The danger of "terminal" or "deep" sedation

Here is a link to a good piece by Dr. Peter Saunders addressing the use of deep sedation by Dutch doctors to hide assisted suicides. http://www.lifenews.com/2012/07/11/dutch-doctors-use-deep-sedation-to-hide-assisted-suicides/ The use of "terminal sedation" to advance the euthanasia movement is worth careful attention. The use of "deep sedation" or "terminal sedation" needs to be distinguished from a legitimate technique--the use of sedation for symptom relief (so-called "palliative sedation").    

There is a careful treatment of this complex topic in Joseph Piccione's entry on "palliative sedation" in volume 3 of the Encyclopedia of Catholic Social Thought, Social Science, and Social Policy. http://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Catholic-Social-Thought-Science/dp/0810882663

Richard M.