© 2002 Journal of Medical Ethics
DEBATE
Response to Ronald M Perkin and David B Resnik: The agony of trying to match sanctity of life and patient-centred medical care
Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr H Kuhse, Centre for Human Bioethics, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3168, Australia;
Helga.Kuhse{at}arts.monash.edu.au
Perkin and Resnik advocate the use of muscle relaxants to prevent the "agony of agonal respiration" arguing that this is compatible with the principle of double effect. The proposed regime will kill patients as certainly as smothering them would. This may lead some people to reject the argument as an abuse of the principle of double effect. I take a different view. In the absence of an adequate theory of intention, the principle of double effect cannot distinguish between the intentional and merely foreseen termination of life, and cannot rule out end-of-life decisions that are often regarded as impermissible.
What Perkin and Resnik are in effect saying is that there are times when physicians have good reasons to end a patient’s life—deliberately and intentionally—for the patient’s (and the family’s) sake. Why not say so—instead of going through the agony of trying to match sanctity of life and patient-centred medical care?
Keywords: Palliative care; end-of-life care; double effect; terminal sedation
CiteULike 
Complore 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us 
Digg 
Reddit 
Technorati What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
-
Verhagen, A. A. E., van der Hoeven, M. A. H., van Meerveld, R. C., Sauer, P. J. J.
(2007). Physician Medical Decision-making at the End of Life in Newborns: Insight Into Implementation at 2 Dutch Centers. Pediatrics
120: e20-e28
[Abstract] [Full Text]
- Full Text
- Full Text (PDF)
- Submit a response
- Alert me when this article is cited
- Alert me when eLetters are posted
- Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
- Email this link to a friend
- Similar articles in this journal
- Similar articles in PubMed
- Add article to my folders
- Download to citation manager
- Request Permissions
Citing Articles
Google Scholar
PubMed
Topic Collections
-
End of life decisions (geriatric medicine)
-
End of life decisions (palliative care)
- End of life decisions (ethics)
Bookmark with
Register for free content
The full back archive is now available for all BMJ Journals. Institutional subscribers may access the entire archive as part of their subscription. Personal subscribers will also have access to all content when logged in. Non-subscribers who register have free access to all articles published before 2006 right back to volume 1 issue 1. Register here to access the free archive of all BMJ Journals.
Don't forget to sign up for content alerts so you keep up to date with all the articles as they are published.
