SAFEGUARDS FOR LIFE-ENDING DECISIONS
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SAFEGUARDS FOR THE RIGHT-TO-DIE

 SAFEGUARDS TO PREVENT PREMATURE DEATH

SAFEGUARDS FOR MEDICAL DECISIONS AT THE END OF LIFE

 THE RIGHT-TO-DIE—SAFEGUARDS FOR WISE DECISION-MAKING

 MEDICAL DECISION-MAKING AT THE END OF LIFE—SAFEGUARDS

 RIGHT-TO-DIE LEGISLATION—SAFEGUARDS TO PREVENT MISTAKES AND ABUSES

THE MEANING OF THE EXPRESSION "LIFE-ENDING DECISIONS"

    A life-ending decision is any choice that is reasonable expected
to lead to the death of the patient within a few days.
The broader expression "end-of-life choices"
includes all forms of terminal care,
including attempting to keep the patient alive as long as possible.

    Here are five examples of life-ending decisions:

1. increasing pain-medication with the knowledge
that the drugs will probably shorten the process of dying.
Pain-relief is the primary purpose.
But it should be explained to everyone
that these drugs will (as a secondary side-effect)
shorten the number of days this patient has left.

2. terminal sedation—using appropriate drugs
with the intention of keeping the patient unconscious until death occurs.
Since an unconscious patient cannot eat,
food and water (provided by any means) are also usually withdrawn.

3. Terminating life-support systems
—discontinuing all medical treatments and disconnecting all tubes and machines
that were intended to treat the disease or condition and/or to keep the patient alive.
All comfort-care should continue as long as the patient is conscious.

4. Voluntary dehydration
—giving up all eating and drinking with the knowledge that death will follow.
While the patient is conscious and capable of making medical decisions,
this choice is made by the patient.
When the patient is no longer conscious or capable,
the choice is made by the duly-authorized proxies.
Or the proxies will re-affirm the choice for voluntary dehydration
originally made by the patient.

5. Drugs to achieve a peaceful and painless death.
In Oregon and Washington states, in the United States, and in some other countries
physicians are empowered to prescribe life-ending drugs
for the explicit purpose of bringing an immediate peaceful and painless death.
Sometimes the patient must take the drugs himself or herself.
Under other regulations, doctors can administer the life-ending drugs.

If you would like to read more extensive discussion
of the first four legal means, go to:
"Four Legal Means of Choosing a Voluntary Death or a Merciful Death":
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~parkx032/CY-L-END.html

How to Die: Safeguard for the Right-to-Die

This 400-page book explores all dimensions of applying wise safeguards to end-of-life choices.
Some of the items below have become chapters in this book.
The above link is the table of contents, which links to each item in the book.


THE SAFEGUARDS GROUP

    This is a world-wide on-line discussion group
open to all advocates of the right-to-die.
We explore the full-spectrum of opinions and suggestions
concerning workable methods for guarding against
mistakes and abuses of the right-to-die.
Ultimately some of these suggested safeguards
will be embodied in new laws permitting life-ending choices.
In the United States, these will be state laws.
In other countries,
new laws permitting more end-of-life choices
are likely to be national laws.

    On January 2, 2007, this Google Group was established.
Its name is: "Right-to-Die---Safeguards".
And it is listed under: health > medicine.
You can also find it by putting this hyphenated word
into the search box: "Right-to-Die".
This is an open group, publicly listed and open to all
who wish to join the discussion, from anywhere in the world.

    How to join this group:
Send a blank e-mail to the following e-mail address:
Right-to-Die---Safeguards+subscribe@googlegroups.com
You will be asked to establish a Google Account
if you do not already have one.
This is simple to do.
All you need is an e-mail address and a password.

    The list-managers will reserve the right to control who subscribes:
All points-of-view are welcome.
The pros and cons of each suggested safeguard
should be explored as deeply as possible.
And new alternatives will be welcome.
But if some individuals prove by their contributions
that they cannot engage in a rational discussion of safeguards,
they will be dropped from the group
in order to preserve its original purpose.
Spammers will also be excluded immediately.
(One spammer using two different addresses
has already been dropped and banned.
And other spammers who are using computer programs
attempting to join thousands of groups in order to sell something
are also reguarly excluded.)

WHO SHOULD JOIN THE SAFEGUARDS GROUP?


