Ethical Issues Involved in End-of-Life Decision-Making Essay Example for Free

Ethical Issues Involved in End-of-Life Decision-Making Essay End-of-life decision-making entails looking into ethical, cultural, as well as, legal concerns. All of the aforementioned has to be carefully considered if one has to decide to end his or her own life. This paper will look into the ethical, cultural, and legal issues that go along with end-of-life decision-making. It also intends to state what therapist can contribute in his or her participation in the discussion of end-of-life decision making together with his or her colleagues, as well as, patients their families. Ethical Issues Involved in End-of-Life Decision-Making There are ethical indispensable issues involved in end-of-life decision-making and some are the following: First of all is the issue on utilitarianism, since this is said to be the â€Å"foundation of morals† then it is linked to the end-of-life decision-making as well (Ebenstein Ebenstein 1991, p. 580). Here, it is said that â€Å"actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness† (Ebenstein Ebenstein 1991, p. 580). â€Å"Happiness† here is regarded as the â€Å"absence of pain† and â€Å"unhappiness† is the presence of the aforementioned (Germino 1972, p. 240). It is an issue because happiness is not all that matters in ending a life (Ebenstein Ebenstein 1991, p. 580). In addition to that, how can one be sure that the absence of pain, which is death in this case, will lead to happiness of the person chiefly involved in the end-of-life decision-making (Ebenstein Ebenstein 1991, p. 580)? The same is true with the family of main person involved, will they be experience happiness if the patient opts to end his or her life voluntarily instead of waiting for his or her ‘natural’ death to take place (Ebenstein Ebenstein 1991, p. 580)? Second is the issue related with the Kantian model or what is technically referred to as the â€Å"deontological theory† (Bennagen, 2000, p. 50). This states that a person has to fulfill a certain responsibility or duty as a part of his objective (Bennagen, 2000, p. 50). This statement now seems to be irrational since the concrete definition of a responsibility or duty is not provided (Bennagen, 2000, p. 50). For example, is it the person’s responsibility to subject himself or herself to death (Bennagen, 2000, p. 50). It may be his or her right to choose to live or die but if asked if it is his or her responsibility remains a big question (Bennagen, 2000, p. 50). Last but not least, there are some health care providers who are extremely conscious about â€Å"how much money is spent on patients and how effectively it is spent† (Hinman, 2000, p. 9). Some individuals feel that the amount of money spent on terminally ill patients is not really worth it (Hinman, 2000, p. 9). This is highly unethical; it is as if one is saying that money is far more important than actually trying to save a life (Hinman, 2000, p. 9). Cultural Issues Involved in End of Life Decision-Making Furthermore, there are several cultural issues involved in end-of-life decision-making as well and some are the following: First of all, there are some members of a cultural minority that prefers to be spoken to directly with regards to the disease that they are going through (Searight et. al. , 2005, p. 516). Although, there are also some who do not (Searight et. al. , 2005, p. 516. ). In fact some immediate family members request that they be the ones to be spoken to only since they believe that informing the patient will only make the patient feel worse and will eventually negatively affect him or her (Searight et. al. , 2005, p. 516. ). The same is true when it comes to making decisions with regards to the medications/treatment that the patient will undergo; some family members prefer that they be the ones to be in charge about this instead of the doctor and/or the patient (Searight et. al. , 2005, p. 516. ). Second, patients who belong to a cultural group sometimes opt â€Å"not to be directly informed† about the disease he or she is going through especially if it’s a life-threatening one (Searight et. al. , 2005, p. 516. ). Third, some patients also would prefer to carry out certain religious activities and spiritual traditions so as to assist in their medical treatment, and eventually, their healing as well (Searight et. al. , 2005, p. 516. ). Last but not least, some patients take into consideration their beliefs and outlook when it comes to the â€Å"medical experts, suffering, as well as, the afterlife† (Searight et. al. , 2005, p. 516. ). Legal Issues Involved in End-of-Life Decision-Making There are also certain legal concerns when it comes to end-of-life decision-making: Most of the States disallows physician-assisted suicide; for example in New York, it is unlawful â€Å"under the general homicide laws† (Legal Status of Assisted/Euthanasia in the United States, n. d. , n. p. ). The same is true in Virginia wherein â€Å"there is no law that actually covers physician-assisted suicide but there is a statute which imposes civil sanctions on persons assisting in a suicide† (Legal Status of Assisted/Euthanasia in the United States, n. d. , n. p. ). My Participation as a Therapist in the Discussion of End-of-Life Decision-Making along with Colleagues There are several things that I may contribute as a therapist to my colleagues. I can share with them my knowledge with regards to how to communicate with patients of diverse culture (Searight et. al. , 2005, p. 521. ). I can request them to â€Å"demonstrate an interest to the patient’s cultural heritage† for them to be able to give the patient â€Å"culturally-sensitive care† (Searight et. al. , 2005, p. 521. ). In addition to that, I will also let them know that it is important to give the patient â€Å"autonomy† especially when it comes to â€Å"non-disclosure of medical information and family-centered decision-making† because through the aforementioned, the patient will eventually feel that their â€Å"cultural norms are being respected† (Searight et. al. , 2005, p. 521. ). My Participation as a Therapist in the Discussion of End-of-Life Decision-Making along Patients and their Families Finally, I may also be of great assistance to patients and their families with regards to their discussion of end-of-life decision-making through the following: 1) I will respect it if the â€Å"patient prefers that his or her family members be the recipients of diagnostic and treatment information†; 2) I will make sure first who is the member of the family who’s appointed to make treatment decisions before speaking to him or her or giving them an advice with regards to the medical procedures or treatment; and 3) I will help them find another therapist/physician in case they are uncomfortable with the current one and especially if their therapist/physician â€Å"belong to the different ethnic background† (Searight et. al. , 2005, p. 521. ). As a therapist, I will try to advise them the best I can while considering their cultural background, incorporating my ethical/moral standards, and making sure that I will abide by the laws as well. References Bennagen, P. (2000). Social Economic and Political Thought. Q. C. : UP Press. Ebenstein, W. and Ebenstein, A. 1991, Great Political Thinkers: Plato to the President.Harcourt Brace, Forth Worth. Germino, D. 1972, Machiavelli to Marx: Modern Western Political Thought. University of Chicago Press, Chicago. Hinman, L. M. (2000). Ethical Issues in End of Life Decisions: A Guide to Understanding Differences. Retrieved April 28, 2008 from http://ethics. sandiego. edu/presentations/sharp/index_files/v3_document. htm Legal Status of Assisted/Euthanasia in the United States. (n. d. ). Retrieved April 28, 2008 from http://www. nightingalealliance. org/pdf/state_grid. pdf Searight, H. R. Gafford, J. (2005). Cultural Diversity at the End of Life: Issues and Guidelines for Family Physicians. American Family Physician, 71(3), 515 – 522.

