Week 10 - Death and Dying

Medical Assistance in Dying, a legal process in Canada allowing eligible individuals to request medically assisted death.

Introduced MAiD in Canada, specifying eligibility and safeguard criteria.

Expanded MAiD eligibility and revised safeguards, especially for cases where natural death is not foreseeable.

A serious, incurable illness causing intolerable suffering that cannot be relieved by other means acceptable to the patient. One of the core MAiD eligibility criteria.

MAiD track with simplified safeguards where natural death is foreseeable.

MAiD track with stricter safeguards for cases where natural death may be far off but suffering is unbearable.

The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) argues that mental illnesses, while potentially unbearable, are not considered 'irremediable' due to possibilities for recovery.

The CMHA supports providing people with mental health issues with resources to live, rather than seeking MAiD.

The shift from death occurring in public spaces to primarily happening in hospitals, leading to less exposure to death and a decreased societal understanding of it.

The increasing drive to extend life through medical advancements and the desire to conquer death.

The importance of palliative care in allowing individuals to peacefully accept death, a concept often overlooked due to focus on prolonging life.

The blurring of death due to life-sustaining technology, making it difficult to pinpoint the exact time of passing.

Ethical dilemmas raised by medical advancements that allow keeping individuals alive using machines.

The state where brain activity ceases, leading to irreversible loss of consciousness and bodily functions.

How the invention of the mechanical respirator challenged the definition of death due to its ability to sustain breathing despite brain death.

The traditional definition of death based on the cessation of heart and lung activity, though this definition is challenged by advancements in technology.

Intentionally ending a person's life through a direct action, such as injecting a lethal substance.

Withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining treatment, allowing the person to die naturally.

Medical treatment that is unlikely to benefit the patient or prolong life significantly, often considered ethically permissible to withhold.

The fair allocation of scarce medical resources, considering factors like need, benefit, and cost.

The focus on the overall well-being and experience of the patient, rather than merely extending life.

The claim that legalizing euthanasia in certain cases will inevitably lead to morally unacceptable outcomes, such as involuntary euthanasia.

Euthanasia for individuals with incurable diseases who are suffering severely.

Philosophers often criticize the slippery slope argument as a logical fallacy, arguing that there's no evidence to support the claim of inevitable progression.

The argument that the core principles of autonomy and relief from suffering in euthanasia can become disconnected, potentially leading to abuse.

The concern that legalizing euthanasia might indirectly pressure vulnerable individuals (e.g., elderly) into requesting it to avoid being a burden.

Some argue that requests for euthanasia can be driven by altruism, with patients wanting to minimize suffering for themselves and loved ones.

Warnock believes that assuming patients lack autonomy in requesting euthanasia is insulting.

Callahan disagrees with the interpretation of autonomy and relief from suffering as presented in the slippery slope argument for euthanasia.

Callahan argues that individual autonomy doesn't justify giving another person the right to kill. He believes this undermines the right to life and could lead to abuse, as anyone could be killed for any reason.

Callahan questions whether suffering alone should justify euthanasia, especially when it involves those who cannot consent (like those with disabilities). He believes that prioritizing relief from suffering over life could lead to abuses.

Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) became legal in Canada in 2016 after Supreme Court rulings. It allows eligible individuals to access medically assisted death.

To be eligible for MAiD, individuals must have a serious and incurable disease or disability, be in an advanced state of decline, experience enduring intolerable suffering, have a reasonably foreseeable death, and voluntarily request it with informed consent.

MAiD legalization involved amending the Criminal Code to include assisted suicide and voluntary euthanasia. Only physicians and nurse practitioners can provide MAiD, and two options are available: practitioner-administered death and self-administered death with provided substances.

Sue Rodriguez's case involved her denial of assisted suicide. She was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and wanted control over her death.

The debate surrounding MAiD focuses on balancing individual autonomy and the right to life with the potential for abuse and the need for careful safeguards. Concerns exist regarding the potential for coercion and the prioritization of suffering over life preservation.

The MAiD legislation is evolving as the debates around access, eligibility, and safeguards continue. Key changes, like Bill C-7 (2021), expanded eligibility and revised safeguards to include situations where natural death isn't foreseeable.

A landmark case in Canada where a woman with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) successfully challenged the law prohibiting physician-assisted dying. This led to legal changes allowing "physician assistance in dying."

The Supreme Court of Canada ruled that both euthanasia and assisted suicide fall under "medical assistance in dying" (MAiD), legalizing the practice within certain conditions.

Critics of MAiD argue that it could negatively impact vulnerable groups, such as those with mental health issues or those who feel pressured to end their lives due to societal expectations.

Advocates for MAiD propose the use of advance directives, where individuals can pre-authorize MAiD based on their own wishes, should they become unable to make their own decisions.

Women are more likely to request MAiD than men, often due to the feeling of being a burden on others.

Factors like isolation, poverty, lack of adequate health coverage, and societal expectations of self-sacrifice can contribute to women's decisions to request MAiD.

Some argue that women's requests for MAiD might be rooted in a sense of despair and lack of support, rather than a genuine desire for death.

Feminist critics argue that MAiD for women might be a symptom of social failures, focusing on insufficient support and systemic inequalities.