MANDATE FOR THE SAFEGUARDS GROUP


CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD SAFEGUARDS FOR LIFE-ENDING DECISIONS

OPEN SAFEGUARDS KEPT PRIVATE

ONE MILLIONS CHOSEN DEATHS PER YEAR?

AN ORGANIZED CATALOG OF PROPOSED SAFEGUARDS

26 RECOMMENDED SAFEGUARDS (A-Z),
WHICH CAN BE APPLIED SELECTIVELY TO ANY LIFE-ENDING DECISION

FAMILY USE OF RIGHT-TO-DIE SAFEGUARDS

A CATALOG OF WORRIES, PROBLEMS, DANGERS, PERILS, ABUSES, & MISTAKES
POSSIBLE UNDER ANY SYSTEM PERMITTING CHOSEN DEATH


THE MOST COMMON SAFEGUARDS EMBRACED BY THE RIGHT-TO-DIE MOVEMENT

TEN SAFEGUARDS FOR LIFE-ENDING DECISIONS

SAFEGUARDS EMBRACED BY CRITICS OF THE RIGHT-TO-DIE

SAFEGUARDS AS FOUND IN VARIOUS LAWS AND PROPOSED LAWS

ADVANTAGES OF THE PREMATURE-DEATH APPROACH TO THE RIGHT-TO-DIE

ENLIGHTED PROSECUTORS CAN LEAD THE WAY
TOWARD BETTER END-OF-LIFE DECISION-MAKING

THE PUBLIC PROSECUTOR FOR ENGLAND AND WALES
PUBLISHES GUIDELINES FOR PROSECUTING 'ASSISTING SUICIDE'


ON-LINE ESSAYS RELATED TO SAFEGUARDS FOR LIFE-ENDING DECISIONS

"Advance Directives for Medical Care:
24 Important Questions to Answer"
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~parkx032/CY-AD24.html

"Losing the Marks of Personhood:
Discussing Degrees of Mental Decline"
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~parkx032/CY-PER-D.html

"A New Way to Secure the Right to Die:
Laws against Causing Premature Death"
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~parkx032/CY-RTD-N.html

"Pulling the Plug:
A Paradigm for Life-Ending Decisions"
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~parkx032/CY-PLUG.html

"Four Legal Means of Choosing a Voluntary Death or a Merciful Death":
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~parkx032/CY-L-END.html

"Fifteen Safeguards for Life-Ending Decisions"
http://www.tc.umn.edu/%7Eparkx032/CY-10SG.html

"The Number of People Reviewing a Life-Ending Decision
Using the 26 Recommended Safeguards"
http://www.tc.umn.edu/%7Eparkx032/CY-PEOPL.html

"Do I Lose the Right-to-Die When I Lose Consciousness?"
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~parkx032/CY-CONSC.html

Will this Death be an "Irrational Suicide" or a "Voluntary Death"?
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~parkx032/CY-IS-VD.html

Will this Death be a "Mercy-Killing" or a "Merciful Death"?
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~parkx032/CY-MK-MD.html

"Interpreting Laws Against 'Assisting Suicide' "
http://www.tc.umn.edu/%7Eparkx032/CY-ASLAW.html

BIBLIOGRAPHIES OF BOOKS RELEVANT TO
SAFEGUARDS FOR LIFE-ENDING DECISIONS

Books on Safeguards for Life-Ending Decisions

Books on Medical Futility

Books on Definitions of Death

Best Books on Voluntary Death

Best Books on Preparing for Death

Books on Terminal Care

 Books on Helping Patients to Die

Best Books on the Right-to-Die

Books Opposing the Right-to-Die
Created October 2006, revised several times during November 2006;
revised 1-2-2007; 2-9-2007; 2-23-2007; 5-31-2007; 8-22-2007; 9-2-2007; 12-31-2007;
1-6-2008; 1-22-2008; 2-2-2008; 2-14-2008; 3-1-2008; 8-24-2008;
 1-14-2010; 2-4-2010; 5-12-2010; 5-14-2010;
1-19-2011; 2-13-2011; 1-11-2012; 3-4-2012; 4-6-2012

Please send comments about this website to the webmaster:
James Park, e-mail: PARKx032@TC.UMN.EDU


This website is not affiliated with any end-of-life organizations.
Thus people involved in any such organizations are welcome to participate.


Go to the Right-to-Die Portal.


Go to the opening page for this website:
An Existential Philosopher's Museum




The views and opinions expressed in this page are strictly those of the page author.
The contents of this page have not been reviewed or approved by the University of Minnesota.