Life The Courage To Change :: essays research papers

Cruel Intentions, is a film about a young man, Sebastian, and his stepsister, Kathryn, who together do everything in their power, sexual or not, to better their own reputation. They try everything, even if it means ruining someone else’s life, reputation or well being, just to better themselves. They manipulate, use, and belittle every human being possible that comes in the way of their perfect life. Cruel Intentions, a film that uses the setting to produce the irony portrayed at the hand of the characters, also uses this irony and characters actions to contribute to the theme.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The setting of the film in a high-class society, a society in which only the high-ranking members live. A society in which as you drive down the road each house is bigger than the first. These people live in a society where each child has their own car and not to mention bank account. The people in this society crave competition and seek to be better. This particular setting shows forth the attitudes the characters uphold, that make them believe they upscore others around them. This too in fact portrays the irony of the film. For example, Kathryn believes that if a certain man cannot hold a relationship with her he cannot involve himself with anyone at all. Kathryn sets out to ruin his life and ruin the life of his significant other, getting her to fall in love with her music instructor rather than following her heart. This type of behavior leads the audience to believe that Kathryn uses her ranking and her setting in life to achieve personal happiness. In this fi lm come two morals, first you may not always be set in your ways something good can happen in life something that can change everything. Sebastian, the type of person who sleeps with anyone, does not have the best reputation among the ladies. Although in the plot to ruin the young man’s life Sebastian meets a young girl named Annette and slowly falls in love with her. Not for her body or for his sexual pleasure but for how she made him feel loved and wanted he enjoyed this feeling. Albeit a feeling that makes him confused it turns into a feeling he decides will make his life better. Proving that your are not always set in your ways, good or bad ways. Change occurs with life. The second moral state that what goes around comes around.

