Palliative Care ‒ The Alternative to Euthanasia

Authors

  • Sorin-Grigore VULCĂNESCU Faculty of Orthodox Theology, University of Craiova, Romania. Email: vulcanescu_sorin@ymail.com.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24193/subbto.2024.1.04

Keywords:

palliative care, euthanasia, life, death, Christianity

Abstract

I believe that better education about palliative care (PC) and its more intensive and widespread use, followed by the continued development of palliative medicine, are superior to any type of assisted dying. In this study I present the Christian alternative, the practical alternative to euthanasia and other options for ending earthly life, insisting on PC. It is the real, viable and acceptable example of easy death, with a Christian origin and mission, as opposed to the expansion of assisted death services, which have entered a process of de-Christianization, dissolution and discredit.

References

Anderson Barbara L. Yang Hae Chung. Farrar William B. et al. “Psychological intervention improves survival for breast cancer patients”. Cancer 113/ (2008): 3450-3458.

Anderson Megory. Faull Christina. “Spirituality in Palliative Care”. C. Faull, S. de Caestecker, A. Nicholson, F. Black (Eds). Handbook of Palliative Care. (Hoboken: Wiley-Blackwell, 2012), 356 363.

Anderson, Ray S. Theology, Death and Dying (New York: Basil Blackwell, 1986).

Balboni Tracy Anne, et al. “Provision of spiritual care to patients with advanced cancer: Associations with medical care and quality of life near death”. Journal of Clinical Oncology 28/3 (2010): 445-452.

Bando Catherine. “Assisted Death: Historical, Moral and Theological Perspectives of End-of-Life Options”. Theses and Dissertations, 2018. https://bit.ly/2vMJux1. Accessed: 27.01.2024.

Bernheim Jan L. Raus Kasper. “Euthanasia embedded in palliative care. Responses to essentialistic criticisms of the Belgian model of integral end-of-life care”. Journal of Medical Ethics 43/8 (2017): 489-494.

Best Megan C. et al. “Australian Patient Preferences for discussing Spiritual Issues in the Hospital Setting: An Exploratory Mixed Methods Study”. Journal of Religion and Health 63/1 (2023): 1-19.

Best Megan C. Aldridge Lynley. Butow Phyllis. Olver Ian. Webster Fleur. “Conceptual Analysis of Suffering in Cancer: A systematic review”. Psycho-Oncology 24/9 (2015): 977-986.

Best Megan C. Butow Phyllis. Olver Ian. “Palliative care specialists’ beliefs about spiritual care”. Supportive Care in Cancer 24/8 (2016): 3295-3306.

Best Megan C. Vivat Bella. Gijsberts Marie-Jose. “Spiritual Care in Palliative Care”. Religions 14/3 (2023): 320.

Beuselinck Benoit. “2002-2016: Fourteen Years of Euthanasia in Belgium. First-Line Observations by an Oncologist”. in D.A. Jones, C. Gastmans, C. Mackellar (Eds). Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide. Lessons from Belgium. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2017, 101-113.

Butler Emily. et al. “The Efficacy of Hospice-In-Place Care Versus Traditional Inpatient Care”. The American journal of hospice & palliative care 41/8 (2024): 863-872.

Chibnall John T. Videen Susan D. Duckro Paul N. et al. “Psychosocial-spiritual correlates of death distress in patients with life-threatening medical conditions”. Palliative Medicine 16/4 (2002): 331 338.

Clark David. “Religion, medicine, and community in the early origins of St. Christopher’s Hospice”. Journal of Palliative Medicine 4/3 (2001): 353-360.

Clark David. Early origins of St Christopher’s Hospice. 2014. https://bit.ly/2Xg0QgO, Accessed: 13.01.2024.

Coyle Nessa. “The existential slap - A crisis of disclosure”. International Journal of Palliative Nursing 10/11 (2004): 520.

Drane James F. A Liberal Catholic Bioethics. Berlin: Lit, 2010.

