Moral and Ethical Issues of Euthanasia Essay -- Euthanasia Physician A

Moral and Ethical Issues of Euthanasia    As we all know, medical treatment can help save lives. But is there a medical treatment that would actually help end life? Although it's often debated upon, the procedure is still used to help the aid of a patient's death. Usually dubbed as mercy killing, euthanasia is the "practice of ending a life so as to release an individual from an incurable disease or intolerable suffering" (Encarta). My argument over this topic is that euthanasia should have strict criteria over the use of it. There are different cases of euthanasia that should be looked at and different point of views that should be considered. I will be looking into VE (Voluntary Euthanasia), which involves a request by the dying patient or that person's legal representative. These different procedures are as follows: passive or negative euthanasia, which involves not doing something to prevent death or allowing someone to die and active or positive euthanasia which involves taking deliberate action to cause a death. I have reasons to believe that passive or negative euthanasia can be a humane way of end suffering, while active or positive euthanasia is not. According Richard Gula, active euthanasia is legally considered homicide (5). Another intervention and approach to euthanasia could be through the use of analgesic means. The use of morphine or other anesthetic medication could be used to allow the patient to die or hasten their dying process. I consider the latter procedure to be more humane than that of the other because it is morally wrong to kill a person, rather it's humane for someone to die naturally. Before I discuss the rights and wrongs of euthanasia, I will define death or a person, when is it safe to say... ...Jack D. "Euthanasia." Microsoft ® Encarta ® 98 Encyclopedia.  © 1993-1997: Microsoft Corporation. CD-ROM. Frederick, Calvin J. "Death and Dying." Microsoft ® Encarta ® 98 Encyclopedia.  © 1993-1997: Microsoft Corporation. CD-ROM. Gula, Richard M. What Are They Saying About Euthanasia?. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1986. McGee, Glenn and Arthur L. Caplan. "Medical Ethics." Microsoft ® Encarta ® 98 Encyclopedia.  © 1993-1997: Microsoft Corporation. CD-ROM. President's Commission for the Study of Ethical Problems in Medicine and Biomedical and Behavioral Research. Defining Death: A Report on the Medical, Legal and Ethical Issues in the Determination of Death. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1981. Robert Matz; Daniel P. Sudmasy; Edward D. Pallegrino. "Euthanasia: Morals and Ethics." Archives of Internal Medicine 1999: p1815 Aug. 9, 1999 .

Cultural safety in nursing Essay

The meaning of the term culture in nursing has changed significantly in recent decades. Culture may be seen as the learned, shared value and beliefs of a particular group (Spence, 2001). Cultural expression assumes many forms, including language, traditions, stress, pain, anger, sorrow, spirituality, decision making and even world philosophy (Catalano, 2006).Cultural safety is a process that involves the individual knowing of their self and their own culture, becoming aware of, respectful of, and sensitive to different cultures, asking who is at risk, preventing unsafe situations, and creating a culturally safe environment (Wood and Schwass, 1993). During my first night shift at clinical placement, I provided care for Anna (pseudonym), an 85- year old Maori lady, who was admitted to the ward following suicide attempt, which was related to the second anniversary of her husband’s death. She had a 20 year history of depression. On admission Anna was agitated and fearful, stating that she could not do almost anything that was requested of her. She had some disorganized ideas. For example, she thought she would be scalded by meals, or accidentally fall out of a window. We had just finished our handover when Anna rang the bell. I went to her room and found her sitting on the chair.†Good evening Anna,† I said.† My name is Parisa. I am your nurse tonight†. Anna looked worried and replied: â€Å"I am not sure if I have enough clothes!!!. † From the handover briefing I had understood that she was worrying about not having enough clothes. So I opened the door of the wardrobe and reassured her that she had plenty of clothes. Then I told her she needed to come back to her bed and have a rest. I helped her get back into the bed. Twenty minutes later, while I was doing the ward check, I heard someone crying. The sound of crying came from Anna’s room. I went to her room. It was midnight. Anna was lying alone; fearful, sad, and depressed. Left isolated, she wanted to call a nurse for help but she didn’t know how to explain what she needed. † Anna, what happened?† I asked. â€Å"Are you crying?† She didn’t reply. In this situation, it came into my mind that good therapeutic communication through the use of touch was very appropriate to  calm her. I held her hand, looked into her eyes, and asked her if she wanted to tell me what she was thinking at the time. She replied:† I feel I am a horrible person, can’t you see that? â€Å"I said, â€Å"A horrible person!!, what I see is a frightened person. You are scared, aren’t you?