...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...
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...Seminar 5 First Draft – Physician Assisted Suicide INTRODUCTION In my term paper I am going to be answering the question is Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS) ethically justified? The debate on Physician-Assisted Suicide has been a topic of debate for many years. Born and raised in Michigan I remember all of the news on Dr. Jack Kevorkian assisting terminally ill patients in their death and the controversy on it. The dilemma is whether or not a physician should be allowed to assist a person in ending their life even if they are terminally ill. According to a recent article on The New York Times website, New Mexico just legalized Physician-Assisted Suicide for terminally ill patients. This ruling would make New Mexico the fifth state to allow physicians to prescribe to their terminally ill patients a fatal dose of medications to end their life (Eckholm, 2014). Proponents of Physician-Assisted Suicide believe that terminally ill people should have the right to choose go to the doctors and ask for their help to end their lives and stop their suffering. Of course there would have to be certain steps taken to make sure they were making the right choice. Many supporters of Physician-Assisted Suicide believe that there should be some psychiatric evaluation to make sure that the patient is of a sound mind in their decision to end their life. Opponents of Physician-Assisted Suicide believe that a person does not have a right to end their own life and that it goes against...
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...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...
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...to choose what you do with your life, especially in 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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...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...
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...Fate in Our Hands Assisted suicide is a controversial topic, sparking up questions and debates on whether it should be legal, or not. I argue that it should be legalized, it would be beneficial to some individuals because it would allow people with terminal illnesses to plan and prepare for their deaths, rather than go through pain and suffering, and the fear of not knowing when you could die. Assisted suicide, also commonly known as death with dignity, was created so that people could hold the power over their illness and be the ones to control the last moments of their life. I am not arguing that all people who are sick or ill should be allowed to participate in assisted suicide, we need to determine in what circumstances it would be appropriate. Who are we to say that someone has no right to a choice if they are suffering? However, before anything, we need to understand the difference between two terms; assisted suicide and euthanasia. Assisted suicide is “suicide committed with the aid of another person, sometimes a physician” (ahdictionary.com). Euthanasia is defined as “the act or practice of ending the life of a person or animal having a terminal illness or a medical condition that causes suffering perceived as incompatible with an acceptable quality of life, as by lethal injection or the suspension of certain medical treatments” (ahdictionary.com). While these sound like very similar terms, they are two completely different things. In assisted suicide the doctor consults...
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...Euthanasia refers to the painless killing of a patient with an incurable and painful disease. One form of euthanasia is physician-assisted suicide. “Physician-assisted suicide is when a doctor assists a competent adult to voluntarily end his or her own life” (Roberts). “Physician-assisted suicide remains a very controversial topic throughout the country. Terminally ill patients, physicians, and pharmacists often have different beliefs about the practice” (Fass). If this form of euthanasia was legal in the United States, people could be put out of their misery. Also, it would be safe because it is watched over by a physician. Not many people consider physician-assisted suicide a reasonable way to pass away because they have never been so close...
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...Should Physician-assisted suicide be legalized in Canada? Introduction The topic of legalizing Physician-assisted suicide has long been a controversial issue in Canada and has recently received increased attention. In 1993, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled the provisions of the Criminal Code prohibiting assisted suicide. Two decades later, the Supreme Court of Canada began to deliberate whether to uphold or strike down the law prohibiting doctor-assisted suicide. Last month, the nine justices of the Supreme Court heard impassioned pleas for overturning Canada’s absolute prohibition against assisted suicide, with proponents arguing laws that consider the act equivalent to murder are a violation of personal autonomy and infringe the Charter of Rights and Freedom that provides for “life, liberty and security of the person” (Connor, 2014). The hearing sparked fresh debates across the country. Opponents argue that legalizing physician-assisted suicide would lead society down a dangerous "Slippery Slope" that leads to involuntary euthanasia and the killing of people who are thought undesirable. In addition, opponents argue that legalizing physician-assisted suicide gives too much power to doctors and it may reduce the availability of palliative care. The aim of this paper is to make a comprehensive argument in favor of physician-assisted suicide. Physician-Assisted suicide & Euthanasia Physician-assisted suicide occurs for any situation where doctors use drugs or other methods...
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...Assisted Suicide Assisted suicide is a form of self-inflicted death in which a person voluntarily brings about his or her own death with the help of another, usually a physician, relative, or friend. It is also a form of euthanasia in which a person wishes to commit suicide but feels unable to perform the act alone because of a physical disability or lack of knowledge about the most effective means (Medical Dictionary). Is Assisted Suicide ethical or unethical? Is it wrong to decide what we want to do with our own body or are we obligated to do what others say or tell us what to do? Who will suffer the most; will it be me, you, family or friends? We could say everyone will suffer in their own way but the real question is could we do what we want to do or do we need to think about others before taking action, who has more of the right to choose? We are born free, we are born to have our own opinions, and we are born to make choices for ourselves whether they were right or wrong for us at that time, at that moment or in our lives. We have the right to choose what we want done with ourselves not anybody else but us. There is no reason on why our freedom of choice is to be taken away just because someone wants to intervene. If we are the one who is suffering the most in pain and being miserable what happiness is there? Yes loved ones will be upset but the one who is hurting the most is the one who is suffering the most pain and being the most miserable. No happiness could...