Tibet Through Chinese Eyes

Tibet through Chinese Eyes You must have heard about all sorts of tales about Chinese invasion of Tibet or the sympathy towards Tibet’s independent movement spread in western media. The pro-Tibet separatists act radically under the shielding of hostile westerners who even don’t know where Tibet is located geographically, not to say the long aged Chinese sovereignty of Tibet, the strenuous efforts of Chinese government made on developing it and the profound improvements of the Tibetan living standard. Chinese Sovereignty of Tibet The pro-Tibet groups, claiming â€Å"Free Tibet† and behaving out of control, accuse that China has intruded Tibet through armed aggression. However, the matter of fact is that the Chinese sovereignty on Tibet has lasted for 700 years. Why did Chinese army invade China? For those aggressive pro-Tibet advocators, please read the history before jumping to a misleading conclusion. Since Yuan Dynasty, Tibet has been an autonomous of China. In 1904, Britain sent out a formal instruction classifying Tibet as â€Å"a province of Chinese Empire†. In 1911, Republic of China was founded. The first provisional constitution of the new government stipulated that Tibet was part of China’s territory. After that, the prime minister of Indian delivered a speech in 1954, saying â€Å"Over the past several hundred years, as far as I know, at no time has any foreign country denied China's sovereignty over Tibet. † Up till now, all historical documents and enacted laws recognize that Tibet is a legal territory of China. To put it simple, Tibet to China is like what California to America. If someday Arnold Schwarzenegger stirred up a war to free California, would the U. S government renounce its sovereignty over California regardless of its meticulous care devoted to developing this state? The answer will be no, since the issue of sovereignty is beyond negotiation, not to mention a territory belonging to a country who has taken care of it for 700 years. Chinese Government’s Endeavors Before the democratic reform, Tibet was in a serf system. People there were dishonorably exploited and laid heavy burden on. Serf-owners’ revolt triggers a revolution conducted by the Chinese government to liberate the serfs by abolishing serfdom. Under the redoubled efforts of Chinese government, including agriculture development, religion preservation, tourism exploitation and educational popularization, Tibet experiences never-ending changes and improvements. According to national statistical service, the Tibetan population has doubled to 2. 6 million in the end of 2000 compared with only 1. 2 million in 1952; much of this being attributed to the improved sensational condition and living style since the reforms at the beginning under the Chinese governance, which also contributes to a decrease in infant mortality rate from 430/1000 in 1951 to 35. /1000 in 2000 and a longer average life expectancy of 65 years in 2001 while 35 years when Tibet was still in serfdom. The statistics above, reflecting an increasingly better live of Tibetans, terminate those rumors claiming that Chinese government has interfered with Tibet’s development. Instead, the strenuous efforts and advancing achievements demonstrate that our governme nt is concerning about Tibet and is able to bring Tibetans prosperous life. Even if Tibet attained its independence, people there would not lead a life as affluent as current status. The secrets are as follows. Conspiracy behind Tibet Freedom Before the revolution taken by the Chinese government, Dalai Lama was the aristocrat while the ordinary and innocent Tibetans were serfs. Land was granted by the aristocrat to the peasant, on condition that he paid a service (or feudal duty) to his superior, which means Dalai Lama had the right to idle his life while earned a living by exploiting serfs. To change this lagging policy, the Chinese government started a campaign of agrarian reform, including land recovery back to peasants for agricultural usage. Hence, the privilege of Dalai was disfranchised and then his ambitions drove him to rebellion, attempting vainly to be a lord again. However, the Chinese government has not compromised in the least on this matter. We do not allow any attempts to set Tibet back to serfdom. With the sovereignty of Tibet, China has the power and responsibility to help innocent Tibetans out of miserable backward life. As is known to all, China is a country with 56 different nationalities. What we are striving for is to develop harmoniously as a unit. The goal of the Chinese government, while a struggle, is in no way to shackle Tibet in all diversity, but to head forward side by side like a family. With the accredited sovereignty, the unremitting endeavors and the powerful national strength, China has adopted an uncompromising posture on the Tibet issue, for after all we are reluctant to witness the life deterioration of Tibetans who have been our countrymen for 700 years and will be so forever.

