...The Ethics for Nurses in Medically Assisted Suicide Physician-assisted suicide also known as PAS, is a controversial topic everywhere; some believe if a patient is terminally ill then it should be permissible while others believe it is against their beliefs and religion to commit any type of suicide. Physician-assisted suicide is when a patient requests the help of digesting a lethal drug to quicken their death (United States Physician Assisted Suicide Law Summary and Law Digest par. 1). The most common patients to request assisted suicide are patients with cancer and AIDs. Active euthanasia is sometimes also considered physician-assisted suicide because it results in death from someone purposely doing something to the patient causing them to die; such as being injected with poison. Passive euthanasia is the withholding of a medical treatment for a patient, which is legal, but many come to be disagreed upon. Withholding food and water, turning off machines, and failing to resuscitate are prime examples of passive euthanasia (United States Physician Assisted Suicide Law Summary and Law Digest par. 1). There are currently three states that permit physician-assisted suicide, Washington and Oregon. On October 27, 1997, the Death with Dignity Act was passed in Oregon. The Death with Dignity Act states that an Oregonian that is terminally-ill has the right to voluntarily, self-administrate lethal medications with a prescription from their physician. On March 5, 2009, Washington passed...
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...potentially end the patient’s life – and what Nurse Nancy perceives as her suffering. Needless to say, concepts including end-of-life rights, death with dignity and right to life apply to this particular case. In examining this particular case, we’ll find that the nurse is trying to act with the purest of motives. However, what she is doing could skirt ethical decision-making, while being blatantly against the law. Additionally, it could provide a negative view of the cancer center. Though many people might support the idea of dying with dignity, others might take a dim view of a nurse who, in her zeal to prevent a patient’s suffering, would deprive children of their mother. Patient Bill of Rights The Patient Bill of Rights, sponsored by Senators John McCain, John Edwards and Ted Kennedy (S.1052), guarantees patients the right to access to health care specialists when necessary and requires continuity of care protections to patients so they don’t have to change health care providers in the middle of their treatment (Summary, 2001). The bill, unfortunately, failed, but many of its requirements make sense. For the patients of this particular cancer center, it means their treatment wouldn’t be interrupted if they needed to change employers (and if their new health care plan didn’t cover treatments by the centers’ providers). The Patient Bill of Rights also provides...
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...a terminally ill state, should be a fundamental human right and a legal option for anyone around the globe. One major benefit of physician-assisted suicide is that it ends suffering. According to "Doctor Assisted Suicide Pros and Cons List," as death nears, a lot of physical pain can occur from terminal...
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...thousands of years, most Christians and Jews have always opposed suicide. With this being said, one may think that most of my biases could be a result of my religious background. However, in reality, I have actually become very open-minded about the overall concept of euthanasia. While doing my topic proposal, my religious beliefs were overriding my conscious. In order to continue my research, I overcame my biases but trying to imagine myself in the place of a terminally ill person facing death, or envisioning a family member trying to come to terms with there on death. This was not easy for me as it was difficult to not say “No, you shouldn’t attempt any form of suicide, which is a one-way ticket to hell.” But, I have come to the realization that some don’t have the strength to suffer any longer than they already have or continue to feel as if they are a burden to their loved ones. I feel that in physician assisted suicide, to completely understand why someone would want to commit such an act, you have to put yourself in that person’s shoes. This can be difficult when dealing with such a controversial subject. In almost any situation it is true that if you have never personally been in the same type of situation, it may be easy to disagree with them. However, I feel like suicide is a heavier topic because it is literally life or death. I am choosing to write about the legalization of physician assisted suicide because this topic intrigues me in a way that I almost cannot understand...
