Abortion

By: Yeni Mariam S, Kep. Ners

Human Embryo Experimentation, terminasi kehamilan secara spontan atau karena campur tangan manusia A.F. Mohsin Ebrahim (1997), berakhirnya kehamilan yang dapat terjadi secara spontan atau karena kelainan fisik wanita, penyakit, atau karena disengaja dengan campur tangan manusia

A. Conservative Position
Anti Aborsi, campur tangan manusia untuk mengakhiri kehamilan, pembunuhan anak yang tidak berdosa Aborsi, setiap tindakan yang diambil dengan tujuan meniadakan janin dari rahim wanita sebelum akhir kehamilan alamiah
Absolute Moral Wrong: should never be permitted under any circumstances not even in self defence It is wrong to kill innocent human beings; fetus are innocent human beings; it is wrong to kill fetuses. Human beings have a right to life fetus have a right to life

B. Moderate Position
Prima Facie Moral Wrong: prohibition againts it may be overridden by stronger moral consideration Abortion may be still justified:
Self defence, the live of her mother at risk Abortion unavoidability; ectopic pregnancy

Moslem: Alqur an & Hadits: Kahidupan dalam bentuk apapun harus dipelihara tidak boleh dihancurkan kecuali untuk suatu sebab alasan yang benar Islam melarang mengakhiri kehidupan kecuali untuk alasan yang benar

Need carefully assessed and analysed before an abortion decision is made

C. Liberal Position
Argument: Fetus is a person Woman is no moral obligation to bring the pregnancy to term in particular situation Morality: Does not generally require individuals to make large sacrifice to keep another life In some situation, it is morally permissible for her to terminate the pregnancy

Abortion is morally permissible on demand Argument: Fetuses are not persons; they cannot meaningfully claim a right to life Fetuses are not human beings; human in genetic sence

Fetal and Maternal Rights

Abortion: 1. The moral status of the fetus 2. The moral rights of pregnant women to control their bodies and their lives

To Be a Persons
1. Consciousness 2. Reasoning 3. Self motivated 4. Capacity to communicate 5. Seld consepts and self awareness (Waren, 1997) Criteria 1 & 2 are sufficien for person hood fetuses do not satisfy the basic self consciousness requirement : They do not have serious moral right to life Fetus has the potential to become a person: a person who would have exist in the future, will not exist if an abortion is performed. (Glover, 1977)

Euthanasia
Latin; greek: eu easy, happy or good Thanatos death Euthanasia happy death The action of inducing a quite & easy death The act of killing someone painlessly to relieve from suffering an icurable illness (webster)

Five condition for an act to be euthanasia 1. Intentionality; at least one other human being 2. Suffering and evidence of suffering 3. Reason for death; motivated by beneficence 4. Painlessness 5. Non-fetal humanity (Beaucham & Davidson 1979)

Legal Status Of Euthanasia

Euthanasia is Illegal, any one who wilfully assist a person to die would be viewed by the courts as having committed the criminal offence homocide (Wallace, 1991) Netherland: eithanasia technically illegal, anew law in february 1993 clarified & affirmed the strict conditions under which it (euthanasia) is permitted

Legisslation of Euthanasia: terminating life Confusing Too many risk and dangers associated by allowing some people the right to choose you would force on everyone the obligation to make a choice )Muirden, 1993) Euthanasia and nurses Doctors are more than willing to make euthanasia type decisions they preferring nurses to do so

Four type cases medical decisions euthanasia: 1. Withhold nourishment & fuilds from chronically or terminally ill patients 2. NFR or DNR: not for resusscitate a patient nurses who tend to do the refraining in the case of cardiac arrest 3. Administration of unnecessarily large and potentially lethal dose of sedatives/narcotics 4. The removal of the life supportsystem; switching of a respirator: doctors orders --- the nurse to actually switch off the ventilator

The nursing proffesion does not have a formal position on euthanasia but nurses cannot avoid from that issue and its implications for nursing practice Argument in support of euthanasia: Individual outonomy & the right to choose The loss of dignity & the right to the maintenance of dignity Reduction of suffering Justice and the demand to be treated fairly

Arguments againts euthanasia: A. Counter the arguments views auuporting euthanasia B. Specific argument againts euthanasia 1. The sanctity of life doctrine: 2. Misdiagnosis & possible recovery 3. The risk of abuse 4. Non-necessity 5. Discriminations: treating some lives as less worthy than others

Issue and Recommendations

Nurses are formally educated to assess individuals fundamentals heaths needs, to diagnose need deficites evaluate the outcomes and to modify their plans of care if the individual health needs (nutrition, comfort, safety) for some reason not been met.

Practicing below an acceptable standard of nursing care practicing negligently Nurses some time are forced into a position of having to perform the death hastening acts that doctors do not It is essential that nurses have the legitimated freedom and outhority to practice nursing as they have been educationaly prepared

Meeting the basic health needs of the patients is just as much a nursing prerogative as it is a medical one The power to terminate life will always concentrated in the hands of one dominan group misuse or abuse The legislations that is required

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