TY - JOUR
T1 - Should euthanasia be considered iatrogenic?
AU - Barone, Silvana
AU - Unguru, Yoram
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.
PY - 2017/8
Y1 - 2017/8
N2 - As more countries adopt laws and regulations concerning euthanasia, pediatric euthanasia has become an important topic of discussion. Conceptions of what constitutes harm to patients are fluid and highly dependent on a myriad of factors including, but not limited to, health care ethics, family values, and cultural context. Euthanasia could be viewed as iatrogenic insofar as it results in an outcome (death) that some might consider inherently negative. However, this perspective fails to acknowledge that death, the outcome of euthanasia, is not an inadvertent or preventable complication but rather the goal of the medical intervention. Conversely, the refusal to engage in the practice of euthanasia might be conceived as iatrogenic insofar as it might inadvertently prolong patient suffering. This article will explore cultural and social factors informing families', health care professionals', and society's views on pediatric euthanasia in selected countries.
AB - As more countries adopt laws and regulations concerning euthanasia, pediatric euthanasia has become an important topic of discussion. Conceptions of what constitutes harm to patients are fluid and highly dependent on a myriad of factors including, but not limited to, health care ethics, family values, and cultural context. Euthanasia could be viewed as iatrogenic insofar as it results in an outcome (death) that some might consider inherently negative. However, this perspective fails to acknowledge that death, the outcome of euthanasia, is not an inadvertent or preventable complication but rather the goal of the medical intervention. Conversely, the refusal to engage in the practice of euthanasia might be conceived as iatrogenic insofar as it might inadvertently prolong patient suffering. This article will explore cultural and social factors informing families', health care professionals', and society's views on pediatric euthanasia in selected countries.
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U2 - 10.1001/journalofethics.2017.19.8.msoc1-1708
DO - 10.1001/journalofethics.2017.19.8.msoc1-1708
M3 - Article
C2 - 28846520
AN - SCOPUS:85041678748
VL - 19
SP - 802
EP - 814
JO - AMA journal of ethics
JF - AMA journal of ethics
SN - 2376-6980
IS - 8
ER -