Withdrawal of life support system

WITHDRAWAL OF LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEM
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Introduction
There has medical technology developments and the science of medicine has revolutionaries the modern medical care which has created the legal predicament for medical practitioners. There are contentious legal issues which are associated with the medical induction withdrawal of life sustaining treatment for incompetent patients. The discontinuation will inevitably bring about death, and therefore question arises regarding criminality of the doctor who undertakes such decisions of life termination (Mendelson, 1990). The cause of a patient’s death is critical to doctor’s legal attribution, as the death of a patient must be legally attributed to the underlying conditions and lack of negligence with respect to the patient’s treatment will have no legal liability (JAMA, 1992). The cause of a patient death that is legally attributed to the conduct of a doctor in discontinuing life support system can lead to the possibility of criminal sanctions.
The advances in medical technology in health care has eliminated envelop of death and diseases on a selected population. This innovation do not necessarily cure underlying diseases leading patients to be stalled in animation as the can not die due to the process of the disease because it is temporarily arrested. They are not also to enjoy life, and this is critical to the physician responsibility to employ life sustaining systems to patients when benefits outweigh the detriment and there is a reasonable outcome desired by the patient. The same life supporting system can be removed when there is the best judgment when it appears that the inevitable death is being delayed (Crippen, 1991). There is rationality with some patients rarely willing to continue life supporting systems due to the demonstration of their trial reaching a point of diminishing returns. Anticipation of ordinary care and removal of supported care, there would be a decrease in the painful uncertainties of death in uncontrolled circumstances.
Research purpose
The sustenance of life b y a physician and relieve of suffering is a social commitment, and therefore, job performance of one duty may conflict with the other with patients preference give priority. With respect to life support system, the principle of patients’ autonomy must be respected by the physician in the decision to forego life sustaining treatments. There is no ethical distinction between withdrawing and withholding the life-sustaining treatment as competent adult patient have in advance offered valid consent regarding withdrawing or withholding of life support systems if in any case a disease renders them to be incompetent (Luce & Alppers, 2000).
There are times when a patient receiving life sustaining support becomes incompetent and hence a surrogate decision maker has to be identified. In most cases family members are identified as sur...