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denied release if he believes that life has lost its value? Some prominent writers on medical ethics have agreed that what gives a person's life value is its being valued by that person” If patient no longer thinks that life has value, then why VAE is denied.
It is ultimately, the patient who decides whether his life is worthwhile.
The doctor's role is an one of ensuring the patients request is autonomous & considering the merits of the request, what would those merits be other than a judgement that the patient would indeed be better off dead? Why should they deny their incompetent patients the benefit of euthanasia when they are in same situation as their competent patients except for their ability to request that benefit? E.g. x & y twins with painful terminal illness & suffering to an identical degree x is competent to pleads doctor for lethal injection of K+ chloride. Because suffering is unbearable Dr. agrees that death would indeed be a benefit for x & admits to give him merciful release. X request same for y who is in competent that he too must be experiencing "unbearable & useless” suffering. Is Dr. to deny y the the same benefit he has agreed to confer on x? if so what has become of the doctor's duty to act in the best interests of his patients?
. Doctors are not robots who mindlessly comply with their patient's wishes. They are professionals. Who form their own judgement about the merits of any request for medical intervention. A responsible doctor would not agree to kill patient just because the patient autonomously asked. The doctor acting professionally, would decide in each case whether the intervention was truly in the patients best interests. Responsible doctor would no more kill a patient who had in the doctor's opinion a life worth living. ..
VAE goal is inherently inconsistent, a procedure for death which provides ample safeguards against abuse & mistake & which is quick & easy operation. How doctor's competence & good faith can be proved & how incompetence dishonesty to be prevented? VAE resists affective regulation.
To devise procedures to ensure that VAE must be performed after a genuine clear & free considered request by patient & only where it is last resort, it should not by depression. In some cases patients may be misdiagnosed & inaccurately told their condition is terminal or will be correctly diagnosed but will be given a false prognosis the doctor will mistakenly tell the patient there is no hope of cure or even when doctor arrives at a correct diagnosis & prognosis, he will simply lack sufficient expertise in palliative care to know what relief it can offer the particular patient.
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