FOUR DIFFERENCES BETWEEN
'EUTHANASIA' and
INDUCED TERMINAL COMA.
Some opponents of the right-to-die
question terminal sedation as a method of dying.
They say that inducing permanent unconsciousness
is a disguised form of 'euthanasia'.
Some call inducing terminal coma "slow euthanasia".
And because 'euthanasia' is still not legal
in many places on the planet Earth,
these critics might hope that induced terminal coma
would also be discouraged or even outlawed.
However, inducing terminal coma
is a fully-legal and ethical
medical method of managing dying (MMMD)
everywhere modern medicine is practiced.
The following four significant differences
between MMMD5---death by gentle poison---
and MMMD2---dying in terminal coma---
should help to clarify what is PERMITTED
and what is NOT PERMITTED
even where laws still ban
'euthanasia' and 'physician-assisted suicide'.
OUTLINE:
(1) Euthanasia causes death immediately.
Inducing terminal coma continues for a few days.
(2) Euthanasia uses one dose of gentle poison.
Inducing terminal coma requires a flow of anesthetic
to continue until the patient dies some days later.
(3) In euthanasia, the immediate method of dying
is the lethal injection or 'death pill'.
In an induced terminal coma,
the cause of death is the underlying medical problem.
(4) The stated purpose of euthanasia
is to bring the patient's life to an end.
Terminal coma is induced
to save the patient from further suffering.
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(1) Euthanasia causes death immediately.
Inducing terminal coma continues for a few days.
World-wide more countries
(and states of the USA and Australia)
are adopting new right-to-die laws.
Almost all of these new laws
establish careful decision-procedures
for approving the use of gentle poison
---which has no other purpose
than to cause immediate death.
Quick death by means of gentle poison
can be either a massive dose of drugs
ingested by the dying patient
or a lethal injection administered by the doctor.
An induced terminal coma always lasts longer.
The doctor orders a new drug
to be given by intravenous tube (IV tube)
which has no other purposes
than to keep this dying patient
COMPLETELY UNCONSCIOUS
while the remaining process of dying unfolds.
The certificate of death will name
the underlying disease or condition
as the cause of death,
even tho the patient was kept completely unconscious
for perhaps a week before death occurred.
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(2) Euthanasia uses one dose of gentle poison.
Inducing terminal coma requires a flow of anesthetic
to continue until the patient dies some days later.
Death by means of gentle poison
is a ONE-TIME EVENT.
The exact date and time
of ingesting the deadly drugs
or injecting the lethal dose
can be recorded with great precision.
It might take a few minutes
for the gentle poison to cause death.
But almost never is any additional action required.
When lethal injection is the method of dying,
the doctor will stand by until death occurs.
And then this same doctor will pronounce death
and record the day and time of death
for the death-certificate.
MMMD2: Inducing terminal coma
is a medical order to keep the dying patient
completely unconscious for a (unknown) period of days.
The exact duration of the process of dying
cannot be predicted by the doctor
who orders the continuous flow of anesthetic
to prevent any and all further
feelings or thoughts in this patient.
This medical order is NOT essentially different
from the medical order
to keep any surgical patient completely unconscious
for the duration of the operation.
No matter how extensive the surgery,
this patient will never feel a thing.
The medical order to keep the patient
completely unconscious UNTIL DEATH
means that the anesthetic-drugs
will continue to flow into the veins of this patient
until the patient dies of natural causes.
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(3) In euthanasia, the immediate method of dying
is the lethal injection or 'death pill'.
In an induced terminal coma,
the cause of death is the underlying medical problem.
When choosing MMMD5---death by gentle poison---
no one has any doubt about what is happening.
The dying patient takes a large dose of lethal drugs.
Or the doctor gives a lethal injection to cause death.
This life-ending action is obvious to all observers.
This behavior is INTENDED TO CAUSE DEATH.
The official 'cause of death' on the death-certificate
will probably still be the underlying disease or condition
that led to this decision
to choose the shortest pathway towards death.
However, when choosing death by terminal coma,
the anesthetic drugs continuously administered
is never considered or recorded as the 'cause of death'.
When this medical order is given
---to keep this dying patient unconscious until death---
the doctor does not know the date and time of death.
Death will come after some days in terminal coma.
And the known and recorded 'cause of death'
will be the underlying medical condition of this patient.
Heart disease, cancer, multi-organ failure, etc.
will appear on the line asking for the cause of death.
Only if the death-certificate includes a new line
for medical methods of managing dying
or life-ending decisions
might there be this additional notation:
"This patient was kept unconscious
by a continuous flow of anesthetic drugs
until death occurred."
(4) The stated purpose of euthanasia
is to bring the patient's life to an end.
Terminal coma is induced
to save the patient from further suffering.
Whenever MMMD5 is chosen,
everyone knows that the purpose of this action
is to bring this dying patient's life to an immediate end.
The gentle poison chosen
will do its work within a few minutes.
Everyone involved knew what to expect
---and when to expect it.
All family-members and anyone else
closely involved with this life-ending decision
might gather at the death-bed for this final moment.
The date and time of death was announced in advance.
Death was the intended purpose of using gentle poison.
In contrast, inducing terminal coma
is begun and continued to PREVENT SUFFERING.
This dying patient will not have even one moment
of feeling or thinking ever again.
The sedative drugs will keep the patient unconscious.
But the exact duration of dying cannot be predicted.
All observers and participants can be assured
that SUFFERING HAS ENDED for this dying patient.
A death-without-suffering will occur a few days after
the beginning of this induced terminal coma.
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MMMD?
Would you like to see a side-by-side presentation
of all 5 medical methods of managing dying?