… even if the patient doesn’t want them there?
Yes, I think that people should have a right to observe, IF the patient agrees. In the case of a child, yes the parents should have the right to observe unless there were reasons it was not appropriate.
The one rider I would put on would be IF the presence of the relative did not make it harder for the medical people to do their work.
If they could observe through a window, that would be ideal, but if not, and they had to be in the room, they would need to be self controlled and non-interfering.
If an adult patient does not want them in the room or observing, definitely not. No-one has any right to someone else’s medical procedures.
As far as people having the right to be present at someone’s death ~ it’s not a public entertainment. Many people choose to die when their family members leave the room for a short break, others wait until the family are assembled.
This is about someone’s personal dignity, not someone ELSE’s “rights”.
—–
Absolutely not. Observing someone going through medical treatment is a priviledge, not a right. Of course, if the patient is dying and they know the relative will be in anguish from now observing it, they can consider that. But ultimately, it is a question of privacy and dignity for the patient. If I don’t want someone there for a treatment as I am dying, I would consider it respect for my last wishes and hope that my relatives, if they do love and respect me, would honour that dying wish and let me be in peace.
EDIT: If the patient is a child, there is of course a question of legal responsibility for the parents. Nevertheless, if the child was requesting they weren’t present, I would hope that the parents would have the decency to respect their dying child’s wishes and live well in knowing that they did so rather than anguishing over their own desires. I am certain that the grief of losing their child would overrun the grief of not being present during treatment. If someone, anyone, doesn’t want a person present during medical treatment, they have a right to privacy and dignity in this matter, and my personal stance is that this is more important than the right for anyone to invade that privacy and observe treatment. It is sad that they would experience anguish as a result, but observing someone else in such a vulnerable and private situation is not a right, but a priviledge