† She replied, â€Å"I am so scared of losing everything and everyone I love. Nurse, I am not a good person, I tried to commit suicide. I took an overdose of my pills, and I made my family worry about me†. She started to cry again. I listened to Anna and let her speak out all her feelings. I said,† I understand you feel it was the wrong thing to do† She replied: â€Å"Do you think God will forgive me? I need to cry, I need to pray†. With my eyes full of tears I asked her,† Would you like it if we prayed together?† She looked at me kindly and said â€Å"Yes, I would like to pray†. We held hands, and both of us started to pray in our own languages†¦ Learning and then not acting on what you learn is like ploughing and then never planting (Unknown). When I was in unit 4, we had a Maori Health paper where I gained lot of knowledge about the Maori view of health. This incident with Anna was an occasion in which I put the knowledge I had learned at university into practice. According to Durie (1998) the traditional Maori attitude toward health is one of holism. Health from a Maori perspective has always acknowledged the unity of: spiritual, emotional, physical, and family aspects. The spiritual perspective is the most necessary perspective for Maori wellbeing. It is defined as â€Å"attachment to religious values,† but does not have the same meaning as â€Å"religious beliefs†. When spiritual needs are met, an individual can function with a meaningful identity and purpose and can relate to reality with hope (Durie, 1998). Nursing is a discipline that professes to address the human person in a holistic manner, focusing on all dimensions of the person: body, mind and spirit (Lemmer, 2005). Care of the spirit is a professional nursing responsibility and an intrinsic part of holistic nursing. The holistic nursing perspective requires nurses to view each person as a biopsychosocial being with a spiritual core. Thus, nurses must be sure to address the spirit  along with the other dimensions to provide holistic care (Calatona, 2006, p.403). In my situation, I had to support Anna’s desire to pray and practise meaningful rituals. To confirm my assumptions about an underlying cultural issue, I asked Anna in a very respectful way about her cultural beliefs. I realized that Anna’s religious beliefs could be a vital way in which she expresses her spirituality. I asked her if she would like the service of a Maori Chaplain, and she accepted. Therefore, during the morning handover I informed Anna’s primary nurse that Anna wish to be referred to the Maori Chaplain Service. Fourie, Mcdonald, Connor and Bartlett (2005) clearly state that handover is a critical time where staff share information from which to base important decisions about patient care and management, particularly clients who appear unsettled and /or those who require extra intervention. Spiritual interventions have been demonstrated to be significant in the client’s recovery from disorder. The dimensions of religious ceremony, prayer and the client, relationship with God have been shown to have positive associations with mental health (Catalano, 2006). Reflecting on this experience I found that my therapeutic communication techniques of presence, and active listening, were very useful. â€Å"The affective aspects of nursing are related to emotional interchange between nurse and patient which includes presentation, active listening, therapeutic communication and discussion of spiritual issues† (Wichowski, Kubsch, Ladwig & Torres, 2003, p.1122). I used touch to help comfort her distress. Touch is a therapeutic tool which can provide sensory stimulation, induce relaxation, physical and emotional comfort, orient people to reality, improve level of awareness, convey warmth, respect, sensitivity and a powerful expression of a trusting relationship (Crisp & Taylor, 2003). I listened attentively to every single word that Anna said to show that I have a genuine interest in knowing more about her beliefs. Listening attentively and reflectively can help the client feel valued, understood and supported (Mohr, 2003). I have found out that through my active listening to her story, I displayed a caring attitude, and she is already participating in a culturally competent care. A nurse who is ready to listen to his/her patients, respects their  cultural and social backgrounds and does not make any stereotypical assumptions delivers a culturally safe practice (Bunker, 2001). My experience of nursing Anna, and learning how her cultural beliefs affected her mood helped me achieve and develop the skills to be culturally competent in my nursing practice. Culturally competent care involves the integration of knowledge, attitude and skills to provide culturally appropriate health care (Mohr, 2003). As I want to be a mental health nurse, my practice should be culturally appropriate through the sensitive and supportive identification of cultural issues (Australia & New Zealand College of Mental health nursing, 1995). I also learned that one of the skills that a mental health nurse should possess is the ability to integrate cultural perspectives within the delivery of appropriate interventions. This experience also gave me the opportunity to demonstrate my skill in communicating Anna’s problem to the primary nurse effectively. It also enhanced my critical thinking skills for I was able to find the link between her beliefs and her illness, and that led to p rovision of a culturally competent care.

