To Live or Let Die

Paper Summary:

This paper presents a detailed examination of the treatment of the permanently unconscious in the UK. The writer uses several case laws as examples to discuss how their plights in the courts have been handled and what the end results have been. The writer argues that the courts have been so worried about appearance and other issues that they have erred on the side of flawed reasoning in their decisions. The writer also devotes a discussion to suggestions that might alleviate the confusion over what should be done for and with these people.

From the Paper:

"Mankind has made advances in medical science that are astounding. Today people are living longer than ever before and during those added years their quality of life is ever improving. It is a wonderful time to be alive and a wonderful time to plan to enjoy the golden years in comfort and activity. But what happens when it doesn't work out that way? What about the thousands of those who are alive but not living, because they are permanently unconscious in a vegetative state? The advances of medical science not only allow the living to live longer but it causes those who are not living not to die. In recent years the court system has been asked to step in and decide who shall live and who shall die through the order of unplugging or disabling life support systems. It is an extremely volatile issue around the world and there have been several cases in the United Kingdom in which the courts have made the decision to force permanently unconscious patients to lie there indefinitely. The courts have refused to allow family members or medical personnel to stop the false life support, leaving instead, a patient who will never recover, never wake up, never have any function in life whatsoever. There has been an extreme amount of controversy surrounding these cases with each one being a maze of legal jargon and interpretation. However, what one must remember is that to the courts these are cases of words, documents and legal briefs but to the families and friends of the patients it is about a human being, who no longer has life but is refused death. Over the years in the effort to avoid suits and other legal ramifications the courts have used flawed reasoning in their decisions and that flawed reasoning is causing entire families tremendous amounts of pain, grief, and financial burden."

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