To: Mrs. Don-o
OK. That makes sense.
Now how does it apply to the original situation of the discussion: if I have an inoperable brain tumor, I am going to die and Im in a constant, intolerable state of pain, how many days before my death is it ok for me to kill myself without sinning?
When can someone put poison in my I.V. at my beckoning and not be a murderer?
Or is it always wrong, in the case of a terminal disease? Even 30-seconds before your natural death?
To: Psycho_Bunny
Like I said before, intention is important in moral judgments. This issue comes up every single time in terminal pain management cases, and has to be calculated anew every single time.
- Not enough meds = intolerable pain.
- Just enough meds A = awake-alert-manageable level of discomfort.
- Just enought meds B = sleep/unconsciousness/coma (Sometimes if the patient has control of his own meds, i.e. with a calibrated liquid morphine self-injection system, they can choose between "Option A" and "Option B" on a back-and-forth basis, depending on whether they want to be awake and alert enough to communicate with family and friends, or whether for the next 24 hours they'd rather just be out of it.)
- Too much meds = Euthanasia by terminal sedation.
What you want is "just enough meds" options 2 and 3. The line between one category and another might just be the difference between a couple of cc's of morphine or whatever you're using. You have to calibrate it to the best of your ability, each and every time.
That's as much as anybody can possibly do.
80 posted on
03/27/2008 9:22:07 AM PDT by
Mrs. Don-o
("Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle." - Philo of Alexandria)
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