Allowing Gays To Adopt

In most cases, the legality of adoption is based very strongly upon the principle of consent. Consent refers to the agreement by the child’s parents or the child’s guardian (the person or the agency under whose custody the child is) to accede the child for adoption and to expel the rights and duties with regard to the child. The process of consenting requires that the birth parents of the child notify a judge or court officials in writing.Alternatively, a part from the biological parents, other people issuing their consent can be the agency in charge of the child, the guardians, the court of law, or a close relative or the next friend who has already attained the legal age. In some states such as the Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia for instance, the child should issue consent when or when above 14. Sometimes this may be abnegated if the child is mentally ill. The execution of the consent normally takes 13 days while cases with the fastest ratification speed may take 12-24 hours.Heretofore, the next stage may differ since rules are state-specific. In most states, the written consent is notarized to the concerned public, while in other states; the consenting parents are taken for counseling as touching the matter. A provision for the revocation of the consent is normally very limited but in most cases, the adoption process is irrevocable. States in which there are absolutely no provision for the revocation include; Mississippi, Samoa and the Nebraska.The limited provision come in when the parents or guardians were defrauded, coerced or were under duress when issuing their consent. Some states also issue a time frame within which any case of disgruntlement can be aired by the parents. Conversely if the application to revoke the consent has been found to be in the interest of the child or if both the biological parents and the adoptive parents have reached this consensus, it will be the duty of the court of law to consider the petition.The 14th amendment of the American constitution, a post civil war judicial reconstruction, was originally intended to bolster the 13th amendment which in turn had brought slavery to a grinding halt. This amendment was to promote the rights of the former slaves. When it was proposed in the June 13, 1866, it spelt out equal protection of all by the law, birthing the â€Å"Separate but equal† doctrine. This amendment placed all persons on the same pedestal since all became under one law. It is upon this concept of equality that the marginalized groups began to come out for equal recognition.Privacy rights such as abortion, homosexuality became subject to debates. Currently perhaps the most heated form of debate is the one touching on the prospects of gay adoption (Ricketts, 1991). The laws for the best interest of the child assume that for any normal child to develop well, this should happen under the jurisdiction of the two parents. It is on this backdrop that in the best interest of the child, the law has come up with regulations which are geared towards the child’s protection for instance, in case of a divorce.By default, the law stipulates that upon divorce, both parents should have equal access and responsibility to and over the child. This can only be negated upon a parent being found to be harmful to the child. As far as the issue of the best interest of the child in relation to gay parenting is concerned, the law is not yet unified and therefore varies from one state to another. For instance gay parenting is prohibited in Florida but reconstructions are underway to recognize it in Alabama, Georgia, Ohio and Tennessee.The pro-gay parenting legal practitioners argue that it is better for a child to have a two parent family than a one parent one, and that it will be furthering the interest of the child since a two parent family can easily fend for the child’s needs than if the child had one or no parent at all. A case these lawyers have bro ught to the fore is the fact that there are presently (Clifford, Hertz, Doskow, Curry 2007)119,000 needy children in the US alone waiting to be adopted. Furthermore, they posit that children have more serious concerns than their parent’s sexual orientation.Discrimination against children raised by gay parents is not so far fetched compared to the discrimination encountered by gay parents. In America, this is not much of a problem compared to Australia where the parents are discriminated against in areas touching on taxation, social security, and workers’ compensation. The only case of discrimination against children with gay parents witnessed in Australia is limited to the peer groups and is always manifested in schools and in the neighborhood.This is because the Article 2 of the Convention of the Rights of the Child which was ratified in the 1990 sternly warns against child discrimination of any kind (Ricketts, 1991). Although some maintain that there is no strong bas is for the prohibition of the adoption by gay parenting, yet children rights and welfare agencies cite the child bearing studies on the other hand to maintain that children raised in heterosexual marriages thrive best emotionally, physically and mentally.They maintain that spates of violence