...Assisted Suicide Suffering from an illness that is terminal can last weeks, months and even years, or it can take one massive decision on taking yourself away from the pain with assisted suicide. Assisted suicide is when a patient that is terminally ill, and qualifies for the procedure, asks for medication to take their own life to stop the pain. In the United Sates, forty six states do not give the option for assisted suicide, which means there are millions of people suffering from incurable illnesses, waiting to die. Many people try killing themselves on their own, because they are not a citizen of a state that allows assisted suicide. I believe that killing yourself unassisted is worse than killing yourself with provided medication. Assisted suicide should be legal, because it allows suffering people to decide when they want to overcome the pain. Assisted suicide is not like any ordinary suicide. It is a suicide to relieve pain from a patient who only has so long to live. To receive assisted suicide, the patient has to qualify to all of the requirements. Out of the four states that have legalized assisted suicide, three of them involve the same requirements. Oregon was the first state to legalize assisted suicide on November 8, 1994. “An adult who is capable of making choices, is a resident of Oregon, and has been determined by the attending physician and consulting physician to be suffering from a terminal disease, and who had voluntarily expressed his or her life in...
Words: 2327 - Pages: 10
...Physician assisted suicide has been a controversial topic in this country for many years. Some believe that people who are sick and dying should have the legal right to end their life with the help of a physician. There are many terminal cancer patients who are so sick they will not have a chance to live the rest of their life so they choose the route of physician assisted suicide. They choose it because it is an easy pain free way to end their life. Although people may say physician assisted suicide is unethical, physician assisted suicide is ethical because it is a person's individual choice whether they want to live or die and it reduces suffering. There have been many cases and statewide issues that have dealt with physician assisted suicide. The state of California and Washington denied the idea of physician assisted suicide. In the early 1990’s California and Washington rejected the votes that would have allowed Physician assisted suicide to be legal. Physician assisted suicide is a state issue. Physician assisted suicide was a problem in states...
Words: 812 - Pages: 4
...Physician-assisted suicide is; suicide by a patient facilitated by means or information (as a drug prescription or indications of the lethal dosage) provided by a physician who is aware of how the patient intends to use such means or information (Merriam-Webster, n.d). For over ten years, there has been much controversy about the ethics and legality of physician-assisted suicide (PAS) not only in the United States but also worldwide. In 1997, the Supreme Court had a unanimous ruling that there was not a constitutional right or a constitutional ban to PAS. Since then almost every other state have opposed legalization of PAS. There are many terminally ill people that feel assisted suicide should be their choice, not something left to the government for debate. Assisted suicide should be legal in all states because those who suffer with a terminal illness that want to die should be able to end their life peacefully instead of living in agony. Almost everyone that lives in the United States has rights; the right to free speech, the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, but those that are dying from a terminal disease do not have many rights. They do not have a right to seek help to end their pain and suffering. They lose the right to be in charge of their own life. The pursuit of happiness seems to not exist for those that wish to end their life. For some having their pain and suffering ended would make them “happy” because they no longer have to live with pain...
Words: 2498 - Pages: 10
...Physician-Assisted Suicide Suffering has always been a part of human existence. Request to end suffering by means of death through both physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia have occurred since the beginning of medicine. By definition, assisted suicide is a type of active euthanasia in which a physician facilitates a patient’s death by providing the necessary means of death to enable the patient to perform the life-ending act. Usually by prescribing a lethal dose of drugs but the patient is responsible for performing the final act (Codes of Ethics). Even though physician- assisted suicide is illegal, many people and doctors believe that it should be legal to help terminally ill people at the end of their life while others believe it is against their beliefs and religion to commit any type of suicide. This paper is going to show why doctor assisted suicide should be legalized because at the end of their lives, most people do not want to suffer. Only a terminal ill patient is really aware of what it is like to experience intractable suffering; even with pain relievers. Those who have not experiences it cannot fully appreciate what effect it has on quality of life. Apart from physical pain, overcoming the emotional pain of losing independence is an additional factor that only the patient comprehends fully. In medicine prolongation of living may sometimes turn into prolongation of dying. Why should be a patient be forced experience a slow death? Many families don’t want to see...