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...Right To DieWeek 11Ken WinklerGE217February 25, 2012Steve Ryan | This paper will discuss the topic of the right to die for people who are terminally ill. The issue is physician assisted suicide and should individuals have the right to decide for themselves that they want to have their life terminated. There are no laws against a person taking their own life but a terminally ill person would need the help of a physician to take their life, and that is legal in only 3 states (wrtl.org, 2011). The right to assisted suicide is legal in several countries including the Netherlands Belgium, and Luxemburg. Current state laws are varied but in 34 states there are laws that explicitly make it illegal. A terminally ill patient may override objections from their clergyman because of the indescribable pain and seek out help from a physician. The Hippocratic Oath forbids Doctors from performing physician-assisted suicide but that does not always prevent them from doing so, as in the case of Doctor Kevorkian in Michigan who was known for assisting some terminally ill patients with ending their lives. In 1990 a Detroit newspaper contained this ad:"Applications are being accepted. Oppressed by a fatal disease, a severe handicap, or a crippling deformity? Write BOX 264, Royal Oak, Mich. 48068-0261. Show him proper compelling medical evidence that you should die, and Dr. Jack Kevorkian will help you kill yourself free of charge." (Kearl, 2002, p. 1) There are other doctors that feel euthanasia...
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...of End of Life There are many questions that can be asked on the very controversial topic of assisted euthanasia. The most common views or beliefs of this medical dilemma can be said to be extremely for or against the process of euthanasia. Opposition can argue that assisted suicide devalues human life, is ethically and religiously immoral, and can lead to purification of society or performing euthanasia for financial reasons. Although these are valid political and religious arguments to consider, a much more personal view must be argued. The quality versus the quantity of the patient’s life, the patient’s personal wants and feelings, and the family must be taken into consideration. “There is no single, objectively correct answer for everyone as to when, if at all, one’s life becomes all things considered a burden and unwanted. If self-determination is a fundamental value, then the great variability among people on this question makes it especially important that individuals control the manner, circumstances, and timing of their death and dying.” (Cassle and Meier, 1990) The patient’s specific illnesses, the treatment that has already been endured, and the projected outcome of the disease should also be looked at when asking if assisted euthanasia/suicide should be morally and legally accepted by society. Although there are many religious and political points of view on assisted euthanasia, the patient’s individual circumstances and own personal wants or beliefs should...
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...and let die. Specific purpose : To persuade my audience that euthanasia should be legalized in Malaysia. Central idea : Euthanasia is about giving people the right to choose how they want to live and die, saves money in medical bills, and it also stops the person from having a bad quality of life. INTRODUCTION Attention getter : Imagine yourself being unable to walk, unable to see, and can barely breathe let alone speak. Your life was well lived all those years before. You are now in such unbearable pain that you can’t even cry. You can no longer complete simple tasks on your own and there is no way that you could function without assistance. You think and feel as if your life has no meaning. Although your family is there to support you, you wonder could ending your life be the answer? Well in all reality this isn’t something anyone needs to imagine. This is a real situation for many, many people. These people should be able to make their own choices and have control of their own lives. Thesis What’s life without the quality of life? Now let's take a look and examine 3 reasons why Physician Assistant suicide should be legalized. PAS is about giving people the right to choose how they want to live and die, saves money in medical bills, and it also stops the person from having a bad quality of life. Transition to body of speech : BODY A. Main-point 1: Everyone has the right to choose how they want to live and die. i...
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...THE LAW ON ASSISTED SUICIDE On July 26, 1997, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously upheld decisions in New York and Washington state that criminalized assisted suicide. These decisions overturned rulings in the 2nd and 9th Circuit Courts of Appeal which struck down state statutes banning physician-assisted suicide. Those courts had found that the statutes, which prohibited doctors from prescribing lethal medication to competent, terminally ill adults, violated the 14th Amendment. In striking the appellate decisions, the U.S. Supreme Court found that there was no constitutional "right to die," but left it to individual states to enact legislation permitting or prohibiting physician-assisted suicide. (The full text of these decisions, plus reports and commentary, can be found at the Washinton Post web site.) As of April 1999, physician-assisted suicide is illegal in all but a handful of states. Over thirty states have enacted statutes prohibiting assisted suicide, and of those that do not have statutes, a number of them arguably prohibit it through common law. In Michigan, Jack Kevorkian was initially charged with violating the state statute, in addition to first-degree murder and delivering a controlled substance without a license. The assisted suicide charge was dropped, however, and he was eventually convicted of second degree murder and delivering a controlled substance without a license. Only one state, Oregon, has legalized assisted suicide. The Oregon statute...
