The withdrawal of a life-sustaining treatment

The withdrawal of a life-sustaining treatment

The withdrawal of a life-sustaining treatment habitually tends to be very challenging for the caregivers, patients, along with their family members. Under extreme conditions, when the life of the patients seems not to bear fruit after exhausting all the available, caregivers and the family members of the patient are usually in a great dilemma on whether to withdraw the patient from the life-supporting machine to alleviate the client from much pain and suffering. The topic has raised a hot debate where some groups of people support the withdrawal of life support of patients, while others oppose the practice basing their argument that it is not morally right. While working as an emergency medical technician several years ago, I witness the pain and anguish experienced by the family of a patient with the problem of the dead brain and the difficulty they had in resolving to end the life of the client by withdrawing life support. Based on the encounter, I would stand firm in supporting the removal of life support for patients to relieve them and their families from pain and trauma. This research paper offers arguments that support the implication of discontinuation life support for unconscious brain patients.

Discontinuation of the life support machine of unconscious brain patients is morally right because it alleviates the patient from much suffering. At the same time, it relieves the family members of the patient from the trauma of seeing their loved one suffering. The rationale for withdrawing the life support machine is typically based on the fact that there is no benefit which the patient may get from the machines. Under such conditions, it is therefore right to withdraw the life support of the patient to end the life of a dead brain patient. Family members are usually traumatized when they see their patients in unstable conditions for quite long. Ending the life of the patient by withdrawing the life support device of the unconscious brain victim alleviates the patient’s family members from the trauma. I, therefore, support the removal of the life support device of a dead brain patient by a nurse because it is beneficial to both the client and the family associates. The removal of the life-support device is morally right because it ends the suffering of the patients while also allaying the family members from trauma.

Similarly, I support the removal of life support of an unconscious brain patient because it conforms with the ethical principle of nonmaleficence. It is the ethical doctrine in nursing that prohibits the infliction of unnecessary harm to the patient under primary care. Nonmaleficence is the moral justification behind why harm is caused. The principle acknowledges harm induced to the patients to prevent them from further harm and pain to be morally right. The withdrawal of the life support machine of an unconscious brain client may cause damage to the patient. Nonetheless, the harm of removing the life support device is beneficial to the dead brain patient because it alleviates the patient from extreme suffering caused by the condition. I therefore firmly support the practice because it relieves the patient from the pain of the dead brain while at the same time, it conforms with the ethical principles which prove its morality within the nursing practice.

Furthermore, the removal of the life support device of a dead brain patient is generally in line with the ethical principle of beneficence. It is the doctrine of doing good, and it is categorized into four distinct parts, which entails removing harm, preventing harm, avoiding inflicting damage together with doing good to promote wellness. The principle acknowledges that a nurse should alleviate a patient from harm through undertaking the necessary action that would benefit a client receiving care. Withdrawal of life support machine of a dead brain patient typically helps in preventing the patient from experiencing great harm and pain associated with a dead brain. It, therefore, assuages the patient from the pain and suffering caused by the unconscious brain, and this resultantly induces good to the patient. Due to the conformity of the practice with the ethical principle of beneficence, it is morally right for a nurse to withdraw the life support machine of a dead brain patient. Furthermore, based on the argument, I support the practice of removing the life support machine of an unconscious brain patient because it is generally beneficial to the patient whose health condition cannot be restored.

Nevertheless, the opponents of the removal of the life support device of a dead brain patient argue that the practice is not ethical because it violates the autonomy of the patient. Autonomy is an ethical principle that explains a consensus to respect the right of another person to determine a course of action, along with supporting the independent decision of a person. The principle requires caregivers to respect the rights and decisions of the patients regarding their choice of treatment and interventions. It also requires the nurse to advocate for the patient’s rights, including their liberty, to make a decision. However, the practice of discontinuing life support machine of an unconscious brain person usually violates the right of the patient. The patients are typical unconscious; hence they cannot make a sound decision regarding their life. The decision to withdraw the machine may contradict the decision of the patients suppose they had the opportunity to make a decision regarding their condition. The argument makes the opposers of the practice believe that it is not morally right for a nurse to withdraw the life support machine of a dead brain patient because it violates the autonomy of the patient.

They also argue that physicians have a poor understanding of the preferences of the patients. The majority of the clients do not share their preferences with the physicians. Moreover, they assert that under most circumstances, the physicians only predict the preferences of the patient to end the life of the client by withdrawing life support machine. Hence it is immoral for the caregiver to discontinue the life support device of an unconscious brain patient.

In conclusion, the removal of the life support machine of a patient is a hot topic in the nursing practice due to diverse opinions regarding the practice. Proponents of the practice argue that it is beneficial to both the patients and their families. Similarly, the opposers claim that the practice violates the autonomy of the patients. Based on the benefits of the discontinuation of life support machines of dead brain patients, I support the practice, and it is morally right for a nurse to remove the life support device of the patient to alleviate the client from much pain and suffering.