Marketing of Zoo Essay

Q .Which tools and media would you use to attract visitors to see Gorilla Kingdom? Answer: First I would like to say something about the actual gorilla kingdom that the ZSL London zoo has created to boost the animal diversity that it is having. Gorilla kingdom is a new product offering by the zoo authorities in which not only gorilla but the scenic beauty of the area also in which it has been conceptualised is an eye catching sort of thing. Here follows the description of gorilla kingdom, â€Å"The Island that will form the gorillas’ outdoor space is a beautiful green oasis boasting a cave, heated rocks, a hill that provides a perfect gorilla vantage point and a scene-setting waterfall that cascades through the gorillas’ home and the public area. African style plants will give the gorillas extra food to munch on if they want and trees and ropes offer a stimulating climbing environment. The gorillas’ indoor day gym includes ropes to swing on, climbing walls all around and nesting baskets high up for them to snooze in.† Now coming to the important features of Gorilla that the ZSL London Zoo can highlight:- * It is showcasing an endangered species. * Gorilla is very intelligent animal. * They show emotions. * The Gorilla Kingdom has been created as a place of experience and not only as a place of sightseeing. * Its natural habitat is endangered. Following are some advertising activities that the Zoo authorities can undertake to showcase the various features / features mix of the Gorilla kingdom to attract the visitors to visit:- 1. Creating Awareness – To create awareness about the gorilla kingdom the authorities can start with pamphlets and leaflet distribution among the tourists and locals at places where they go for leisure, those leaflets should have information about Gorilla Kingdom and Gorilla. 2. Liking – The Zoo authorities need to create liking about the animal and the gorilla kingdom both, for this hey can use radio. Radio will really help because a radio is something that keeps playing mostly on streets, the authorities can ask radio channel to create a character on the lines of gorilla and use a voice that sounds peculiar to Gorilla. This will attract the youths and children’s. 3. Preference – There are a lot of parks, malls in London where the people generally go for experience, so the London Zoo authorities should create a image of Gorilla Kingdom and promote it as a new place to experience. For doing this the authorities can go for advertisement in newspapers and on the tickets of buses and metro throughout the London. 4. The authorities can talk to some local souvenir manufacturing units to print the image of Gorilla or the Gorilla kingdom along with a enticing message on it. A good example of it is Coffee Cup advertising. 5. Crowd sourcing – The concept of crowd sourcing has given way to the trend of user-generated advertisements. User-generated ads are created by consumers as opposed to an advertising agency or the company themselves, most often they are a result of brand sponsored advertising competitions. For the 2007 Super Bowl, the Frito-Lays division of PepsiCo held the Crash the Super Bowl contest, allowing consumers to create their own Doritos commercial. The resulting ads were among the most-watched and most-liked Super Bowl ads. 6. The Zoo authorities can also ask travel and tourism companies to show information on their websites as new things to see in London and marketing as must watch destinations along with printing on  their coupon and tickets. The points that I have given above could be used by the ZSL London Zoo authorities to attract visitors. The various media used in my suggestion were like: * Radio advertising * Print advertising * Mass advertising

