殊情況下的理性表現。區分放棄治療的不同情況,正確界定放棄治療的範圍,合理選擇放棄治療的措施,確保不發生不應放棄治療的病人被放棄,在全過程中始終尊重病人的自主權,妥善處理對於是否放棄中的分岐,並維護病人的整體利益,是履行放棄治療中倫理學應予充分注意的問題。Many believe that giving up treatment always conflicts with physicians' duty and responsibility. However, although societies have achieved the rapid advancing of medical sciences and technologies, and although patients and families sometimes want to maintain life-sustaining interventions at any cost, renunciation of futile treatment remains an unavoidable issue facing physicians in their clinical practice. This is especially the case for Chinese society today. This paper argues that withdrawing life-sustaining therapy is not always opposite to moral requirement.Specifically, the paper explores the following important issues around the decision making of renouncing treatment. First, in what medical situation does the patient and the family's request for withdrawing treatment should be granted by the physician? this paper contents that a necessary condition must be that the patient suffers an incurable disease. Second, who has the right to make the decision of renouncing treatment? This paper argues that, in considerations of Chinese ethical and societal character, some practical measures should be establishes in Chinese society medical and moral consideration should all be balanced and integrated. Finally, in order to avoid unnecessary ambiguities and disputes, this paper suggests that legal and administrative procedures and guidelines should be adopted regarding the decision of renouncing treatment.DOWNLOAD HISTORY | This article has been downloaded 31 times in Digital Commons before migrating into this platform.


Author(s):  
Xolisa Jibiliza

This paper sought to argue about the notion of abortion, and its immorality within a society. Viewed teleologically, human behaviour such as committing abortion, may be designated as being moral or immoral according to the goals clearly established by a person and reasons given. Teleologic theory thus proposes that the ethical decision for carrying out an abortion focusses on the outcome of the abortion and its outcome on society. Realizing a goal and what one is doing is required and is an adequate condition to consider moral action without bearing in mind any transitional action taken to arrive at a particular objective. The article also seeks to reveal the importance of the biblical view of life as gift emanating from a Creator God. The author places emphasis on the ethical values deemed to be appropriate for Christians based on Holy Scripture relating to life and death issues. The themes for this paper were addressed by the researcher as follows: The immorality on abortion, some reasons given for abortion, the right to abortion, the unborn baby has a right to life, the unwanted pregnancy, Church views on abortion, society’s view on abortion and what is considered to be right or wrong, ethical and unethical in having an abortion.


2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 693-708
Author(s):  
Nataša Deretić

This paper attempts to answer the question as to whether the right to "life and death" of a woman (ius vitae ac necis) at the hands of male family members or partners is indeed a timeless category. Is it possible that in Serbia of the 21st century there is still a struggle to promote the "right to life" of women to the level of "basic human rights"? What contributed to the fact that the concept of innate human dignity based on "human rights", which dates back from the feudal social order, has not as yet fully come to life in Serbia as far as women are concerned. What social circumstances contributed to the Roman ius vitae ac necis to outlive centuries and take root especially in Serbia, only under a different name - that of femicide? This notion has been defined as "gender based murder of women, girls, and babies of female sex by persons of the male sex". The murderers in cases of femicide include partners (ex / current, spouses or extramarital), family members or relatives: father, father-in-law, son, son-in-law, etc. Both expert and general public wander whether enforcing more stringent norms by authorities or acting towards changing the consciousness of the abusers or both at the same time, can contribute to eradicating this devastating phenomenon in the 21st century.


2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 29410
Author(s):  
Marcelo Nunes de Lima ◽  
Fernanda Drummond Ruas Gaspar ◽  
Túlio Gomes da Silva Mauro ◽  
Márcia Apoliano Mesquita Arruda ◽  
Gardênia da Silva Abbad

AIMS: To evaluate the learning retention of participants of a Basic Life Support course in a dental unit of a university hospital.METHODS: This study combined quantitative and qualitative methods in a quasi-experimental design, in which the same subjects were compared before and at two moments after an intervention, which consisted of a training course in Basic Life Support. The participants were employees of the Oral Health Unit of the University Hospital of Brasília. Three evaluations were performed: pre-test, post-test and late post-test, in order to assess participants' learning retention. In a second stage of the research, interviews were conducted with the participants approved in the retention learning test.RESULTS: At all, 66 professionals participated in the course and carried out the theoretical pre-test and the theoretical and practical post-test. One year and five months after the course, 10 participants were submitted to the late post-test, also theoretical and practical. Regarding the theoretical knowledge, the mean was 6.3±2.31 points in the pre-test, 8.3±1.25 points in the post-test and 5.1±1.44 points in the late post-test. Late post-test results revealed also that 70% of participants met the minimum theoretical knowledge requirement for approval (5 of 10 points) but only 20% passed the practical retention assessment. The two participants who passed the practical evaluation had repeated the training after the initial course.CONCLUSIONS: Basic Life Support training based on simulation resulted in practical and theoretical learning in cardiopulmonary resuscitation. However, the effect did not persist after one year and five months, except for participants who repeated the training during this period, indicating that the long term retention of this learning requires more opportunities for training or practice. Further studies are needed to investigate the ideal workload, the number of repetitions required during training and the appropriate frequency of training, as well as to obtain information about the influence of prior knowledge of the participants and the practice after training in retention of skills.


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