|
|
Children In The Final Stage And Their Families From The Point Of View Of Medical Ethics- Changes On The Way-
Arın NAMAL*
* Dr., İstanbul Üniversitesi İstanbul Tıp Fakültesi Deontoloji ve Tıp Tarihi AD, ISTANBUL
The mourning for a dying child is extremely deep in industrial societies. Because in industrial societies children's deaths have become rarely due to the improvement of the conditions of nourishment and life as well as the increasement of facilities in the respect of medicine. Death, being expelled from childhood and youth, nowadays focusses on the old age and especially around the age of 70. "People die after growing old" has become common believe.Whereas, not too long ago, as late as in the years of the foundation of the German Empire the average expectation of life was 36 for men and 38 for women. Within the reasons of such low expectation of life the high death rate of newborn babies and children played an important part.The frequency of children's deaths led to accustoming and even to induration.In industrial societies where a blind eye is being turned on death the individuums of the society as well as the staff of the medical sector are keeping quite a distance towards dying people. This distance keeping is leading to indifference to the problems. As the death of children is a totally denied fact, this atmosphere is extremely difficult for children in the final stage, for their parents and, if there are some, for brothers and sisters. The announcement of the fatal diagnosis, the attitude towards the child while it is still alive and the attitude towards its parents, brothers and sisters after its death are subjects which require utmost circumspection.Keywords: Child in the final stage and its family, Children's deaths in history, mourning, Ethical problemsTurkiye Klinikleri J Med Ethics-Hukuku-Tarihi 2003, 11:120-133
|
|
|
|
|
