December 2016

View the full video of QndA below or scroll down to view videos based on question topic.

1. Introduction to the panel members and the topic: Euthanasia and Palliative Care
2. Do people have a ‘right’ to choose when they die, and what is the role of legislations in making this decision?
3. What are the effects of physician assisted suicide on medical and nursing professionals?
4. How should we respond to patients who wish to ‘die with dignity’ in order to avoid being a burden on loved ones?
5. Why is palliative care a ‘better option’ in the face of death? Is there a point at which life should no longer be prolonged?
6. Is lack of access to palliative care in certain geographical areas (such as rural Australia) a social justice issue that needs to be addressed?
7. Will the apparent current trend of commodifying palliative care lead to undesirable market competition between end of life options?
8. What is the best way to ‘look after’ people we love when they are approaching end of their life?
9. Will the legalization of euthanasia lead to an undermining of the ‘social value’ of the vulnerable (such as those with Alzheimer’s)?
10. Shared personal experience of dealing with pain due to illness, and a comment on the importance of the euthanasia/palliative care debate
11. What is the Christian view of the ‘doctrine of double effect’, and how does it fit in with medical ethics?
12. Has there been any research into the implications of death by euthanasia on family and friends, and associated bereavement care?

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