Ellershaw John. Dewar Steve. Murphy Deborah. “Achieving a good death for all”. British Medical Journal 341 (2010): 656-658.

Foley Kathleen. “Patients Need Better End-of-Life Care Rather than Assisted Suicide”. in L.M. Medina (Ed). Euthanasia. Detroit: Gale, 2005.

Frith Hannah. Raisborough Jayne. Klein Orly. “Making death «good»: instructional tales for dying in newspaper accounts of Jade Goody’s death”. Sociology of Health and Illness 35/3, (2013): 419-433.

Grant Elizabeth. et al. “Spiritual issues and needs: Perspectives from patients with advanced cancer and nonmalignant disease. A qualitative study”. Palliative and Supportive Care 2/4 (2005): 371-378.

Grant Elizabeth. Murray Scott A. Kendall Marilyn. et al. “Spiritual issues and needs: Perspectives from patients with advanced cancer and nonmalignant disease. A qualitative study”. Palliative and Supportive Care 2/4 (2004): 371-378.

Greer Steven. “Healing the Mind/Body Split: Bringing the Patient Back Into Oncology”. Integrative Cancer Therapies 2/1 (2003): 5-12.

Greer Steven. Joseph Marie. “Palliative Care: A Holistic Discipline”. Integrative Cancer Therapies 15/1 (2016): 5-9.

Heckmann Friedrich. “Etica creștină și responsabilitatea Bisericilor față de procesul morții și moarte într-o societate seculară și postmodernă”. In M. Hartmann, V. Stanciu (Eds). Viața ca dar al lui Dumnezeu. Responsabilitatea creștină în perspectiva morții. Trans. L. Boloș. Sibiu: Schiller 2018.

Jackson Emily, Keown John. Debating Euthanasia. Oxford: Hart Publishing, 2012.

Kain David A. Eisenhauer Elizabeth A. “Early integration of palliative care into standard oncology care: evidence and overcoming barriers to implementation”. Current Oncology 23/6 (2016): 374-377.

Keall R. Clayton J.M. Butow P. “How do Australian palliative care nurses address existential and spiritual concerns? Facilitators, barriers and strategies”. Journal of Clinical Nursing 23/21 (2014): 3201.

Kirk Timothy W. Mahon Margaret M. “National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) Position Statement and Commentary on the Use of Palliative Sedation in Imminently Dying Terminally Ill Patients”. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management 39/5 (2010): 914-923.

Koffman Jonathan. Morgan Myfanwy. Edmonds Polly. et al. “Cultural meanings of pain: a qualitative study of Black Caribbean and White British patients with advanced cancer”. Palliative Medicine 22/4 (2008): 350-359.

Kozlov Elissa. Reid M. Carrington. Carpenter Brian D. “Improving patient knowledge of palliative care: A randomized controlled intervention study”. Patient Education and Counseling 100/5 (2017): 1007-1010.

Küchler Thomas. Bestmann Beate. Rappat Stefanie. “Impact of psychotherapeutic support for patients with gastrointestinal cancer undergoing surgery: 10-year survival results of a randomised trial”. Journal of Clinical Oncology 25/9 (2007): 2702-2708.

Landman, Willem A. End-of-Life Decisions, Ethics and the Law. Geneva: Globethics.net Focus, 2012.

LiPuma Samuel H. “Continuous Sedation until Death as Physician-assisted suicide/ euthanasia: A Conceptual Analysis”. Journal of Medicine and Philosophy 38/2 (2013): 190-204.

McClain Collen S. Rosenfeld Barry. Breitbart William. “Effect of spiritual well-being on end of-life despair in terminally ill cancer patients”. The Lancet 361/9369 (2003): 1603-1607.

McIlfatrick Sonja. Hasson Felicity. “Evaluating an holistic assessment tool for palliative care practice”. Journal of Clinical Nursing 23/7-8 (2014): 1064-1075.