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...faced with a terminal disease or injury, it is all they truly want. That is, the ability to choose the right to die, in lieu of, a slow and painful death. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines Euthanasia as, “The act or practice of killing hopelessly sick or injured individuals in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy,” and also, “The act of or practice of allowing a hopelessly sick or injured patient to die by taking less than complete medical measures to prolong life – mercy killing.” In those two separate definitions, you have the words that define the difference between active and passive euthanasia. “The act or practice of killing…” is what is termed as active euthanasia, in that it involves a person physically “doing” something to bring about the death of an individual. Whereas, “the act or practice of allowing…” is considered passive euthanasia, in that it allows a person to die. Normally, this entails the withholding or withdrawal of necessary medical equipment or medicine. Historically, both methods have evoked great emotional turmoil throughout society. Why? Because, it puts into dispute moral, cultural, social, and religious values that individual’s hold regarding their right to live, aswell as their right to die. Furthermore, individuals want to be able to control, should the need arise, their right to how they die, when they die, and where they die. The fear of lacking this control comes from the thought of dying a slow and painful death from the likes...
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...Death A final wish of death should be granted when life has come to its last chapter and all that is sought is a peaceful passing. The decision between a physician and terminally ill patient to hasten their death should be accepted and granted. A terminal illness can be described as an incurable disease which will end the life of the sufferer. If death is inevitable, why must we wait for natural causes to occur? Physician-assisted deaths should be legalized in all states so that the terminally ill can request a final act of dignity. “Physician-assisted death is defined as the physician providing the means for death, most often with a prescription. The patient not the physician will ultimately administer the lethal medication” (Braddock & Tonelli, 1998). If a patient can come to a decision when it is time to stop treatment for their terminal illness, they should also be allowed to choose when to bring death. End of life care has become an equally important issue to physicians as well as the patients. If physician-assisted deaths were permitted in all 50 states, physicians could openly discuss end of life wishes with their patients. With all the advances in modern medicine, people are living much longer which allows for a higher risk in developing a terminal illness. A few examples of terminal illnesses are cancer, strokes, Alzheimer’s disease, renal failure, and heart failure. With increasing numbers in terminal illnesses more options for...
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...Summary * Individuals must understand the role that social justice has in the implementation of practices such as physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia. * Social justice is the primary form of justice, but it encompasses other types of justice such as commutative, restorative, distributive, and contributive. * The four types of social justice are significant as they cover all the human entitlements. The social work department incorporates human rights in the creation and implementation of policies dealing with end of life decisions. * Euthanasia has evolved to become an important ethical concern especially for the elderly. * Many individuals in the recent times have changed their outlook regarding the issue of physically assisted death. Main ethical concerns * Euthanasia is a Greek word, which implies a ‘good death.’ * In the contemporary world, euthanasia is the compassionate activity of ending the life of a terminally ill patient. * Conversely, physician-assisted death occurs when a doctor provides the means of suicide to a patient who has chosen to end their life. * There are two categories of euthanasia, which are active and passive. * Active euthanasia involves the activity by a physician to fasten the death process such as administering of a lethal injection. * Passive euthanasia involves the behavior of withholding the essential care that leads to survival such as refusing to administer the necessary medications...
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...is defined as the intentional killing, by act or omission, of a human being for his or her purported benefit. This definition is quite wide-ranging and a number of types of euthanasia and related activities have been defined. These include physician-assisted suicide and involuntary/non-voluntary euthanasia. While participation in the death of another—desired or otherwise—is usually defined in terms of a criminal act, a number of jurisdictions have established lawful protocols permitting such outcomes. By the same token, other jurisdictions, the Netherlands, have adopted what amount to non-punitive protocols in the face of existing legislation to the contrary when certain medical procedures are undertaken by licensed physicians. All of these acts have created considerable debate, extending to such issues as physician responsibility, duty of care, extent of individual responsibility, and personal integrity, to name just a few. This paper considers aspects of euthanasia and the moral factors that pertain. At the conclusion, this paper will recommend that certain types of euthanasia be permitted under the general supervision of a trained physician. EUTHANASIA AND PHYSICIAN-ASSISTED SUICIDE Physician-assisted suicide (PAS), like euthanasia, has been forbidden since the creation of the Hippocratic Oath. However, as a practical matter, physicians have had a measure of latitude in the specific application. For example, a fatal dose of an opium based drug might be administered...
