Motivations and Mechanisms of End-Of-Life Issues: the Reflections on the Right to, and not to die among Yoruba, Nigeria

Abstract

The study examines end-of-life issues: the right to, and not to die among Yoruba. End-of-life decision which could also be described as advance directive on euthanasia has assumed new dimensions due to the advancements in medical sciences. Euthanasia is a death that results from the intention of one person to kill another person, using the most gentle and painless means possible, for the presumed best interests of the person who dies. While progress has been made in this area, there is need for further, cultural, ethical and legal reflections into this topic especially in such areas as autonomous decision making, importance of advance directives, rationality of care in a supposedly futile treatments and costs involved in providing end-of-life care.  The narration was situated to interrogate the types of euthanasia among the Yoruba Nigeria and the nature of compliance to generally acceptable cultural/medical/ethical norms in Nigeria.  It was discovered that the concept of iku ya jesin- it is better for one to die than to face opprobrium or wallowing in an intractable suffering in Yoruba is borne out of central-petal-force –like- association of people which places the premium on the universal  good of the society than the good of individuals. In conclusion it was suggested that euthanasia must be viewed critically in society by society context to bring about policy with national outlook

Keywords:  Euthanasia, central-petal-force, end-of-life decision, Yoruba, competence