1. Religion IV – Organ Donation & End of Life issues Note: these questions are not necessarily questions that you’ll encounter on the test. They will, however, give you a general sense of the types of questions I may ask and the material that the test will cover. The following questions are deliberately broad to (hopefully) get you as a class to explore as many aspects of the material as possible in our review today.

2.  What are some stipulations of Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act?  Must be 18 years old  Must be a resident of OR  Must be autonomous  Must be terminally ill (6 months or less to live)

3.  What is a persistent or permanent vegetative state?  Persistent: at least 1 month  Permanent: 3 months or more

4.  What is the difference between physician assisted suicide and removing/refusing treatment for a severe medical condition?  Note difference between intention and result  The intention here is different (what I want to do), even though the result is the same (death).

5.  True or False:  According to Catholic/Christian ethicists, medical professionals and caretakers are obliged to use any and all means to preserve someone’s life.

6.  What is the difference between ordinary and extraordinary treatment?  Can you think of any examples? Why would they be qualified as “ordinary” or “extraordinary”?  Ordinary: always obliged to provide  Extraordinary: not obliged to provide (necessarily)  Not effective  Excessively burdensome

7.  Why is defining the exact moment of death difficult?  What does Pope St. John Paul II say about the Church’s authority in determining this?  Why is this relevant to organ donation?  Ambiguity surrounding various observable factors associated with death  Doctors have no right to take vital organs from someone who has not yet died

8.  What is the difference between euthanasia and assisted suicide?  Euthanasia: “good death” or “dying well” or “mercy killing”  Taking the life of someone who is suffering  Assisted suicide:  Providing someone with the means to take his/her own life

9.  What are at least 2 ethical issues associated with organ donation?

10.  What are two arguments in favor of legalized physician assisted suicide?  What are two arguments against the legalization of physician assisted suicide?

11.  Name at least two factors which would prevent someone from being an organ donor:  HIV positive  Alcoholism  Hepatitis  Old age

12.  How has the process of organ donation changed in the past several decades? Has it improved or not?  15% success rate initially  Over 80% success rate now

13.  What was Pope St. John Paul II’s opinion on organ donation?  Speaks of it as an “act of charity”  But has some concerns about it, nonetheless (ex: cloning for organ donation; using embryos/embryonic stem cells to grow/heal organs; determining the point of death)

14.  What does it mean to have a “market” for organs? Do you think this would be a good thing or a bad thing?