I’m supposed to write a
description and analysis of my search for information on the topic I chose,
which is “The possibility of organ donation euthanasia.” What Bollen et. al, (2016) wrote about was
not the possibility, but the very real practice of organ donation
euthanasia. Forty cases have been
undertaken in Belgium and the Netherlands combined. This is the type of literature I have been
researching and will continue to search for to help with this assignment.
To me this seems practically
a no-brainer. People are dying anyway,
aren’t they? They’ve just chosen to go
out their way…seems like a win win situation. But alas, this is not as clear
cut as it seems. There are ethical dilemmas surrounding this topic, and for
good reason. You can’t have just anyone
with treatable conditions decide that they hate their life so much that they
want to end it just like that.
Organ euthanasia is a curly
subject and there are many different thoughts on the matter. I found an article with a religious tone from
a Pastor, which I totally bawked at at first because I am an agnostic. Any reference to ‘God’ people giving an
opinion on science issues really seems to gets my goat. I’m sure I’ve just offended someone here but
it’s my blog, and therefore my opinion.
In saying that though, as a scientist I need to be unbiased and look at
all material with the same eye so if the religious gentleman says anything
remotely feasible (yes, in my professional opinion), I will include it in my
information. Even Einstein said “Science
without religion is lame, religion without science is blind”, so who am I to
stand in the way of greatness? J
Usually, procrastination
sets in and I haul myself to the computer trawling through google scholar,
psychinfo and other article databases looking for inspiration. The menu pops up and you get two lines of
information that you have to decide whether it is worth your time to open and
see if you can actually access the article.
I think that this topic has
a large scope that intertwines with many other similar and corresponding topics
so determining what information I need to include versus what could be touched
on but definitely not elaborated on, needs to be focussed on specifically.
Unfortunately, that is the
extent of my researching capacity this week as Christmas is a busy time of year
and as you can see from the above photo, you need to make time to help those
you love celebrate their life milestones.
Bollen, J., Hoopen, R., Ysebaert, D., van Mook, W. & van Heum, E.
(2016). Legal and ethical aspects of organ donation after euthanasia in Belgium
and the Netherlands. Journal of Medical Ethics, 42, pp 486-489.
Randerson, J (2008). People in Science website. Retrieved from
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2008/may/12/peopleinscience.religion on 4
December 2016
4 comments:
Hi Marina,
I enjoyed your addition of the quote by Einstein. It gave your writing a good context and showed how you are using different readings to explore different angles. I've also found my topic much more complex than I first though. I had a fairly clear idea on where I stood with my position, but as I explore the literature more, I'm finding myself evaluating both sides with a much more critical eye. I think this will give us valuable skills going forward into our respective careers.
I also liked your photo. You're right, Christmas is a very busy time. Even if we decide not to do anything social for ourselves, we are still responsible for showing up for other people. I can completely relate to that.
Hopefully we can make good use of our free blocks of time so that we can juggle everything successfully.
Cheers,
Michelle
Marina,
What a great read that was! I love that you've really taken charge of your own blog and had the confidence to speak your mind. You're definitely right, it is YOUR blog and you're welcome to put forward any opinions you like. That being said, please don't take this as my announcement that I agree with everything Marina wrote, I merely have respect for the way you approached the blog and topic.
Quoting Einstein was a classy touch and the cosplay photo rocked. Blogging seems to be in your blood.
Floyd
Hi Marina,
I imagine the topic you chose would be a difficult one to pick a side on. Euthanasia always spurs a lot of debate.
Regardless of personal beliefs it's often important to consider religious beliefs when it comes to things like this I suppose. So many people have different beliefs that influence how systems like that work. I understand your frustration though and I think you approached it really well.
I appreciate your strong voice in your writing for this week's blog post.
Despite how busy you've been you seem to have made good progress on your research and you seem to have a good understanding of your topic.
Good luck with finishing it this weekend!
Alicia
Hi Marina this is a very interesting topic. I'm finding the literature blogs are really starting to 'open up the can of worms' so to speak, on everyone's topics. You have a really engaging way of writing in your blogs and i am never uninterested. Something i probably need to work on as i tend to get a bit too over-academic. You sound like you are well on the way to a great position paper with a really interesting subject which i have to admit i have never really considered- euthanasia for organ donation. This second assignment is going to be so interesting i'm feeling. Keep up the good work!
jess
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