Is there a difference between palliative sedation and euthanasia?

Is there a difference between palliative sedation and euthanasia?
One common argument in favour of legalising euthanasia is that several accepted medical practices already involve hastening the death of patients. Some ethicists claim, for example, that we are already hastening patients’ deaths in palliative care contexts through the administration of toxic levels of opioids and sedatives to patients. In palliative sedation -- a relatively common procedure in end of life scenarios -- doctors administer strong doses of drugs such as midazolam to sedate a patient. Ostensibly this is done to relieve refractory symptoms, yet some suggest that doctors are fully aware that the drugs may bring about a quicker death. In light of this, some ethicists argue that we need not be so concerned about hastening death through euthanasia -- this is a mere extension of the already existing practices in palliative care.

Nurse arrested in sexual assault of incapacitated woman at Phoenix facility

PHOENIX – Phoenix police arrested a 36-year-old nurse at Hacienda HealthCare facility, alleging he sexually assaulted and impregnated an incapacitated woman at the center.

The woman gave birth to a boy Dec. 29. Staff members told a 911 operator that they had not known she was pregnant.

The old days of medicine are gone

In the last decade, specifically in the last five to six years, we have seen the gradual disempowerment of America’s physicians as well as their unfortunate patients.

Starting with health management organizations, managed care, all the way to the insurance exchange, doctoring has been forcefully wrestled away from physicians only to be placed into the hands of large insurers, administrators and the United States government.

The common denominator was never about improving the quality of care for the American people but rather an obscene money-grabbing agenda by the above powers that be and the pharmaceutical industry.

Why the Royal College of Physicians will go ‘neutral’ on assisted suicide and why that matters

Undemocratic efforts to neutralise doctors' moral responsibility.

The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) is going to poll its 35,000 members to ask whether "they would help a terminally ill patient to die and whether the law should be changed to allow assisted dying."

Why, despite the RCP polling all its members just a few years ago with the same question, has it decided it needs to poll members again? Could it possibly be part of a deliberate attempt to go officially "neutral" on "assisted dying" and from there, to support it?

Delaware bill defines assisted suicide as a palliative care option

Delaware bill defines assisted suicide as a palliative care option

The assisted suicide lobby has instituted a new direction by redefining assisted suicide as palliative care. This has long been a talking point for assisted suicide advocates but now they are attempting to change the legal definition of palliative care.

Assisted suicide laws give physicians, or others (New Mexico bill) the right in law to assist the suicide of their patients.

Oregon Attempts to Expand Assisted-Suicide License

Oregon Attempts to Expand Assisted-Suicide License

Oregon’s assisted-suicide legalization was the tip of the spear. Its provisions were never intended to remain restricted in perpetuity, but rather, were designed to give people false assurance that the ambitions of the euthanasia movement are limited.

They aren’t. And now true to form, a bill has been filed in Oregon to greatly expand eligibility and add other liberalizing provisions. First, HB 2232 would broaden the definition of terminal illness to the point that the term is stripped of any logical or cogent meaning:

“Terminal disease” means a disease that will, within reasonable medical judgment, produce or substantially contribute to a patient’s death.

Oregon will debate bills to expand the definition of terminal and allow physicians to wave the waiting period.

Oregon will debate bills to expand the definition of terminal and allow physicians to wave the waiting period.

Recently the Oregon assisted suicide lobby stated that they intend to expand the definitions in the assisted suicide law. The 2017 Oregon assisted suicide report stated that number of assisted suicide deaths had, once again, increased.