Moadel Alyson. Morgan Carole. Fatone Anne. et al. “Seeking meaning and hope: self reported spiritual and existential needs among an ethnically diverse cancer patient population”. Psycho-Oncology 8/5 (1999): 378-385.

Morris Tom. Growing Through Grief. A Book and Discussion Guide for Grief Groups. Cambridge YTC Press, 2008.

Murray Scott A. Kendall Marilyn. Boyd Kirsty. et al. “Exploring the spiritual needs of people dying of lung cancer or heart failure: a prospective qualitative interview study of patients and their carers”. Palliative Medicine 18/1 (2004): 25 33.

Nolan Steve. Saltmarsh Philip. Leget Carlo. “Spiritual care in palliative care: working towards an EAPC task force”. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology 18/ 2 (2011): 88.

Pittroff G. “The humbled expert: An exploration of spiritual care expertise”. Journal of Christian Nursing 30/3, (2013): 164-165.

Puchalski Christina M. Vitillo Robert. Hull Sharon K. Reller Nancy. “Improving the spiritual dimension of whole person care: reaching national and international consensus”. Journal of Palliative Care 17/6 (2014): 646-648.

Quill Timothy E. “Dying and Decision Making — Evolution of End-of-Life Options”. New England Journal of Medicine 350/20 (2004): 2029-2032.

Richmond Caroline. “Dame Cicely Saunders. Founder of the modern hospice movement”. British Medical Journal 331 (2005): 238.

Saarto Tiina. “Palliative care and oncology: the case for early integration”. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology 2 (2014).

Saunders Cicely. The Management of Terminal Malignant Disease. London: Edward Arnold, 1978.

Selman Lucy. Harding Richard. Gysels Marjolein. et al. “The measurement of spirituality in palliative care and the content of tools validated cross-culturally: a systematic review”. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management 41/4 (2011): 728-753.

Seymour Jane. “Looking back, looking forward: the evolution of palliative and end-of-life care in England”. Mortality 17/1 (2012): 1-17.

Speck Peter. “Culture and spirituality: essential components of palliative care”. Postgraduate Medical Journal 92/1088 (2016): 341-345.

St. Maximus the Confessor. “Răspunsuri către Talasie”, in Filocalia sau culegere din scrierile Sfinţilor Părinţi care ne arată cum se poate omul curăţi, lumina şi desăvârşi. vol. III. Translated by Fr. Dr. Dumitru Stăniloae. București: Humanitas, 1999.

Sulmasy Daniel P. The Rebirth of the Clinic: An Introduction to Spirituality in Health Care. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press, 2006.

Taylor Dan. et al. “Spirituality within the Patient-Surgeon Relationship”. Journal of Surgical Education 68/1 (2011): 36-43.

Tekeste Heven. Osman Nimo. Nurses’ experiences of caring for patients̕ spiritual health needs in palliative care in India. 2022, 4-5. https://tinyurl.com/mrxy9d3z. Accessed: 25.08.2024.

Thielicke, Helmut. Living with Death. Translated by G. Bromiley. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1983.

Vanderbilt Center for Health Services Research. Qualitative Research Core. https://tinyurl.com/2avmefbs. Accessed: 28.08.2024.

Watson Maggie. Havilland Jo S. Greer Steven. et al. “Influence of psychological response on survival in breast cancer: a population-based cohort study”. The Lancet 354/9187 (1999): 1331-1336.

World Health Organization. WHO definition of palliative care, 2023. https://tinyurl.com/mw52ajn8. Accessed: 02.06.2024.

Zimmermann Camilla. “Acceptance of dying: A discourse analysis of palliative care literature”. Social Science & Medicine 75/1 (2012): 217-224.

Downloads

Published

2024-06-30

How to Cite

VULCĂNESCU, S.-G. . (2024). Palliative Care ‒ The Alternative to Euthanasia. Studia Universitatis Babeș-Bolyai Theologia Orthodoxa, 69(1), 57–72. https://doi.org/10.24193/subbto.2024.1.04

Issue

Section

Articles