Is Euthanasia OK in a Disaster?
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Four doctors discuss whether mercy killing is an acceptable option in an emergency like Hurricane Katrina. In Bodyhack.
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Britain is ready to help those hit by the Asian earthquake in any way it can, Tony Blair has said. The &quot;world is united in sorrow&quot;, he said, for those affected by the devastating tidal wave which has killed about 68,000 people in 12 countries.
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Recently, a polar bear cub was rejected by its mother in a German zoo.  Had this happened in the wild, the cub would have been left to fend for itself, and would quite likely have died.  In this case, however, zookeepers decided to care for the cub by hand, a decision which has ironically prompted outrage from at least one animal rights group, who have suggested that it would be more humane to kill the cub, rather than allow it to become dependent on humans for its entire life.    This is an interesting point, and one which has dark but intriguing ramifications when applied to certain other species - namely, homo sapiens.  Artificially prolonging the lifespan of genetically inferior instances of the species runs counter to the purpose of evolution.  It makes us all weaker.
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In 2001, the Netherlands became the first (only?) country in the west to permit "mercy killings". The law only allows such killings in very particular circumstances - a doctor can terminate the life of a person who was in great pain and had no hope of recovery. In addition, the law requires the informed consent of the patient.   A hospital in the Netherlands has asked to dispense with that annoying part about consent - and the equally annoying part about pain.
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Pope John Paul branded euthanasia a distortion of medical ethics on Friday, saying doctors could not decide "who can live and who must die."
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CANNES, France -- It just doesn't seem fair. We're sitting in a bungalow by the Mediterranean with Leonardo DiCaprio, and he's talking about the end of the world. Not necessarily the end of the Earth, mind you. The planetary ecosystem will continue to function (barring collision with a meteor, bu...
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We're not rushing you to your grave but urging you to make it easier for your surviving loved ones.
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World leaders meeting on Thursday to  discuss aid efforts for Asia's tsunami-hit countries were  warned the death toll could double to about 300,000 unless  action was taken this week to prevent disease.  The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday it had  sent emergency treatment to the region for diarrheal diseases  such as cholera and dysentery but while the aid was reaching  many places, access to safe drinking water remained inadequate.
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Experts debate whether people at the end of life should be able to take experimental drug treatments.
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A Thai medic sprays disinfectant over the rotting corpses of those killed in Sunday&#39;s tidal waves at a Buddhist temple in Pang-Nga province, southern Thailand, Thursday, Dec. 30, 2004.
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As many as 50,000 children could have died in the tsunami. Surviving them could be as many as 100,000 distraught parents.
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THURSDAY, Sept. 30 (HealthDayNews) -- Elderly people who are abused are much likelier to die sooner than are their peers who are not mistreated, but medical professionals are in a powerful position to detect cases and even intervene.
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The widow of a man who had an assisted suicide in Switzerland says people should be able to choose how to die.
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Medical science and religion clashed this week over whether to switch off life-support equipment that is keeping an 84-year-old man alive in a Canadian hospital.
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Thousands of people were killed and millions made homeless by recent tsunamis in southeastern Asia. The American Red Cross has set up a disaster relief fund.
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Can a terminally ill 7-year-old decide he doesn&#39;t want any more medical treatment? Are pediatricians obligated to tell parents when a teenager has a sexually transmitted disease?
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The recent earthquake in Japan and accidents at two German power plants raise questions on the safety of nuclear energy as a cleaner alternative.