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LIFE-AND-DEATH DECISION MAKING: RATIONAL SUICIDE
The concept of rational suicide as an alternative to an extended dying process, however, deserves mention here. Although exact numbers are not known, medical ethicists, experts in rational suicide, and specialists in forensic medicine (the study of legal issues in medicine) estimate that thousands of terminally ill people every year decide to kill themselves rather than endure constant pain and slow decay. To these people, the prospect of an undignified death is unacceptable. This issue has been complicated by advances in death prevention techniques that allow terminally ill patients to exist in an irreversible disease state for extended periods of time. Medical personnel, clergy, lawyers, and patients all must struggle with this ethical dilemma.
Still, questions remain. Do we have a right to die? If so, is this an unlimited right, or does it apply only to certain conditions? If terminally ill patients are allowed to commit suicide legally, what other groups will demand this option? Should the courts be involved in private decisions? Should any organization be allowed to distribute information that may encourage suicide? Should loved ones or medical caregivers be allowed to assist the person who wants to die by providing the means?
Dyathanasia is a form of \"mercy killing\" in which someone plays a passive role in the death of a terminally ill person. This passive role may include the withholding of life-prolonging treatments or withdrawal of life-sustaining medical support, thereby allowing the person to die. Euthanasia is often referred to as \"mercy killing.\" The term active euthanasia has been given to end the life of a person (or animal) that is suffering greatly and has no chance of recovery. An example might be a physician-prescribed lethal injection. Passive euthanasia refers to the intentional withholding of treatment that would prolong life. Deciding not to place a person with massive brain trauma on life support is an example of passive euthanasia.
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GENERAL HEALTH
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