...prolongation of dying. Put simply - why should be patient be forced to experience a slow death? Most physicians have received one or more requests to help a patient end his or her life prematurely. This module focuses on the skills that the physician can use to respond both compassionately and with confidence to a request, not on the merits of arguments for or against legalizing physician-assisted suicide (PAS) or euthanasia, but using solid clinical skills. To respond effectively, physicians must know the reasons why patients ask for assistance. Depression, psychosocial factors, and anticipated distress are common reasons, but current physical suffering can also be a factor. Physicians need to be able to assess the root causes of the specific request, make a commitment to the patient’s care, address each of the patient’s sources of suffering, educate the patient about legal alternatives, and seek counsel from colleagues. The vast majority of requests for PAS or euthanasia should abate when approached in this way. Oregon The state of Oregon has had a physician-assisted suicide law since 1994 which was implemented in 1998. Since then more than 341 terminally ill people have taken...
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...Assisted Suicide Cornelia Fuller Mind and Machine Frank Morelli January 28th, 2012 Assisted suicide or euthanasia is a difficult way to leave this earth. If I were in Wolf’s place I think I would respond in a relativist way. I would try to see these actions from the father’s point of view. I agree with Wolf’s decision in the end, her father lived a full life and did not want to die a slow painful, torturing death. If I were ever put in the position to give advice or even assist with a suicide or euthanasia, I would weigh the outcome for the family member or friend that I am acting for. If this person were as bad off as Wolf’s father, yes I would do everything in my power to help them stay comfortable. I would want them to live long and I would probably be a bit selfish about the decision at first. If I knew it was what my loved one wished for, I think I would do anything in my power to help them get their “dying” wish. If a person is in that bad of shape and cannot eat on their own or perform most daily task, isn’t it almost like being comatose? If the life will never have any real value and they will end up in pain for the rest of their time on earth, isn’t that the same as being cruel to animals and making them suffer? Why would any loved one want to see someone they love suffer through any more pain than they have to? If the quality of life has been diminished and the real ability to do almost anything is gone, would you want to be kept alive in pain? In...
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...Assisted suicide Assisted suicide generally refers to a practice in which the physician provides a patient with a lethal dose of medication, upon the patient's request, which the patient intends to use to end his or her own life (Somerville 47). Assisted suicide has been a highly controversial issue nowadays. In some countries it is legalized. Some people hold the opinion that assisted suicide is not considerable due to the fact that life is valuable than any substances, but I think assisted suicide should be legalized and put into practice because it will benefits all people involved. In the next paragraphs, I will talk about what are the advantages about assisted suicide. First, assisted suicide can release the pain of the dying patient who suffers terribly from the incurable disease. The most well-known method of assisted suicide is Euthanasia. The word “Euthanasia” comes from Greek words, means dying with happiness. In China, Euthanasia means, when the incurable patient nearly dying, suffering with extremely pain for both spiritual and physical, if the patient and his or her families ask for Euthanasia and the doctors allowed, the patient could get Euthanasia in a humanistic way. So we can safely conclude that Euthanasia or assisted suicide is not killing people, but helping them getting rid of the intolerable suffering. Second, assisted suicide will also reduce the great financial pressure for the families on living, because a great deal of money has...
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...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...
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...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 Lawmakers in Connecticut are again taking up the issue of physician-assisted suicide. A physician-assisted suicide bill in Connecticut is up for its first legislative hearing before the General Assembly’s Public Health Committee. With this bill two physicians would have to certify, in writing, under oath, that their patient is terminally ill and is likely to die within the next six months. Additionally, the patient must be mentally competent to make an informed decision about his or her own death. A similar bill was proposed in 2009. Perhaps the strongest argument made on behalf of legalizing euthanasia or assisted suicide is that it, like abortion, is a "choice" issue. Supporters dispute that euthanasia/assisted suicide is the ultimate civil right, and to deprive mentally competent, terminally ill people who want to end their suffering is to disrespect their rights. Supporters also argue that legalizing euthanasia/assisted suicide ensures that no one dies in painful agony or suffering. Opposes contend that laws against euthanasia and assisted suicide are in place to prevent abuse and to protect people from unscrupulous doctors and others. Proponents also claim that opposition to euthanasia/assisted suicide is based primarily in religion and that laws prohibiting the practice are thus unconstitutional because they violate the division between church and state. We all die; however, in an age of amplified longevity and medical advances, death...
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...Physician Assisted Suicide Physician assisted suicide is a very controversial subject in today's society. Physician assisted suicide is when one voluntarily makes the decision to end life due to a terminal illness. In my opinion, physician assisted suicide is not ethical because; many people feel taking of a life is morally wrong, it shows no respect for humanity, and it takes ones dignity away. Physician assisted suicide and Euthanasia exist and neither are morally correct. Nothing about ending one's life is ethically right. An act as such would be considered an act od virtue ethics. "Virtue ethics is distinct from both utilitarianism and deontology. Rather than focusing on the consequences of the act we wish to evaluate or the rule that guides the action, we look at the character of the person performing the act."(Mosser, 2010) Each having the same outcome but still different, physician assisted suicide is when a physician gives the patient means to commit suicide but not administering it personally.Euthanasia is a lethal dosage of medicine administered by a physician. (Gula,1999a) This process is called death by mercy but some see it as murder. Death is a natural part of living. Death is something that occurs somewhere every second of the day, it should be from natural cause or accidental never should it be doctor promoted . When people become ill it is the physician they put trust in for the care they need to survive...
