Death help

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Death help in Sweden (euthanasia) - Summary
I have been working with a project about death help in Sweden. Normally we use the expression death help when we speak about help to end one´s life. But when you speak about it in a scientific way doctors use the word eutanasia. As early as the beginning of the century people introduced many proposals for the legalisetion of eutanasia in many countries, with no success.

Different forms of eutanasia
1. Active eutanasia
2. Acceleration of the death process
3. Death as forseeded, but not intended effect of a treatment
4. Passive (indirect) eutanasia
In the active form of eutanasia the doctors´ intention is to kill the patient and they do it with an active action, with pills or with an injection.
Acceleration of death means that the doctor accelerates a unavoidable and close approaching death, with a special treatment. He may repeat the morphine dose more often than necessary causing unconsciousness and eventually death.
The third form is different from the two previous ones, death is not deliberated intended only tolerated. The doctor wants to reach something else, but knows that the death also will follow.
The passive way of eutanasia is when the patient dies because of lack of treatment. The patient can be alive because of a respirator and then the doctor turns it off. In the passive way the illness is the reason for death, but its effects are stronger and quicker because of the non-treatment.

Argument against the practice of eutanasia
Eutanasia is murder. And eutanasia is not permitted by the law. There is however a difference between the formation of the law and its application. There are many cases in the history, when doctors have been prosecuted in court for eutanasia but no case when the doctor have been convicted.
Eutanasi is against the doctors ethic. It is the doctor´s duty to protect and maintain life.
"God decides when the life has come to an end, and not the doctor or other people".
The patient´s trust for the doctor would be reduced. The patient would feel fear of being killed.

Argument for the practice of eutanasia
We have the right to decide over our own lifes. If we don´t want to live anymore, it´s our decision if we want to end our lives or not. Then there is a big question. Do the patients really know what they want?
Economical consideration today, when the government tries to cut down financial aid to hospials, we must distribute the money as fairly as possible. A patient with a serious disease who wants to die will do it instead of loading the hospital.
Compassion, letting a sick person die can also be an act of compassion towards the realtives.

Who is against eutanasia?
The biggest group against eutanasia in Sweden is formed by the handicapped people. The hadicapp organisation is afraid of the fact that the handicapped people would feel pressure to ask for death help so that they are not a burden for the public medical service and for the surrounding. Many handicapped people already feel guilty towards the relatives. The handicapp organisation is the only group in Sweden who is against the legalisation of eutanasia.

Who is for eutanasia?
There is a action group called "the right to our death"(Rätten till vår död") who work towards the legalisation of eutanasia. The group was established in 1973 by Berit Hedeby. People write to the group with stories about how they fear the medical service. The action group wants a will which is juridical. The will contains an appeal for they who treat the patient, to respect his will that serious brain damage is a reason to stop a treatment. You write the will whenever you want and leave it with your family, a lawyer or a doctor.

Legalisation
Before I started with this project I thought "of course we must have the legalisation of eutanasia in Sweden". It´s every one´s right to decide over his or her life. But now afterwards I have changed my opinion. We know from investigation that people want to change today´s situation.
Many people are against some form of eutanasia but want to legalise other forms. The handicapped are against it for a reason, which we must take into careful consideratio...