are 2-3 times higher in homosexual marriages when compared to the heterosexual ones. In addition to this, they posit that homosexual marriages are always susceptible to dissolution with the normal gay marriage lasting 2-3 years and that homosexual activities are often marked with substance dependence, mental illnesses, suicidal tendencies and a shortened lifespan in comparison to heterosexual marriages.The proponents of same sex marriage and the adoption by the same sex parents have countered that these dysfunctions accrued by this group are as a result of the US socio-economic pressure, to which the opponents of adoption by the gay parents rebutted that the same pressure rests on the normative/ conservative form of marriage without yielding such results (Lerner and Nagai 2001). They further deliberate that children adopted or reared under the same sex marriage are highly vulnerable to sexual confusion, homo sexual behavior and premature sex.Nevertheless, it must be kept in mind that numerous strides have been made to entrench gay adoption and this has also produced gradual acceptance of the practice. A testimony to this is Florida which since 1977 had proscribed gay adoption but as per now efforts are in the offing to abrogate this law due to the push by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on the Supreme Court. In the same vein, the 1997 ACLU fact sheet, â€Å"the gay parenting statistics† to confirm this discloses that approximately, 6-14 million children are living under gay parenting.This could still be an understatement since most gays and lesbians are always reserved about disclosing the structure of their families due to fear of losing children (Mc Gurry , 2003). These changing prospects can be attributed to the fact that the emphasis on traditional form of marriage is gradually waning, and the subsequent overturning of state laws to assimilate gay marriages is in force. A case in point is when the then president Bill Clinton, signed the Defense On Marriage Act (DOMA), thus giving way to same sex marriage in Hawaii (Rimmerman, Wald, Wilcox, 2000).Gay adoption is also growing because of the fast rate with which gay parenting is spreading. Gay parenting, apart from the normal procedure of adoption occurs when one partner pulls out of a heterosexual marriage while still maintaining the custody of a child and moves into a gay marriage or, through lesbians opting for an artificial insemination upon siring a child enters into an agreement with gay partners for adoption. The co-parent adoption occurs when one gay who has an adopted child with him moves in with a partner who automatically assumes the role of a co- parent.This practice is co mmon in Washington, District of Columbia, Vermont, California, Minnesota, Alaska, and Oregon (Tonnerson, Andenaes and Wintemute, 2001). As touching on the stability of the children, the children grow up healthy and well adjusted compared to those who have one or no parent at all. This scores highly with the concept of the best interest of a child since the child’s financial and material needs are met. Conversely, the children under gay adoption turn out successfully just as the ones under heterosexual care.The American Psychological Association (AMA), out of its research maintained categorically that there was no evidence that children brought under gay adoption and parenting were susceptible to maladjustment or that they turned out less intelligent or suffered low self esteem; neither was there a connection between homosexuality and pedophilia or direct influence in the child’s sexual orientation in future. On the contrary, the AMA observed that 90% of child sexual ab uses were carried out by heterosexual men (Baker, 2005).To further dispel the misgivings on gay adoption, both the parents who want to adapt a child undergo a screening procedure which is a meticulous exercise meant to filter out those who have less prospects of making good parents. The fact that many potential gay parents navigate successfully these enchanted waters is a testimony of the type of parents they would make. Bibliography. Baker P. Public Discourses of Gay men. Rutledge: United States, 2005. Clifford D. Hertz F. Doskow E. Curry H. A Legal Guide for Lesbian and Gay Couples. Nolo: United States, 2007. Lerner R. Negai A.No Basis: What studies don’t tell us about parenting. Marriage Law Projects /Ethics and Public Policy Center: United States, 2001. Mc Garry J. K. Fatherhood for Gay Men: Emotional and Practical Guide to becoming a gay dad. Haworth Press: United States, 2003. Ricketts W. Lesbians and Gay men as foster parents. Wendel/ Ricketts: United States, 1991. Rim merman A. C. Wald D. K. Wilcox C. The Politics of Gay Rights University of Chicago: United States, 2000. Tonnerson M. Andenaes R. Wintemute M. Legal Recognition of Same Sex Partnership: A Study of National and European Law. Hart Publishing

