Heinz and His Sick Wife

Heinz and his sick wife 1) Was Heinz right to steal the drug? Give reasons for your answer. 2) Did the chemist have the right to charge what he did for the drug? Give reasons for your answer 3) Was Heinz acting from any of the moral theories we have looked at? Explain. 4) Was the chemist acting from any of the moral theories we have looked at? Explain. Human Excellence – Virtue Ethics Consequences - Utilitarianism Duty and Reason - Kant

Heinz and his Sick Wife 5 ) Should Heinz do as his wife asked? 6) What should he do if he makes his moral decisions based on a)Utilitarianism; b)Kantian ethics;

Meet your new pet This is your new pet dog. She’s trying to say “I wuv u wots n wots n wots” but can only make squeaking noises because she’s 8 weeks old (that’s just over one in dog years). Would you like to give her a name?

Heartbreak Sadly she won’t live a very happy life. She has a rare condition which means her muscles will keep getting weaker and weaker. Nothing can be done to cure her. Eventually she won’t be able to stand, feed or drink and die a very painful death.

Decision time… What are you going to do? 1. Allow her to live her life out naturally. 2. Put her to sleep when she starts to feel pain.

If an animal is in pain and nothing can be done to ease its suffering, or it is terminally ill, it is often put 'to sleep' by the vet. A lethal injection is administered and the animal dies quickly and with minimum pain. If a human being is in pain we usually attempt to ease that pain through drugs. Even with consent, UK law does not allow us to put a person ‘to sleep’ to end their suffering. Furthermore, to take a person's life without their consent is understood as murder.

A Right to live? A right to die?

Hippocrates In the 4 th century BCE, he wrote the Hippocratic Oath. This contained moral guidance for doctors. The following section assured patients that their life would be protected & respected

I will prescribe for my patients according to my ability and my judgement and never do harm to anyone. To please no one will I prescribe a deadly drug nor give advice which may cause his death. For many years, doctors swore this oath as they entered the profession. Is this is a good promise for a modern doctor to make?

It has now been largely replaced by a statement from the GMC What important differences are there? Why do you think they have been made? Listen to patients and respond to their concerns & preferences. Respect patients’ right to reach decisions with you about their treatment and care.

The word ‘euthanasia’ Means ‘a gentle death’ It’s also sometimes called ‘mercy killing’ The intention of euthanasia is to assist a person who is suffering & maybe dying, by giving them enough medication to kill them

It is seen as an ‘act of compassion’ because it will end their suffering It will also shorten their life – usually by a few days or weeks.

In the UK Euthanasia is illegal It is seen as assisting someone to commit suicide which goes against the Suicide Act of 1961 But a growing number of people believe that people have a right to self- determination and that they should have some control over when their life ends.

We need to be sure of the facts unlike … Youth In Asia

There are 3 main types of Euthanasia All of them are illegal in the UK The first 2 are performed in some countries

Voluntary Euthanasia The patient asks a doctor to end their life

Non-voluntary The person is too ill to ask, but it is believed to be in their best interests that their life should end.

Involuntary This is what happened in Nazi Germany, when disabled and sick people were killed against their will and without consultation

If euthanasia does happen, it can be active or passive Active – Withholding treatment to deliberately end life, or giving a drug to end life. Passive – Where treatment is withheld or withdrawn because it’s just delaying the natural process of dying. Or increasing the dose of morphine to control pain, knowing that it will also shorten life. Some people say this isn’t euthanasia at all.

Do you consider all human life to be of equal value? Are there people in society who are treated as if they were less valuable? Do you have to be religious to say that human life is of great value? What might a non-religious person say about the nature and purpose of life?

Case Study 1 A doctor treating an elderly, bed-ridden patient at home, leaves powerful sleeping tablets by the bed with strict instructions that no more than two must be taken on any account. The patient has already told the doctor she wants to die.

What do you think?…. Was the doctor in Case study 1 right to leave the tablets, knowing how the patient felt? Is this the same as administering a normal dose of painkillers by syringe at the patient’s request?

Case Study 2 A badly deformed baby is born and needs immediate maximum intensive care to survive. The mother also needs urgent medical care, and the doctor deliberately deals with her needs first.

What do you think? In Case study 2: Is the delay in treating the baby the same as ‘causing its death’? Would it have been different if the mother hadn’t needed such skilled medical treatment?

Case Study 3 A doctor administers a fatal dose of potassium chloride to his elderly patient. She was close to death and in great pain. After consulting her two sons, she asked her doctor to help her die painlessly which he did. The doctor noted the injection in the medical records, making no effort to conceal what he had done.

Case Study 4 A brother and sister try to administer a potentially fatal overdose of a powerful pain killer after their terminally ill mother begs them to end her suffering. They immediately tell hospital staff what they have done and the mother is brought back from the brink of death only to die in terrible pain 12 days later.

What do you think?… In Case study 3 the authorities accused the doctor of attempted murder. He received a suspended sentence and was allowed to continue his work. Do you agree with the verdict? Do you think the medical staff in Case study 4 were correct in reversing the overdose?