Best Practice & Research Clinical Anaesthesiology
Volume 20, Issue 4 , Pages 605-617, December 2006

Recent thinking about end of life issues

  • Catherine Hale, Barrister-at-Law, LLB (hons), MSc, PGCE (Lecturer in Medical Law and Ethics)

      Affiliations

    • Corresponding Author InformationTel.: +44 121 414 3775; Fax: +44 121 414 7938.

Centre for Biomedical Ethics, Department of Primary Care and General Practice, Birmingham University, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK

Frequently, ethical dilemmas for clinicians in ICU focus on the conflict between the sanctity of life principle and other important ethical principles, such as patient autonomy or quality of life. Therefore, this chapter seeks to reveal the ethical tension between the sanctity of life and other competing ethical obligations, clearly outlining how the law in reality is making decisions and what a clinician's duties are in end of life issues.

Key words: end of life, sanctity of life, autonomy, self-determination, right to die, right to life, euthanasia, PVS, acts, omissions, quality of life, assisted suicide, suicide, assisted dying, Mental Capacity, withholding, withdrawing, best interests, doctrine of double-effect

To access this article, please choose from the options below

Login to an existing account or Register a new account.

  • Purchase this article for 31.50 USD (You must login/register to purchase this article)

    Online access for 24 hours. The PDF version can be downloaded as your permanent record.

  • Subscribe to this title

    Get unlimited online access to this article and all other articles in this title 24/7 for one year.

  • Claim access now

    For current subscribers with Society Membership or Account Number.

  • Visit SciVerse ScienceDirect to see if you have access via your institution.
 

PII: S1521-6896(06)00060-7

doi:10.1016/j.bpa.2006.10.004

Best Practice & Research Clinical Anaesthesiology
Volume 20, Issue 4 , Pages 605-617, December 2006

Article Tools