Modern achievements in medicine allow us to view the final stage of life with understanding and compassion, opening up prospects for controlling pain even in the most severe situations.

Reimagining End-of-Life Care: Integrating Ethics with Medical Progress

Modern achievements in medicine allow us to view the final stage of life with understanding and compassion, opening up prospects for controlling pain even in the most severe situations. Today, high-tech methods of pain relief and resuscitation make it possible to effectively alleviate pain syndromes, providing patients with the opportunity for a dignified farewell under conditions of maximum care and safety.

The ethical approach to a painless death is undergoing significant changes, acknowledging an individual’s right to determine their own fate. In medical practice, active and passive forms of euthanasia are distinguished, each involving different methods of intervention in the dying process. In addition, the concept of assisted suicide helps patients maintain their autonomy by providing complete information and the necessary means to exercise their choice under the supervision of qualified professionals.

This comprehensive approach requires not only new technological solutions but also thorough legal arrangements that allow conditions and procedures to be established in advance. This aspect becomes particularly important for cancer patients who, thanks to modern treatment methods, experience extended life yet often face unbearable pain in its final stage.

Ultimately, the integration of technological advancements and ethical standards opens up new possibilities to ensure that the final moment of life is as humane and pain-free as possible, making this approach significant from the perspective of both medicine and human rights.

What approaches in modern medicine and ethics allow us to talk about a painless death?

In modern medicine and ethics, a painless death is considered through several complementary approaches. On one hand, there is significant progress in pain relief and resuscitation technologies, which not only allows for the extension of life but also effectively controls pain syndromes in the terminal stages of a disease. For instance, in the final stage of a cancer illness, a patient may be offered a procedure that would allow them to “peacefully fall asleep” under the supervision of a qualified doctor – demonstrating that modern methods can provide sufficient anesthesia even at the end of life (source: link txt).

On the other hand, the ethical framework is shifting towards recognizing the right of individuals to autonomy in matters of life and death. Two types of euthanasia are identified here: active euthanasia, when a doctor administers a lethal dose of medication, and passive euthanasia, which involves the cessation of life-supporting treatment. In addition, the concept of “assisted suicide” points to the doctor’s role in informing and providing the necessary means for the patient to carry out their own decision (source: link txt).

It is also noted that modern approaches require a rational and legally formalized attitude toward death. This implies the need to decide in advance how and under what conditions a person would prefer to leave life, thereby ensuring that the procedure is carried out with minimal suffering and clear legal transparency (source: link txt).

Finally, progress in oncology demonstrates that, due to increased life expectancy as a result of the latest medical advances, patients may face painful stages that were previously unattainable, making euthanasia one of the methods of guarding against unbearable pain (source: link txt).

Supporting citation(s):
"Firstly, the progress of medicine, particularly influenced by the development of resuscitation techniques that help prevent a patient’s death... Euthanasia is an ambiguous procedure. Primarily, a distinction is made between active and passive euthanasia. Active euthanasia involves a doctor administering a lethal dose of medication. In passive euthanasia, medical assistance is withdrawn to accelerate the natural death process. Western experts, such as the Ethics and Legal Affairs Committee of the American Medical Association, introduce the concept of 'assisted suicide'..." (source: link txt)

"At the very final stage of a cancer illness, when a person could no longer get out of bed and was completely dependent on painkillers, they were offered: 'if you want, they can give you an injection so that you can peacefully fall asleep and never wake up again.' That is exactly the choice they made... Firstly, modern medicine is capable of achieving truly reliable pain relief, provided that the patient is under the supervision of a qualified doctor." (source: link txt)

"It is heartbreaking and unbearable to see the suffering of those who are dying... In the past, only a few reached this stage of the disease, but now it has become the fate of most cancer patients. As a result, euthanasia is becoming an increasingly common solution to the 'problem of pain'..." (source: link txt)