1. Voluntary Euthanasia

Voluntary Euthanasia is a situation where a person requests to terminate their lives, and specialists assist them in going through the process. The process involves direct killing with intentionally administered medications which however has a direct order from the ailing person. The termination of life is conducted by qualified physicians who administer some medications to willing clients to cause a painless death.  It is a legalized suicide in some countries where ending life in this form violates no law. In almost all the cases, the euthanasia act is performed when the present condition of an individual is too bad to the point that death will be the better solution. Voluntary euthanasia focuses mostly on the point that the well-being of an individual is a critical value in a human’s existence. When the condition of a patient, for instance, worsens beyond control, the specialists performing the euthanasia act does it for the benefit of the patient as they believe that death will relieve a person from the current burdens that cannot be solved better otherwise.

Voluntary euthanasia is a sensitive topic that is surrounded by a lot of controversies. The topic brings about many ethical issues in regards to a patient’s death. Many debates in the matter of euthanasia are developed from the four main principles of healthcare ethics. The principle of autonomy, for instance, allows the patients to make decisions regarding their bodies. The principle of beneficence mandates the healthcare providers to explore all the means possible to benefit the patient under any circumstance.

The third principle is that of non-maleficence which denies the healthcare providers the chance to do any harm to the patient regardless of the circumstance. On the other hand, the principle of Justice advocates for fairness in any medical decision undertaken by healthcare providers under any situation. These principles contradict each other thus resulting in an ethical dilemma. Some people have argued that the patients have the right to make any decision regarding their bodies while basing on the principle of autonomous while others claim that the healthcare providers have no right to cause harm to the patients basing on the principle of non-maleficence where death, in this case, is considered a harm.

Due to the existing contradictions on the ethics of voluntary euthanasia, the law ought to be created on what should be done in case a patient has reached a point where only death can be a better solution. The creation of the laws governing this area will be beneficial since the dilemma that has over time existed will be solved, and both the patients and the healthcare providers will have directions on what do and what not to do.

2. Defensive Medicine

Defensive medicine is defined as the process where a doctor practices medicine, not intending to help the patient. Defensive medicine is usually designed to prevent the future likelihood of malpractice suits. Primarily, the process of defensive medicine seeks to avoid liabilities rather than assisting the patients to recover. Doctors in performing defensive medicine process may evade high-risk patients who have high chances of exposing them to malpractice liability. Defensive medicine can be either positive or negative depending on the situation at hand. Positive defensive medicine involves unnecessary tests and unnecessary treatment prescriptions. On the other hand, negative defensive medicine consists in avoiding risk patients thus disadvantaging them in treatment and hospital admission. The negative defensive medicines exclude patients from getting treatment from healthcare providers who could otherwise help them.

The physicians are bound to one central goal of ensuring the good of patients, but currently, this has not been the case since many of them have been victims of practicing defensive medicine. Physicians are presently going contrary to their duties by avoiding the high-risk patients not putting into consideration that it is such patients who need much the help of the healthcare providers. The issue of defensive medicine has disadvantaged many patients as they struggle to find a physician to treat them. Failure to get treatment and subsequent worsening of the patient’s condition can be termed as one of the significant sources of euthanasia. Patients consider death as the only solutions to their situations since they cannot get help for healthcare providers.

In the US for instance, both positive and negative practices are increasingly making their way in medical practice. A recent article published on the World Journal of Clinics Cases terms defensive medicine as an epidemic and advocates for the practice to be slowed down. According to the authors of this article, the practice poses severe repercussions for patients, their healthcare costs or even to the healthcare providers themselves.  This research can be used to generalize that physicians worldwide have adopted defensive medicine process and that the high-risk patients have no other option rather than death.

3. Workplace Bullying?

Workplace bullying is constant mistreatment that an individual receives from others in the workplace which causes emotional or physical harm. Workplace bullying can occur in many ways. It can take place through psychological abuse, verbally, socially and physically. The actions that result in workplace bullying can be done by your employer or by, another work colleague, a particular person or by a group of people in the working environment. Bullying can happen in various workplaces ranging from an office setting to shops, or even to government organizations. Besides, workplace bullying can happen to any person regardless of whether they are seniors or juniors, volunteers or permanent employees. The issue of workplace bullying has become prominent currently with the increase in technology. The issue of technology in workplace bullying comes in bearing in mind that bullying can occur through phones and computers. It is evident that workplace bullying affects individuals to the point of lowering their work performance. Therefore, victims should seek to overcome such situations, by all means, possible before the harm goes beyond control.

Fortunately, I have not been in a position to experience bullying in any workplace. However, I have a good grasp of knowledge about it and I know the degree of harm it can cause to people. Bullying makes a person stressed, tensed and even makes people lose self-confidence thus low morale and reduced productivity in their line of specialization in the working place. Therefore, I consider this act unethical because, any bullying, regardless of whether it is at a workplace, in school or even in our homes poses a high risk to the victim. It is an act that should be avoided as much as possible in the working environments by ensuring the dignity of every person. Employers should respect their employees and develop better means of solving possible solutions. Generally, respect should be upheld in the working places, and bullying should not be done since it is unethical.