Words: 1670 - Pages: 7
...What is voluntary euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide? Voluntary euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide are similar. Forms of assisted suicide involve the guidance and supervision of a licensed physician. There is a difference between euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. Physician-assisted suicides’ preparation is when, “A doctor’s helping their distressed patient to commit suicide at the patient’s autonomous appeal” (Varelius, 2013). Euthanasia, on the other hand, “consists of administering lethal medication to the patient,” by the licensed physician (Varelius, 2013). There are countless numbers of questions and concerns about an individual’s quality of life. Under no circumstances, suicide is never the ideal way for an individual to die. However, if physician-assisted suicide or euthanasia were legal and regulated in all states, then the United States Constitution may salvage lives by giving people the right to elect how they wish to die. This is a matter of legal issues, moral issues, and...
Words: 1362 - Pages: 6
...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...
Words: 1815 - Pages: 8
...Assisted suicide is the suicide of a patient suffering from an incurable disease. “Euthanasia is the act or practice of ending the life of an individual suffering from a terminal illness”. In the 1990 s the epic suicide battle between Jack Kevorkian and many people around the world protesting against him to begin. Dr. Kevorkian is also known as Dr. Death was an American pathologist and euthanasia activist. He has claimed to have done at least 130 assisted suicides. Kevorkian became fascinated by death, and made visits to ill patients. He took photos of their eyes in an attempt to identify their exact moment of death in The 1950 s. Kevorkian qualified as a specialist in the 1960 s, he decided to open his own clinic but fail led. In 1990 Jack Kevorkian made headlines, when taking the life of his first patient in a public park inside a Volkswagen van. Janet Adkins, a 45 year old Alzheimer’s Patient....
Words: 994 - Pages: 4
...Assisted Death for the Terminally Ill – Yes or No? (2012, October 20). Over my dead body; Assisted suicide. The Economist, 405(8807), 55(US). This article recognizes the increasing acceptance of assisted suicide amongst the public and across the world. Despite so, there are still groups of people who are apprehensive about legalizing euthanasia as they are worried that it may have negative implications. The article gives a detailed description of the requirements that must be met before a person is allowed to go through with assisted suicide. It also uses data to prove that safety measures put in place are being followed and there is barely any abuse of the law in places that legalize assisted suicide. Although voluntary euthanasia is still considered as murder, many doctors in Europe give patients or their family the choice of proceeding with treatment or undergoing passive euthanasia. The article also talks about the possible reasons why people opt for assisted suicide, including loss of independence, dignity, and more. The use of statistics shows that substantial research has been done by the author to prove his point, confirming it is a good source to support the legalization of assisted suicide. As “The Economist” is a reputable magazine, this source is credible and is unlikely to publish articles without prior research. Cassity, S. A. (2009). To Die or Not To Die: The History and Future of Assisted Suicide Laws in the U.S. Utah Law Review, 2009 (2), 515-523...
Words: 1759 - Pages: 8
...Physician-Assisted Suicide SOC 120 Professor Harrison 29 July 2013 Physician-Assisted Suicide Imagine a frail elderly woman laying in the nursing home in pain. This woman is 80 years old and has been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and her heart cannot withstand treatment via radiation or chemotherapy. She has less than six months to live. Day in and day out you pass her room and hear her crying out from the immense pain. The pain medications are no longer working. She’s tired of fighting, tired of hurting, and tired of waiting to die. After consideration and discussions with her family she has decided to ask the doctor to help and end her life. The doctor feels remorse for the elderly lady and wants to help but cannot decide if it is the ethical thing to do because he knows that what he’s being asked to do is considered physician-assisted suicide. How is physician-assisted suicide any different than regular suicide? Does the fact that a person is terminally ill make it right? Who gets to decide if it is right? These are questions people may ask themselves when deciding whether or not they think physician-assisted suicide is ethical. Whether it is requested or not, many would say it is unethical for a physician to deliberately cause death to a person. Physicians take an oath to first do no harm. Others may say that a person has the right to make his or her own decisions about his or her life. In this paper, I will explore each side of physician-assisted...
Words: 2486 - Pages: 10
...“Definitions of Euthanasia,” physician-assisted suicide is when a, “Medical doctor helping patient to die by prescribing a lethal overdose.” Although there are many guidelines that have to be followed for a patient to be considered for physician-assisted suicide, it still should not be legal. Kayla Asbury argues in her article “The Right to Die: Benefits of Physician-Assisted Suicide” that, “dying with dignity is a right everyone should be afforded.” However, many people argue that physician-assisted suicide is not moral and should not be preformed under any circumstance. In Asbury’s article she time and time again explains why she believes physician-assisted suicide should be legal. Asbury’s main argument...
