Medical Ethics Dax Cowart - 1231 Words

Medical Ethics A body and a mind under duress reacts much differently than a body and mind in normal circumstances. On a primal level, I think the mind’s main purpose is to protect the body from harm or to alleviate the pain once it is occurring. For that reason, a person who is in excruciating pain or has just undergone a traumatic life change is not mentally capable of making a rational decision about ending their life. Moreover, there is no rational decision one can make about ending one’s life. Dax Cowart was in excruciating pain from the severe burns on his body. In addition to that he also had the combined effect of trying to mentally prepare for a life as a disfigured human being. Due to his pain he was not able to fully†¦show more content†¦He is married and, as he stated in the text, â€Å"I’m enjoying life now and I’m glad to be alive†. (Munson p. 101). That statement, â€Å"I’m enjoying life now and I’m glad to be alive†, proves that his mindset at the time of wanting to die was merely a temporary state of mind and not the way he thinks all of the time. The depression that he felt that lead to his attempted suicides and his pleas for doctors to end his life were things he had to work through by changing his mental view and by changing the negative thoughts which lead to negative feelings. I think it is very understandable that Dax would have those thoughts. I think most people who are undergoing such a stressful, t raumatic change in their life would have the same reaction. Plus the pain that he was feeling would be enough to send anyone psychologically over the edge. And since Dax was not in his right mind during this time, the farmer and the doctors and Dax’s mother were all justified in refusing to let Dax die. The third and final reason why I agree that Dax should not have been able to refuse treatment and have other people assist in his death is because Dax Cowart would have been treating himself and those he requested this of as merely a means. According to Kant’s philosophy, â€Å"we must always treat people (including ourselves) as ends and not as means only†. (Munson p. 752). When we ignore another’s free existence and impose our ownShow MoreRelatedThe Curious Case of Dax Cowart Essay example791 Words   |  4 PagesThe concept of autonomy in the medical practice brings many different views. Autonomy is the ability individuals have to be self-governing. In these different views there exist two schools of thought, one is the belief that people are born with the ability to do what they want their body and no organization can tell them what to do with their body, like the government. 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