Palliative sedation, formerly known as terminal sedation, is legal in California. The American Medical Association outlines it in “Sedation to Unconsciousness in End-of-Life Care,” and their code of ethics impress that palliative sedation is just that, the act of sedating a patient in order to relieve extreme agony in a dying patient. This procedure is an option given to painful and terminally ill patients at the end stage of their disease, when all other treatment and analgesic options have failed and it is obvious that death is very near. This type of pain relief can hasten and even sometimes unintentionally cause death, causing critics to feel that it is a form of euthanasia, which is illegal. Palliative sedation is a controversial issue because the procedure has the potential to speed up the dying process, creating a grey area that begins to resemble euthanasia and assisted suicide in its more extreme cases. There are various degrees of palliative sedation; however, the intent is always to relieve pain and suffering, allowing the patient to die with dignity. It is important to understand that palliative patients are in the final stage of their terminal illness and death is imminent, with or without medical intervention. The patient is dying and has the right to choose or reject procedures that may or may not shorten their death, while the physician has an obligation to relieve pain and agony at their patient’s request.
The American Medical Association has established strict guidelines for palliative sedation. These guidelines focus on cases where palliative sedation is warranted and reasons why in certain situations, it is not appropriate. Under current AMA protocol, palliative sedation must only be recommended in extreme circumstances where all other treatment options have failed, death is unavoidable, and the patient experiences unbearable physical pain. Existential suffering, like mental agony and distress, are not appropriate...