Euthanasia Ethical Nancy Cruzan, Case Study Example

Introduction

To have a good life is a desire that for so long has been shared by everyone. With the advancement and development in the hospital services and the progress achieved in technology, majority of the illnesses that afflict humans have become curable. However, these technological advancements along with improved hospital services are also associated with some limitations (Lamers, 2003).

Nancy Cruzan case: facts, time lines and key players

The ordeals of Nancy Cruzan began on 11^th January 1983 at the time that she was at the age of 25 years. She was involved in a road accident. As a result of this accident, Nancy Cruzan entered in to ‘persistent vegetative state’, which is a condition of comma, which required that she live in a life support machine (Walker, 2003) The life of Nancy Cruzan was sustained through the use of artificial feeding through a gastronomy tube that was implanted in to her. Although most people believed that Nancy Cruzan was only in a state of ‘persistent vegetative state’ and that the use of artificial feeding sustained her life, some people have argued that, she actually died long time ago but then kept in the place where the death could not be recognized. The argument is that, since the death of Nancy Cruzan, burial or cremation ought to have taken place instead of being retained in the hospital bed for a very long period of up to eight years. The medical technology has only achieved sustenance of the elementary biological processes.

The case of Cruzan was determined in the Supreme Court in Missouri. The judges were persuaded by the argument of the contribution of informed consent in the right of a person to refuse treatment. In the situation that the decision was made on behalf of Cruzan by the parents, the court relied on convincing and elaborate evidence that it was the wish of the patient for the treatment to be terminated in the circumstances that prevailed (James, 2005). One of the most compelling ethical issue that surround the act of euthanasia in Nancy Cruzan case is a peaceful and ‘good death’

Ethical issue

Majority of the patients have undergone great suffering from emotional and physical pains from time to time that leads to serious challenges to end their own life. This is normally due to the intensive pain that they encounter at the time of their illness. Euthanasia can also be referred to as a process of terminating the life of an individual in a painless way. Suicide assisted by physicians along with voluntary assisted euthanasia has been controversial issues over time. In majority of the jurisdictions, criminal law actively regards voluntary assisted suicide carried out by doctors as intentional killing. Voluntary euthanasia has become legal in the U.S, specifically in the states of Washington and Oregon (Gordon & Singer, 2015). In assisted euthanasia, the patient actively takes part in the last steps of his or her death. The most striking case associated with voluntary assisted euthanasia is the Nancy Cruzan case.

Kant’s Moral Theory

According to Kant, the capabilities for reasoning is a fundamental aspect in the human beings status of moral agents. The parents of Nancy Cruzan sought the decision of the Supreme Court to terminate the life support procedures through the removal of the feeding tubes and pave way for the burial of Nancy Cruzan because she had died long time before. However, other people brought their prospectus in to play with the argument that life must be valued under whatever circumstances. They vehemently argued that, human life even in a vegetative condition has a significant implication and must be respected at all cost.

The argument forwarded was that, removing the feeding tube from Cruzan was wrong based on moral principles because it translated to the death of the patient. They also argued that, such decisions were likely to promote future cases of killing the people who may be perceived as less significant to their families and the society.

Different perspectives

Based on the perspectives of different stakeholders such as the physician, an ethics consultant in the hospital, a clergy member, a social worker, or a lawyer, the debate revolving around the case of Cruzan does not in any way address issues of life and death but rather, the quality of life relative to death. According to the perception of some people such as the clergy member and the social worker, the removal of the feeding tube and starvation to Cruzan was an act of undervaluing the life of Cruzan. The social work perspective was for the opinion that, the family of Cruzan could have opted for assistance of bona fide social workers on voluntary capacity to offer inexorable care to the Cruzan irrespective of the painful condition that had remained in for the last eight years. The Supreme Court out rightly acknowledged the constitutionality of a competent person of refusing life prolonging processes such as nutrition and hydration. In case the person is incompetent, then some evidence indicating the preference of the individual was paramount for ruling.

Making recommendations

It has been a difficult experience to examine this case and equally difficult to make recommendations because it is a serious ethical issue.  It is a common knowledge that man has not been able to liberate human kind from death and illnesses despite all the efforts to improve health facilities and increase technological interventions

Works cited

Gordon, M. & Singer, P. “Decisions and Care at the End of Life.” Lancet 346 (1995):163–166, 2015.

James Rowe, Nancy Cruzan and the Right to Die. The Cruzan Case(1983): a 25 year old with   PVS, 1990 US Supreme Court (5-4) Decision- a Liberty Interest QCC, 2005.

Lamers, William M.. “Cruzan, Nancy.” Macmillan Encyclopedia of Death and Dying. 2003.

Walker, G. Medical euthanasia. In Handbook of death and dying. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, 2003.