| Theme | Initiation, Maintenance and Discontinuation of Dialysis Therapy | |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Japanese religious values, the philosophy of life and death of aged person, the degnity death, and the withdrawal of dialysis treatment | |
| Publish Date | 1998/07 | |
| Author | Teiryo Maeda | Maeda Institute of Renal Research |
| [ Summary ] | Every human life is important and every human being has a responsibility to society to continue to live. Therefore people should not give up their lives easily and request euthanasia without due consideration. Society for it's part, should morally and ethically reject euthanasia and not allow patients to perceive euthanasia as a right. In our lives we are occationally be confronted with death and we must continue to fight for life until the very end. Death should be viewed as a part of the cycle of life. Japanese religious values are based on a combination of a belief in being harmony with nature, belief in various gods of good fortune, and the teachings of Buddha. In Japanese culture we believe the souls of our deceased relatives are always with us helping us in our daily lives. We often say "kusaba no kage de" which is a special Japanese proverb that means that we are continually helped by our deceased relatives spirits hiding just behind the tree or from beyond the grave. However these beliefs may not be adequate to sustain life, and it is sometimes meaningless for a patient to continue suffering great pain with no chance of survival. In these cases, euthanasia is sometimes unavoidable. Is stopping dialysis and allowing a patient the chance to say goodbye to this world with dignity and peace the best solution or not ? In making the decision to stop dialysis treatment it is of course necessary to take into consideration the patients opinions, the feelings of the family and to be objectives from a medical, ethical and legal point of view. This is of course very difficult to do. I). Medical considerations The patient should be allowed to pass on if : 1) The patient's condition takes a turn for the worse, even though they are on hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysisis not an option. 2) If the doctor knows the patient to be incurable and that death is imminent and the patient is in ever increasing pain. II). Ethical considerations There must be mutal agreement between the patient's family, the medical staff and an experienced doctor and as well as a knowlegable lawyer before the patient's opinions are considered and any further action is taken. |
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