Christian Worldview Concepts

The Ethics of Terminal Sedation as a Treatment for End-of-Life Pain and Suffering

Ethical Issues

The justification for using terminal sedation is the difficulty of effectively managing end-of-life symptoms that become increasingly unresponsive to standard medical interventions. Proponents of terminal sedation argue that such a death is desired by the patient and welcomed by the family because it releases the patient from a conscious awareness of their deteriorating condition. Opponents of the practice argue that terminal sedation is simply physician-assisted suicide by another name.

Perhaps the most obvious ethical question is this: Does terminal sedation represent a more benign-appearing form of killing, what some call "slow euthanasia?" Is the administration of terminal sedation to an imminently dying patient an act that deserves to be called killing? Does terminal sedation undermine the long-held tradition of hospice — that death should neither be hastened nor prolonged? May a Christian practitioner morally provide terminal sedation to a consenting adult patient? If terminal sedation becomes a widespread practice with the terminally ill, might it be administered to patients who are not terminally ill? Might the use of terminal sedation smooth society's slide toward active euthanasia?