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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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...Dara Hughes A. Kopriva English 1001 30 November 2011 Life Affecting Physician-Assisted Suicide Thousands of people in the United States alone die every year from terminal illnesses. Medical technology is responsible for keeping many people alive; however some people are alive against their will. This paper recognizes the various events and people that are affected by physician-assisted suicide. While some terminally ill patients feel there is no reason for them to live and cause pain for not only themselves but also others, there are still people out there who disagree because they find that physician-assisted suicide degrades life. Since ancient times, many people have come up with the concept of a merciful and acceptable death. From the Greek and Roman times till today, physician-assisted suicide has been long debated throughout history (Boyd). However, individual choice in dying did not become a United States social and legal issue until recently. Jack Kevorkian, Dr. Death, is well known in history for being the first American doctor to perform physician-assisted suicide (“Jack Kevorkian Biography”). "Kevorkian created, "the suicide machine", a device that distributed first a muscle relaxer, then a drug that would stop the heart from beating" (Kastenbaum). Dr. Jack Kevorkian is perhaps the biggest advocate of assisted suicide after "he aired a videotape, on 60 Minutes, of him injecting Thomas Youk. He was charged with first degree murder, in 1998, for killing Thomas...
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...Physicians Assisted Suicide 1 Week Two Assignment PHI 103- Inforamal Logic Physicians Assisted Suicide 2 Most people want to live with dignity and die with dignity. People live their life the way they want to. They make important choices that can be very difficult sometimes and lead to dramatic changes. A person has a constitutional right to decide whether he wants to live or not. Some people become very ill or have devastating physical problems. Many of them trust their doctors to help them to cope with their illness and end their suffering. Physician-Assisted Suicide is an important topic that concerns people all over the United States. PAS is “the voluntary termination of one’s life by using means or information, such as a drug prescription or indication of the lethal dosage, provided by physician who is aware of how the patient intends to use such information or means”. Some people are against it because it goes against their religion and moral principals. Others are for it because it helps dying people to leave this world with dignity. Although opponent of PAS think that only God has the right to decide when a person has to die, others who are with it believe that a person has a right to end the suffering and pain by their own. One of the biggest benefits of PAS is that a person can stop their suffering and pain. There are ...
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...Assisted Suicide Shanette Anfield PHI200: Mind and Machine Troy Epps July 31, 2012 Assisted Suicide Assisted suicide is an ethical issue that not only has an effect on the individual, but it also reflects on the society where the individual lives. Euthanasia is an act of someone else ending someone’s life. Assisted suicide is the act of the individual having help in ending their own life. “Physician-assisted suicide (PAS), is slightly different than euthanasia; in using PAS, the patient is provided the means for terminating his or her life, but the patient, not the doctor, ends the life in question” (Mosser, 2010, Chp. 2.3, para. 31). However, not all assisted suicides may involve a doctor. In the United States, Oregon was the first state to pass an assisted-suicide law. Washington is a state that has as recently as 2008 adopted an act that allows residents that have less than six months to live to request a legal dose of medication. Eleven states, including Alabama, Idaho and North Carolina ‘have no enactments which criminalize aiding, abetting, assisting, or counseling suicide” (“Assisted Suicide,” 2010, para. 1-7). Several other states such as Alaska, California and Florida “criminalize aiding, abetting, and/or assisting suicide” (“Assisted Suicide,” 2010, para. 8). I am a Georgian and our law states that any involvement in an assisted suicide is a felony. The main conflict of assisted suicide...
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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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...Task A. Assisted suicide 1) The issues presented in text 1 and 2 are concerning the same subject, though they have a different view on the matter. Should we as a society, be able to bend the current laws in a way that it would be legal for a terminal ill patient, to commit voluntarily suicide? This is a common debate in the modern society we live in, as the progression of healthcare and medicine now makes people live longer - whether they like it or not. In these two texts, pros and cons for legalising medical suicide for some patients are discussed, with a touch of personal involvement, and therefor the texts are also subjective. The author of text 1, Nina Lakhani, is presenting some of the positive sides of assisted suicide. She uses quotes from Tony Nicklinson, a man suffering from locked-in syndrome due to a severe stroke, who is fighting for his right to a “dignified death”. When reading this, it seems perfectly logical, and ethical appropriate for this man to be able to end his live when he wants to. But this case raises a larger ethical debate on this matter. Do we really have the right to die? This is the question raised in text two, written by Allison Pearson, who does not think that we have the right to. Allison Pearson argues that “death is no longer considered an acceptable outcome” among doctors, and that a change in the laws of murder could have tremendous consequences, and that we would likely end up in a courtroom where any doctor could justify...
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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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...A Survey of Physician-Assisted Suicide English Composition I Abstract I recently became aware of the Oregon Death and Dignity Act; I found this to be an interesting idea. It is not difficult to understand that the citizens may have varied and strong opinions about this subject, however the article I have chosen examines the physician opinion of medically assisted suicide, mainly the physicians without the legal option of medically-assisted suicide. A Survey of Physician-Assisted Suicide With an aging population it is not only important to understand the attitude of the public in regards to physician assisted suicide, but also the attitudes of those charged with carrying out the task of euthanasia or assisted suicide. First it is important to understand the term physician assited suicide refers to the medical professional providing the client with the means to commit suicide, meaning the physician provide medications or equipment to facilitate the end of the clients life. This differs from euthanasia in that the physician is not actually ending the client’s life through lethal injection or other direct means. The article I chose to examine is a study of physician attitude towards assisted suicide and a study and the prevalence of this request by their clients. The results are the compiled data of a survey sent to 3102 physicians, these physicians work in the fields most likely to receive a request for assisted suicide. Methods and Analysis The survey involved...
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