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Should people die a natural death?
1School of Health Sciences, University College of Borås, SE-501 90 Borås, Sweden. lars.sandman@hb.se
Health Care Analysis : HCA : Journal of Health Philosophy and Policy
|January 27, 2006
Summary
The concept of "natural death" is too vague for end-of-life decisions. Focusing on quality of life and intervention benefits offers clearer guidance for these critical choices.
Area of Science:
- Medical Ethics
- Palliative Care
- Bioethics
Background:
- The concept of natural death is frequently invoked in end-of-life decision-making.
- Existing empirical studies on end-of-life choices reveal varied interpretations and applications of this concept.
Purpose of the Study:
- To critically examine the utility and implications of using "natural death" as a guiding principle in end-of-life contexts.
- To argue against the use of "natural death" as an action-guiding concept due to its imprecision and potential to obscure crucial ethical considerations.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual analysis of the term "natural death" within end-of-life discourse.
- Review and critique of recent empirical studies on end-of-life decision-making.
Main Results:
- The concept of natural death is found to be imprecise and descriptively open-ended.
- Its use risks blurring essential considerations regarding the quality of life and the balance of benefits versus burdens of medical interventions.
- Distinctions between natural and unnatural death lack significant moral relevance in end-of-life decision-making.
Conclusions:
- "Natural death" should be abandoned as an action-guiding concept in end-of-life decisions.
- Focus should instead be placed on a thorough evaluation of life quality, intervention costs, and benefits.
- Ethical decision-making at the end of life is better served by clarity on patient well-being rather than ambiguous terminology.
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