Team Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Team Paper - Essay Example As the fields of criminal justice and drug offenders’ treatment are getting a lot of help from the drug courts, the number of drug courts all over the world is significantly increasing. Drug courts are improving the judicial system because they provide leadership for the treatment of offenders, provide supervision as a vital component of the drug courts and it also helps in improving communication between the offenders and the drug court teams. Apart from the cons related to drug courts, drug courts are not only helping those people who are brought to such places by their relatives for the purpose of drug addiction treatment, but also it has proved to be a great place for such people who really want to get treatment, not a forced one by their relatives. Bewley-Taylor (1999) found that drug courts are important for drug offenders because they provide the offenders with such treatment programs which may result in dismissal of the charges and lesser penalties. A model drug court includes incorporation of drug testing into case processing, creation of an association between a defendant and the court, sending the defendants for treatment soon after identification, providing access to a range of not only treatment but also rehabilitation services and observing self-denial through drug testing. Nolan (2001) found that a single agency can’t alone tackle drug and crime offenders, so drug courts work in cooperation with judge s, court personnel and treatment providers. A large number of drug court evaluations have been done over a decade mainly focusing on two outcomes; criminal recidivism and rates of retention and completion. After discussing pros and cons of drug courts, it is recommended for the county to create an operational drug court which will not only help the government and the tax payers in saving money but also will help in reducing case load of judicial courts. Use of

Film Analysis and Breakdown Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Film Analysis and Breakdown - Essay Example The long shots zoom in and out of the various people in the clip, enabling the viewer to see their facial features and the emotions that they exhibit. Shot 3: Sound: The soundtrack was infamous Jazz music common to the New Orleans area, with no talking, to contrast the irony between the Big Easy of old, and the reality of the destruction facing the area today. Shot 4: Image: The Depth of Field was quite wide as the director was trying to capsulate the mood of the time and the breadth of emotion that the film was designed to attract. The camera angle casts a wide panoramic view of the destruction left in the aftermath of the hurricane. Images are quite horrific as we see the sheer volume of water the descending upon the region. Shot 5: Sound: There was no narration in this shot; rather, only music was employed as a means to draw in the viewer to the message of the film. The music depicts the heart and sole of the region, while the images in this shot cast a different tone. Shot 6: Ima ge: Finally, in this shot, we notice a diegetic sound as we are left with a vision of what the destruction must have felt like and the voices of the people as they realized what had become of their lives. Part Two: Individual Analysis When the Levees Broke is a documentary film developed to contrast the two images we have of the Gulf region. On the one had, we have an area that is fun-loving and associated with a party type atmosphere. Gaining the nickname ‘The Big Easy’, we have visions of Jazz music, racial diversity, coupled with racial divisions. This understanding is contrasted with the destruction experienced during Hurricane Katrina, the feeling of despair and neglect that was felt, and the seemingly hopeless feeling that the people had and continue to have to this day. This emotion is all bought out in the very first sequence of the film. The sequence I chose is the very opening footage of the movie. I chose this sequence because the message portrayed in the ope ning six shots contains the heart and the purpose behind the documentary. The filming is a spectacular mix of close up and panoramic shots that encapsulate life before and after the Hurricane. No shot is wasted during the opening sequence, as the view is taken on a journey through two different time periods. Documentaries are often designed to elicit emotion and to tell a story. This opening sequence certainly accomplishes this aim. In shots one and two, while there is nothing spoken, the music tells the story. There are great editing features employed here that cut between the massive flooding that occurred when the levees broke, yet we are then cut back to an earlier time when the area was beautiful and life was good. Shots three through five employ an editing technique that provides us with a comparison and contrast that make the film effective in communicating its intended message. The camera in these shots cut to close ups of people in various states. After the hurricane, the i mages are horrific and the viewer can feel the pain. During the cuts to an earlier time, that is contrasted with images of excitement and a better time. These shots give us a picture of the before and after of the Gulf Region and set the tone for the rest of the film. The music itself appears to be carefully chosen as well. Rather than shifting its message and tone, the jazz played during the opening sequence is a consistent representation and reminder of what the Gulf Region was, and hopes to once again become.