Words: 725 - Pages: 3
...An Economic and Law Based Analysis of ‘The Right to Die’ What constitutes as the ‘right to die’? According to US Legal Inc., the “right to die” refers to a variety of issues associated with the decision of whether or not an individual should be allowed to die when it is possible for them to continue living with the aid of life support, or in a debilitated state. More specifically, it refers to the idea that an individual diagnosed with a terminal illness, committing suicide before death occurs, should be permissible with their right to refuse an extension of life through artificial or heroic efforts acknowledged. In this term paper, analyzed, are the economic issues and concerns associated with the fight for the ‘right to die’ in Canada. Explored,...
Words: 2350 - Pages: 10
...Physician Assisted Suicide “I watched my father die a couple years ago,” says Caleb Heppner, “He died a really terrible death. It was forty eight hours of excruciating pain” (Caleb Heppner Discusses). Today, Caleb is fifty-seven years old and is diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer, which has already metastasized into his bones. He wishes to do whatever possible to avoid a painful death similar to that of his father. To Caleb, just knowing that there is a possibility to have control over his death is comforting. His death is the only event left to have control over. “I really see this as a medical option,” Heppner explains (Caleb Heppner Discusses). Physician assisted suicide should be legalized because everyone should have the right to choose how to live as well as how to die. In addition, assisted suicide provides an alternative to a painful death. By granting patients the legal right to physician-assisted suicide, terminally ill patients would be able to die peacefully. Physician assisted suicide refers to the procedure in which a physician prescribes a lethal dose of a medication to a terminally ill patient. Today, Oregon, Montana, and Washington are the only state in the United States in which physician assisted suicide is legal. California is currently considering whether or not it should legalize physician-assisted suicide as well. The law requires that both the patient and the medical personnel take the procedure slowly and seriously. In order to ensure...
Words: 3044 - Pages: 13
...Physicians-Assisted Suicide Physician-Assisted Suicide is a medical process where a physician supplies a terminally ill patient with a prescription for one dose of lethal medication. The prescription is given to a patient upon request only if the patient intends to end his or her own life because of suffrage from a terminal illness. Today, physicians-assisted suicide is more commonly known as the Death-With-Dignity Act. Recent stories of patients who have attempted to end their own life by lethal medication have made countless headlines concerning the topic throughout many informational sources. Currently, the states of Washington, Oregon, and Vermont are the only three states that have adopted the Death-With-Dignity Act. Physician-Assisted Suicide is among many practices that aid in ending a patient’s life along with DNR’s, DNI’s, and AND’s, when life-sustaining treatments are denied. Physicians-Assisted Suicide is much more controversial than other life ending methods because it enables a patient to end her or her own life in a way that many individuals feel is immoral and unethical. The ethical issues of physicians-assisted suicide are both emotional and controversial, yet healthcare workers deal with a request for this alternative every day. Is physicians-assisted suicide the answer? The question doesn’t come by an easy answer. However, both sides of the debate, either for it or against it, provide strong, concrete points that help truly uncover where the controversy lies...
Words: 3316 - Pages: 14
...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...
Words: 1883 - Pages: 8
...Amanda English 1102 Professor Turner December 9, 2014 Assisted Suicide: Should it be Legal? Imagine getting the news that you only have a few months left to live. And during those few months pain begins to take over your entire body to the point you cannot bare it. Eventually you are bed ridden in a hospital, unable to do simple tasks without the aid of someone else. Life is no longer about living, but about that agonizing path that will soon lead you to death. Nobody wants to spend the last few months of his or her life suffering in pain, powerless and incapable of being independent. Someone that is suffering to this extent may come to the point where they decide that they do not want to live anymore. Assisted suicide, by definition, is suicide committed with the help of someone else. Many times it is also sometimes referred to as physician-assisted suicide in light of the fact that a doctor will provide them with the lethal dose of a drug required to kill a person. Numerous people will argue that assisted suicide is morally wrong while others will agree that if someone is truly sick and suffering, that they should be allowed to make that choice themselves. Because of the fact that if someone is suffering to the point that they want to end their life, then I believe that if they request it, patients should have access to this method. The more people learn about what assisted suicide is, the type of people that are seeking this method, and benefits of taking this route...
Words: 1245 - Pages: 5