Monroe Doctrine Analysis essays

Monroe Doctrine Analysis essays Monroe Doctrine Analysis Position Paper In 1820, there were many successful revolts of most of Spains Latin American colonies, which caused a great diplomatic challenge for the newly elected President Monroe. With the growing spirit of nationalism in America, and many of the European countries wanting to reclaim their revolting Latin American colonies, Monroe was confused at to what should be done. Congress was pushing towards recognizing the new republics as nations independent from European control, while Monroe thought such a statement would ruin Americas neutral and peaceful ties with Europe, and impede any negotiations with them. But with much deliberation and thought the Monroe Doctrine was issued by America in 1823 , and supported by Great Britain not to simply protect the democratic countries of Latin America from further colonization and political control by European countries, but purely for their own political and economical benefits. For America, the Monroe Doctrine meant the establishment of stronger diplomatic ties with nations, and the reassurance to their right to more western territory. At the beginning of the decisions of issuing the Monroe doctrine, Congress argued that it was necessary for them to recognize these new republics, because they were simply following Americas footsteps. It was also argued that if they did not protect the independent nations from European control, it would directly end up hurting American trade and territorial expansion. If their independence was not recognized, it would contradict the validity of Americas own declaration of independence to the American people. Monroe hesitated to support these new countrys independence, for his worry that it would hurt negotiations with Spain about acquiring Florida. But in 1821, the Florida treaty was passed, so Monroe agreed to the establishment of diplomatic ties with t...

The Emergence and the Implications of China as the World's Factory Essay

The Emergence and the Implications of China as the World's Factory - Essay Example Over the last two decades, China has become the biggest producer of manufacturing goods in the world with a global manufacturing share of 19.8% (MercoPress 2011). Meaning that 1 in 5 manufactured products today are made in China - clearly, China has emerged as the world’s factory. The early years of China’s emergence as a manufacturing hub According to some reports, around 1850, China had a 30% share of global manufacturing but lost its edge by the end of the 19th century and its share of global manufacturing stood at 6%. By 1930, it was as low as 3%. Then, in the 1980s, China opened its economy and began welcoming foreign investments. The world’s factory saw its first emergence as a potential export hub when manufacturers from Hong Kong began to move their apparel and toy manufacturing units to South China in order to take advantage of the low wages there. In the 1990s, the scope expanded to several other merchandise categories as China improved its infrastructu re and quality of labor while keeping the wages low. Due to lower assembly costs of manufactured goods, electronics companies from Korea, apparel manufacturers from Hong Kong, and computer manufacturers from Taiwan shifted most of their manufacturing operations to China. The key manufacturing activity was to import the manufacturing components, process them, and export back. In 2000, these processed components formed 55% of the Chinese exports and 41% of the total imports of China were actually for reprocessing them for exports. From 1993 to 2002, China’s manufacturing exports jumped from $60 billion to $320 billion with office and telecom equipment accounted for $52 billion. In terms of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), in 1990 China received 18% of all Asian FDI, and by 1999, China had a lion share of 61% of all Asian FDI. By the 2001-2002, most of the biggest brands in the goods industries invested heavily in China to secure their manufacturing. For example, by 2001, the in vestment of Japanese electronics major Toshiba in China totaled more than $1 billion – in 37 factories in China.  

McHam_Donatello's David & Judith_x Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

McHam_Donatello's David & Judith_x - Assignment Example the controversial message that the family’s role in Florence was the same as that of respected Old Testament autocrat slayers and saviors of the people that emblematically inverted the increasing accusations that the Medici had developed tyranny that took all the power from the republican institutions in the city (McHam 32). The sculptures were mainly used as focal points of the courtyard and the garden that were linked. David was raised on a high base at the middle of the courtyard and could be seen when the palace’s main entrance was open. The exact location of the Judith and Holofernes in the plot is not known as the orchard was immediately behind the quad, it may have been noticeable from the quad if it was located on the bloc between the orchard and the quad (McHam 32). The placement of the sculptures reveals that they could easily be viewed by the desired audience since the courtyard could be accessed by palace visitors and the garden could be accessed by an invited group. 2) What evidence does McHam provide that suggests Donatello’s earlier marble version of David was interpreted in political terms? How would the placement of the artist’s later version of David been understood? (p. 34) The inscriptions in the manuscripts which describe the Palazzo della Signoria validate the speculation that had earlier been unproven that they might have been added to the sculpture before 1416 before Danatello recut the figure to emphasize a political role for David as being the defender of Florence (McHam 34). This was done by baring his one of his legs and removing the scroll that had previously used to identify David as being a prophet. The placement of the bronze version of David in the courtyard can be understood as a self-conscious allusion to the previous marble analogue and the inscription it was associated with. It was also a sign that the Medici were closely associated to the regime and supported their principles. 3) According to the author, what was