Re: Things You'd Like To Tell Visitors . . . . and get away with it Originally Posted by CanuckStudent 
Don't MDs prescribe morphine 'off label' as a respiratory depressant for already compromised terminal patients to hasten death? They will increase the amount if the patient is 'restless'.
Or am I misunderstanding?
Originally Posted by talaxandra Though usually not explicit, most legal systems have a principle consistent with the Doctrine of Double Effect. You can give a potentially lethal dose of narcotic of your intent is to relieve pain, distress etc, even if death is a foreseeable consequence. You can not give a potentially lethal dose of narcotic to kill someone. even in palliative care the concept is symptom relief. If the intent was speeding up death we would just give potassium.
canuck, read about the double effect doctrine, as mentioned in talaxandra's post.
it is all about
intent.
yes, many doctor's will increase morphine dosage for restlessness or any other signs of distress...
with the
intent to relieve duress.
and, hastened death is an
unintended effect but still happens.
never, never, never is it given w/intent to hasten death.
leslie
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