Euthanasia : : Experiences and Insights of Belgian Doctors and Nurses.

• Author: Devos, Timothy.
• Place / Publishing House: Cham : : Springer International Publishing AG,, 2021.; ©2021.
• Year of Publication: 2021
• Edition: 1st ed.
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (124 pages)

Table of Contents

Intro -- Foreword 1 -- Foreword 2 -- The Failure to Present "the Full Story" -- Range of Disciplines and Experiential Knowledge -- Issues Raised by Legalized Euthanasia -- Expansion and Normalization Through Giving Priority to Autonomy -- Suicide and Social Contagion -- Euthanasia is Incompatible with Palliative Care -- Loving Accompaniment Until Natural Death -- The "Mystery of Death" -- Conclusion -- Contents -- About the Authors -- About the Editor -- 1: The Slippery Slope Syndrome -- 1.1 The Decriminalization of Euthanasia -- 1.2 Ignorance About Palliative Care -- 1.3 The Trivialization of Euthanasia -- 1.4 A Perverted Sense of Duty -- 1.5 Suffering and Silence -- 1.6 The Economic Context -- 1.7 Euthanasia in the Psychiatric Context -- 1.8 After Euthanasia -- 1.9 The Euthanasia of Minors -- 1.10 The Euthanasia of Remorse -- References -- 2: The Doctor Turned into an Instrument -- 2.1 The Therapeutic Alliance -- 3: When Conscience Wavers. Some Reflections on the Normalization of Euthanasia in Belgium -- 3.1 The Embarrassment of the Law -- 3.2 Euthanasia: Medical Act or Transgression? -- 3.3 Euthanasia as Transgression -- 3.4 Between Law and Conscience: Euthanasia and Moral Integrity -- 3.5 Conclusion -- References -- 4: Euthanasia for Unbearable Psychological Suffering -- 4.1 What Does the Law Say? -- 4.2 A Lack of Prospect of Improvement of the Medical Situation -- 4.3 Incurable Disorder -- 4.4 Persistent and Unbearable Psychological Suffering -- 4.5 What Is Empathy? -- 4.6 Decision-Making Capacity -- 4.7 Conclusion -- 4.8 The Long and the Short of Mrs. Jeanine's Story -- References -- 5: People Facing the Question of Euthanasia: Patients, Family and Friends, Healthcare Workers -- 5.1 Personal Suffering -- 5.2 Physical Suffering -- 5.3 Psychological Suffering -- 5.4 Emotional and Relational Suffering.

5.5 Existential and Spiritual Suffering -- 5.6 How Can One Respond to a Request for Euthanasia? -- 5.7 The Reaction of Family and Friends to a Request for Euthanasia -- 5.8 How Can the Medical Staff Act or React to a Request for Euthanasia? -- References -- 6: Surrendering to or Inducing Death: Artificial Feeding as Paradigm -- 6.1 Framework of this Reflective Study -- 6.1.1 Case #1-Madame B. 73 Years Old -- 6.1.2 Case #2-Madame F. 90 Years Old -- 6.1.3 Case #3-Madame J. 68 Years Old -- 6.2 Why Use Feeding Tubes? What Criteria Prevailed? How Efficient Are they? How Did we Come to Adopt these Protocols? -- 6.3 First Approach of the Ethical Question -- 6.4 Distinguishing between Ordinary and Extraordinary -- 6.5 Three Levels of Ethical Judgment -- 6.6 Madame B. or the "Disproportioned Deemed Ordinary" -- 6.7 Madame F. or the "Proportionate Turned Doubtful (Optional) and Deemed Extraordinary" -- 6.8 Conclusion -- References -- 7: The Meaning of Suffering or the Meaning of Life Despite Suffering -- 7.1 Viktor Frankl: The Question of Meaning at the Heart of Medicine -- 7.2 How Can We Apply Viktor Frankl's Theories to Helping Patients? -- 7.2.1 First Pathway: Accomplishment Through Love -- 7.2.2 Second Pathway: Accomplishment Through a Meaningful Life -- 7.2.3 Third Pathway: Knowing How to Deal with Suffering -- 7.3 What Happens in a Country Where Euthanasia Has Been Decriminalised? -- References -- 8: Resisting -- 8.1 The Request for Euthanasia -- 8.2 Family Pressure -- 8.3 Explaining Euthanasia -- 8.4 The Trap of 'Integrated' Palliative Care -- 8.5 Sedation: Misunderstandings and Confusion -- 8.6 Palliative Care: A Hospital Paradigm -- 8.7 Contradiction and Ambiguity -- Reference -- 9: Behind the Scenes of Euthanasia -- 9.1 Distress of the Healthcare Worker -- 9.2 Euthanasia: A 'De-Humanising' Act.

9.3 When Conscience Competes Against Law and Bureaucracy -- 9.4 Euthanasia, a Stage in Accepting One's Illness -- 9.5 Euthanasia as a Wake-Up Call from Indifference -- 9.6 Sedation: Palliative Practise or Hypocrisy? -- 9.7 When Trust Meets Professional Integrity -- Correction to: When Conscience Wavers. Some Reflections on the Normalization of Euthanasia in Belgium -- Correction to: T. Devos (ed.), Euthanasia: Searching for the Full Story, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-56795-8 -- Postface -- Brief List of Health-Care Terms for the Non-specialist.