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...Assisted Suicide Letithia Terry PHI103: Informal Logic Kurt Mosser June 6, 2011 Assisted Suicide Assisted Suicide is when the physician provides the necessary means or information and the patient performs the act. Euthanasia is where the physician performs the intervention defined as the “act of bringing about the death of a hopelessly ill and suffering person in a relatively quick and painless way for reason of mercy (as cited in Mosser 2010). Physician Assisted Suicide has grown to be a controversial issue and one of the major disputes is; can an incurable ill patient be able to choose Physician assisted suicide? This phenomenal dilemma has risen debates on rather to legalize PAS or keep it illegal because of the different issues concerning the different religion, moral and ethical views people have on the topic. In this essay I will discuss issues of why many people and I believe assisted suicide should be legalized. There are different laws around the world concerning physician assisted suicide and only a few states that has legalized the procedure. In 2005, there were only four places in the world that open and legally authorize assistance in dying patients: “Oregon (since l997, physician-assisted suicide only); Switzerland (1941, physician and non-physician assisted suicide only); Belgium (2002, permits 'euthanasia' but does not define the method and the Netherlands (voluntary euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide...
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...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...
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...Ever since 1972 when the US Senate held the first national hearing on euthanasia (assisted suicide), six states have legalized assisted suicide. Assisted suicide is a process in which, if a terminally ill adult chooses, a doctor will legally prescribe a lethal dose of barbiturates to end its life. Consequently, a direct result of the legalization of assisted suicide is the abuse of its power. Therefore, the U.S. government should illegalize assisted suicide in all 50 states to protect its citizens from abuse. First and for most, assisted suicide puts those with disabilities at risk of abuse. Rhoda Olkin, Professor at the California School of Professional Psychology, states “People without disabilities judge the quality of the lives of people...
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...Whether or not euthanasia commonly referred to as physician assisted suicide should be allowed has been an issue of much debate over the last couple of decades. By definition euthanasia is the act or practice of killing hopelessly sick or injured individuals (as persons or domestic animals) in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy [1]. As Americans it should be our civil liberty to die on our own terms. A patient suffering at the end of life deserves the right to choose how their life should end with no government involvement in the decision. Clearly, legalizing euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide would not undermine the quality of palliative care that patients receive. As Americans it should be our civil liberty to die on our own terms. While physician assisted suicide is legal in three states Oregon (via the Oregon Death with Dignity Act), Washington (by Washington Death with Dignity Act), and Montana (through the 2009 trial court ruling Baxter v. Montana)[2] it is still not available to all citizens of the united states . To me this is a clear violation of our civil liberties as American citizens. Physician assisted suicide is not an irresponsible practice. The states that are authorized to perform physician assisted suicide have many safe guards in place that ensure the decision being made by the patient is not being made irrationally or hastily. In Oregon the patient must be of sound mind when they request a prescription for a lethal dose of medication...
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...Assisted Suicide Teresa Grass PHI200: Mind and Machine Instructor: David Tredinnick June 25, 2012 My point of view on assisted suicide I believe it a sin. In the Holy Bible the “Ten Commandments” it is written “thou shalt not kill.” I stand on the concept that dismissing a person life before it’s his/her time is truly not right. I believe that no matter whom you or what position you may hold doesn’t give you the right to play God. Due to the obvious extent of self-interest that an individual have in their own personal choices; in this day in our culture people as usual try to seek out assured circumstances in such an upright and surprising ways. It was once said that for the ones that are extremely disabled this type of reaction bring forth a common sense of expectation. I do believe that this not right at all because even when a person is suffering under countless circumstances, they desire for this person to go through life-threating operations along with the pain and suffering. It should be that person owns choice for Euthanasia but only during those cases that are so extreme. Suicide has become a vital part of our everyday lives, but through assisted suicide from doctors we have the aptitude to keep suicide to a lessor level to the families that are involved. Assisted suicide is wrong. It is stated in the Ten Commandments “thou shalt not kill”, so with this said I believe that Assisted Suicide is definitely wrong. Many may say that the bible...
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...The Right to Choose Your Fate Physician assisted suicide, also referred to as (PAS), according to medicine.net is the “the practice of providing a competent patient with a prescription for medication for the patient to use with the primary intention of ending his or her own life.” This controversial topic challenges America to question the ethical, religious, and cultural values and beliefs that have been around for centuries. Many argue that it is not up to the patient to choose how or when they die while others argue that, in fact, it could prevent years of pain and suffering. It may be easy to hear the definition of physician assisted suicide and assume it is not morally acceptable, however, there are several educated arguments defending a patients right to choose. According to Dr. Quill, in most surveys, approximately two-thirds of the United States approves of (PAS) as as option for the terminally ill yet when the time comes to legalize (PAS), the vote splits at 50/50. The controversy of (PAS) erupted in 1990 when Dr. Jack Kevorkian, a pathologist, assisted his first patient into death (Landau 80). His first client was Janet Adkins who was a sufferer of Alzheimers. Kevorkian reported the death to police but no prosecution followed (BBC News). Before the story of his assisted suicides hit national news, these issues were not a topic of public discussion. According to the judge that sentenced Kevorkian to twenty five years behind bars, “He brought to the forefront end-of-life...
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