Exam 9: Decisions at the End of Life

Involuntary euthanasia, which ignores the individual's autonomous rights and could potentially bring about the death of an unwilling victim, is not easily distinguished from ____________________.

Review the case "Extending the Right to Die." In the Vacco v. Quill case it was argued that if a right to die could be found under the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution, then a law that allowed a patient who wanted to be disconnected from artificial life support to do so, but barred others who wanted to take lethal drugs to similarly hasten their death, would violate the amendment's equal protection guarantee because it treated the two groups differently. Some have worried that the acceptance of such a right is a slippery slope, which will inevitably lead to the expansion of the categories and endanger groups such as the elderly or handicapped. Defend or refute the use of the slippery slope argument in this case.

The proxy decision-making standard that best fit the Karen Ann Quinlan case was known as the ____________________ standard.

According to Tom Beauchamp, a person has committed suicide when:

Match each item to the definition listed below -The call for a clear and convincing evidence standard in cases of withholding or withdrawing life-saving equipment has led to the increased use of these types of documents.?

In December 1989, the ____________ case became one of the first of the right-to-die cases to be heard by the Supreme Court.

Match each item to the definition listed below -Originates in English common law, whereby the king had the authority to act as guardian for persons with legal disabilities; in the U.S., this function belongs to the states?

Assume that a national assisted suicide policy was in place and it became acceptable for physicians to provide lethal dosages of medications for the purpose of ending a patient's life. Review your professional code of ethics and your organization's position on the matter and write an essay as to whether the legalization would require you as a health professional to participate.

Defend or refute the proposal that assisting a patient with euthanasia is compatible with the health specialist's patient advocacy duties.

The legislative mandate that requires all health facilities receiving federal reimbursements under Medicare or Medicaid to provide patients at the time of admission with information concerning their right to refuse medical interventions is known as the _________________________ of 1990.

Discuss the law in regard to mercy killing.

Match each item to the definition listed below -Actively assisting the process of death for someone who has requested assistance in the dying process

Differentiate between a living will and a durable power of attorney and provide a rationale for selecting one of the methods.

As a result of technological advances, a majority of jurisdictions within our nation have accepted the concept of ___________________ as opposed to the classic definition of death based on the loss of cardiac and respiratory function.

Following the call for a clear and convincing evidence standard, is there still a need for proxy decision standards based on substituted judgment? Defend your position.

Review the potential options regarding methods to increase organ supply. Select the one that seems most ethical and practical to you and defend your choice.

In March 1983, in response to the Baby Doe case, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued a (an) ______________, which directed that all health care facilities dealing with infants less than one year of age and who received federal funding prominently display an antidiscrimination notice protecting these infants.

Match each item to the definition listed below -A differentiation used to determine what level of care is required and what level of care is optional due to high costs, low effectiveness, or other criteria

Match each item to the definition listed below -A proxy-decision making standard in which the guardian is directed to make the decision in the best interest of the individual; often used in cases in which the individual was never in a position to make an autonomous decision

Discuss the nature of the Hospice Movement in the United States and how this may impact the debate regarding euthanasia.