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...According to an article by Autumn Buzzel titled “Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide: It’s Murder in te First Degree, euthanasia is a way to end someone’s life by using lethal injection while he/she is in a serious disease condition and incurable. In his article, Buzzel also said that there are two kinds of euthanasia; first is passive euthanasia which is allowing someone to die by doing nothing when she/he has terminal disease, and second is active euthanasia which is making fast a death of someone who is in a terminal disease. Therefore, passive euthanasia is not actually wrong, but active euthanasia is a murder and it should be against because it’s unethical. So, I also disagree with euthanasia, especially active euthanasia, because my religion, Islam, said that life is in God’s hand, nobody can takes it easy. Some people interpret euthanasia as the practice of ending a life in a painless manner. Many disagree with this interpretation, because it needs to include a reference to intractable suffering. Euthanasia can belonging to suicide. Many people believe that suicide should be a criminal offence. Especially in sector religion, most religion disapproves of euthanasia. I am a moslem, so I disagree with euthanasia, because my religion said that life is in God’s hand, life is sacred. In Al-Quran, (Al-Maidah: 32), Allah said that whosoever kill a human being for other than manslaughter or corruption in the earth, it shall be as if he had killed all mankind, and whoso saveth the life...
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...Euthanasia Nicholas A. Manuel SOC120 Intro. to Ethics and Social Responsibility Brandon Wolfe 24 June 2013 - You always here the ones that you love say, when my time comes to die, just kill me and don’t let me suffer. For some people this is easier said then done and to partake in this action will be assisting someone in his or her suicide, which has been also known as euthanasia. Euthanasia faces ethical problems that question’s the caregivers medical integrity, the common argument that God is the only one can take someone’s life, and the fact that it is considered murder. I will discuss which one of the three classical theories would resolve these problems, as well as discuss one out of three contrary perspectives. We don’t want to see our love ones suffer just as much as we do not want to see some one end their life. A decision that is life threating with any decision that is made. There are three classical theories in ethics that describes the reasoning behind ones actions or thought process. Those theories are utilitarianism, deontology, and virtue ethics. The theory that would resolve the problem of euthanasia would be that of virtue ethics. “Virtue Ethics is an ethical theory that evaluates the morality of the person doing a given act, rather than the act itself. Virtue ethics thus emphasizes that the various virtues and whether a person reflects those virtues in his or her actions are crucial to moral evaluation” Mosser (2010). Where some believe that this...
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...Knowledge Area Module VI Contemporary Issues and the Ethical Delivery of Health Services Student: Harold Taitt, harold.taitt@waldenu.edu Student ID # A00293212 Program: Ph.D. Health Services Specialization: Health Management and Policy Faculty Mentor: Dr. Robert Hoye, robert.hoye@waldenu.edu Faculty Assessor: Dr. Jim Goes, jim.goes@waldenu.edu Walden University May 10, 2013 Abstract Breadth Component In this age of rapidly evolving technological advances, many of the legal and ethical issues that are challenging the delivery of health care and the health care profession are new. As we confront the legal, moral, and ethical aspects of health care, we are seldom faced with decisions that require or are resolved by simple right or wrong answers (Edge & Kreiger, 1998). In the Breadth component of KAM VI, I focus on several ethical theories and how those theories influence the way ethical issues and concerns are addressed and managed in the allocation and delivery of health care services. I critically assess and evaluate those theories, concepts, and derivative principles as they impact important decisions and the implications of those decisions within the context of social change and with special emphasis on health care management and policy. In addition, I discuss the key assumptions on which the selected theories are constructed, compare and contrast the writers’ interpretations across theories, and conclude by providing a critical commentary on the merits of the selected...
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