Trade in Energy and Energy Security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Trade in Energy and Energy Security - Essay Example Furthermore, it is his or her legal obligation to maintain the safety and welfare of the patient. During the sixties, several issues emerged, which concentrated on questioning and challenging the standard traditions and values of society. One such issue was that of patients, who was in permanent vegetative state. The question arose whether a doctor had the right to withdraw from treating such patients without the consent of the guardians? Persistent vegetative state is considered to be that state of human mind, in which the patient is in coma and has advanced towards â€Å"the condition of partial arousal†1. The term was introduced and developed in the seventies by Jennet and Plum. The aim of this paper is to analyze the legal charges against a doctor, who had refused to treat a patient, who had been in a vegetative state for more than three years, in the lights of broad and diverse academic resources. Overview As mentioned earlier, persistent vegetative state is that conditio n, in which the human brain is severely damaged and the patient is in coma, followed by gradual movement towards â€Å"the state of wakefulness without detectable awareness†2 . ... The expression vegetable is has been used in order to define the existing condition of the human mind. Research suggests that a patient suffering from PVS can live for a very long period and therefore, he or she is not suffering from a fatal disease. On basis of ethics, philosophy and morality, the expression seeks to confront and dispute the daily beliefs and ideals of human society and the meaning of being alive6. Moreover, it clashes with the perspectives of individuality and personality. Patients suffering from this condition are stuck in a zone and thus, they do not have the ability to connect with their surroundings. Moreover, their existing state of mind does not allow them to communicate with their loved ones. From legal perspective, the term persistent vegetative state has not been defined extensively. Research suggests that the courts in United Kingdom â€Å"have required petitions before termination of life support that demonstrate that any recovery of cognitive functions above a vegetative state is assessed as impossible by authoritative medical opinion†7. In certain instances, it has been suggested that these patients must be given the authority to die peacefully because of their wakeful unconscious condition. This issue has led to several legal dilemmas and therefore, it has become essential to legally define the concept of PVS. As mentioned earlier, there is no legal definition for PVS. During the eighties, the Commission for Study of Legal and Ethical Problems in Medicine and Behavioral Research officially recognized the definition of persistent vegetative state, given by Jennett and Plum.8 The Commission attempted to