Setting up high performance teams Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Setting up high performance teams - Essay Example These factors underline the basis of the teams performing a singular whole than disjointed units within the framework of the organization or the group that they are working under. Constituting a team is an important measure since it explains the manner in which the team members would carry out their processes and activities in order to reach the ultimate objective – the goal which is in sight. Also the presence of a leader within the ranks is also significant since he is the one who ensures that commitment and devotion is laid towards the activities of the whole team and that the team members are dedicated to the cause of serving the objectives of the team. A leader would guarantee that the team members remain on their toes and are up and ready in order to outperform each other so that the end result is one which will make the team stand out as a whole. The objectives of the team are more quintessential than the individual members and this is one aspect that the leader brings with him whilst formulating a high performance team. (Opie, 2000) People selection and recruitment stands as a very essential step of the formulation of teams since right kind of people must be geared up to the task and it is a must to check the kind of motivation that these team members have at the very moment and whether or not the same would remain like that within the future. Thus these factors are deemed as very important whilst getting the people under an umbrella which would actually see that the teams would get the right kind of members within their hold and this is important since it will decide how the team would actually perform within the future and in the long run. One must understand that team members are committed to the task and remain in line with the strategies and tactics deployed by the team leaders so that the team is a high performing one, both in difficult circumstances and in times of ease as well. This eventually

Two articles summary ( one page for each) Article

Two articles summary ( one page for each) - Article Example He gives the example of the episode, â€Å"A Streetcar Named Marge.† The episode uses allusions to A Streetcar Named Desire, Ayn Rand, The Great Escape, and Hitchcock’s The Birds. Matheson argues that these allusions are not for satire, but to capture deep meanings and to connect them to the story and the characters. These allusions are successful in keeping the humor tight and meaningful in The Simpsons. Apart from quotationalism, hyper-ironism shows the bleak humor of the show. Matheson asserts that modern society has â€Å"a pervasive crisis of authority,† which the show also describes through its undercutting of moral positions, including its own cynicism. He says that hyper-ironism is present in how The Simpsons attacks itself for its lack of strong and clear moral values and direction. Matheson argues that The Simpsons is funny because of its combination of quotationalism and hyper-ironism that see the society as it is, filled with cold and lost people tryi ng to hang on to traditional values while adapting new ones. Walter Benjamin provides a general history of the evolution of art. He asserts that changes in the economic structure have created changes in art. Like the economic structure, art is losing its essence, or â€Å"aura,† the inner force that comes from art’s uniqueness. He argues that mechanical reproduction has destroyed art by reinforcing oppressive socioeconomic systems. Benjamin explores the loss of art in the modern mechanical age. His first main point is that technology removes the purity of art. Technology makes art reproducible or mass-produced, which destroys art’s aura. Aura is lost in mass production because authenticity cannot be reproduced as it leads to the lost authority of the original maker. His second point is that art is as oppressive as the economic structure. Art is oppressive because it puts the masses in their controlled position, as they consume symbols and images that protect