...Physician Assisted Suicide Donald Pecher SOC-120 Sharon Gerczyk 11/29/2010 Imagine being in a hospital room with an old, terminally ill man. Day in and day out his pain gets worse and worse. The nurses and doctors walk past as if they cannot hear his cries of pain and agony. This man calls upon a doctor for help. He asks the doctor to end his pain. The doctor feels sorry for him and decides to help him out. The very next day, the doctor is on trial for killing a man who begged out of pain to end it. It does not seem fair, does it? Well, believe it or not, the doctor has just committed a crime known as assisted suicide. Physician assisted suicide does not kill, it relieves. The patients no longer wish to suffer and they may really believe it is their time to go. If a doctor pulls the plug on someone or takes them off of their machines in order to die, it’s the same thing. Many people believe it is a money issue. Whatever the case, physician assisted suicide would give the patient the chance to choose and be in control of his or her life. What is Physician-Assisted Suicide? (In Physician-assisted suicide, the physician provides the necessary means or information on death. The patient performs the act. In Euthanasia, the physician performs the intervention. Euthanasia is defined as "the act of bringing about the death of a hopelessly ill and suffering person in a relatively quick and painless way for reasons of mercy". Suffering has always been a part...
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...Some would contest the belief that assisted suicide is should be allowed by saying it is morally wrong. In the Netherlands, assisted suicide is allowed. One law pertaining to assisted suicide says that children with disabilities are allowed to be killed at the request of parents (Smith). It is estimated that around 1,000 patients are killed a year that do not ask to die (Smith). In the case that the person has lost means of communication the decision will be made for him or her. Many are afraid that allowing more restricted laws elsewhere will eventually lead to these more extreme laws such as in the United States (US). Those who are pro-assisted suicide would agree the death of children and individuals who cannot communicate should not...
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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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...within a date the doctors have predicted based on the health of a particular patient. Recently, many patients have took the route of asking a doctor to “Pull the Plug”, otherwise known as “Assisted Suicide”. Assisted Suicide is the process in which a doctor or physician will help a patient decide on the circumstance and time of their death, while still being considered ethical. Assisted suicide is an exceptional decision a person can make to end their life, as harsh as it may seem, but still being humane. A person should not have to suffer and go through the complications of medical procedures and medicines, when in the end their chances of living are very slim. There is much controversy that surrounds the procedure of physicians assisting people on their death. Some of the arguments that are mainly found are the points of Rojas 2 “Euthanasia” and the “Hippocratic Oath” doctors and physicians sware to when...
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...ENGL 1113-401 8 November 2015 WE2 Physician assisted suicide (PAS) or physician assisted death (PAD) is a physician providing medication or other sorts of treatment/interventions with the knowledge and understanding that the patient intends to use these medications in order to end their life. Arguments for and against physician assisted suicide or death have shown to be both very strong. Although at times the issues brought up may seem to be old or very similar and even repetitive, new ideas and concerns constantly are emerging. Many states throughout the United States of America have continuously tried to legalize it, and Oregon, Washington, Montana, Vermont, and California being successful in that endeavor. Within the last couple centuries the public has brought attention to many issues and discussions regarding or involving physician assisted suicide as well as euthanasia from many different views and perspectives. Howard Ball is a supporter of physician assisted death in his article “Physician Assisted Death in America: Ethics, Law, and Policy Conflicts”, Ball addresses how the PAD arguments started in America, how views of PAD have changed overtime and what terminally ill patients have to deal with when making end of life decisions. I believe in the opportunity to die with dignity, in having the option to end your life when it is time, and in the comforts of your own home. I believe that in the end, this isn’t about death and when to die, it is all about the option, the...
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...the topic of the “Death with Dignity” act. This act came into play in particular with the case of Brittany Maynard, a twenty-nine year old with terminal brain cancer. Brittany decided that rather than to see herself and her quality of life deteriorate, or be a burden to others, to forego physician-assisted suicide. While death with dignity has made its seem as if it is helping people, there are some questions that come into play. What about the family of the disabled? What are you telling people who are disabled or stricken with sickness that will eventually lead to their death? With the death with dignity act, it is telling people they should give up, not only on life, but on themselves and allows further people’s right to take away the life of the most defenseless. It...
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...End of Life: Assisted Suicide PHI208: Ethics and Moral Reasoning Instructor: Shawn Lorenzen September 29, 2014 Moral and ethical debates attempted to resolves controversial issues but never seem to end with everyone agreeing. Often these ethical and moral debates are complex, involve opinions persuaded by religion or customs, and have legal implications to consider. Physician assisted death is one of these very complex and controversial issues that all people will never agree on. Many questions arise in the debate of physician assisted death such as patients’ rights, physicians controlling the right if someone lives or dies, a patience’s mental state, a family member’s rights, religious beliefs of the parties involved and the law. Philosophers attempt to explain the different theories that people will use to argue their belief systems in terms of logic and reasoning. For example, some people may take the position of a deontologist who would argue that it is our moral duty to support and sustain life therefore assisted suicide should not be allowed. Unfortunately, this very emotional thought provoking debate is not a “black and white issue,” as most ethical arguments are not. In the situation of physician-assisted death, I disagree with the deontologist point of view that it is immoral for a physician to assist a patient in suicide. I believe as some relativist due, that as long as the patient is fully capable of making this decision and the patient is in a constant state...
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...Assisted Suicide and euthanasia 1 Assisted suicide is a very controversial subject. Everyone has an opinion on the matter and it is likely that everyone will not agree on the matter. I have always been of the opinion that god gave us life and is the only that should take it away. However, I have never been in a terminally ill state and do not know the feeling of living everyday in unbearable pain. I can only imagine what a person is going through in this matter and can understand why they would wish to be dead. My opinion of assisted suicide being wrong is based on my moral belief and that fact that I do not think I could ever been able to commit such an act. Because of how I feel, it seems morally wrong for anybody else to commit such an act as well. Since taking my class on ethical behavior, I have come to realize that what one believes to be morally correct is not necessarily how another person may feel. This belief is called moral relativism. “Moral relativism is whatever anyone claims to be morally acceptable is morally acceptable, at least for that person” (Ruggiero, 2008). “For years, doctors have been prohibited from assisting patients in taking their own lives. Dr. Jack Kevorkian gained world attention by assisting in several suicides to dying patients; he was sentenced to over 60 years for his efforts, despite the gratitude of the patients and their families....
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...surrounding Physician Assisted Suicide Physician assisted suicide is a constant source of debate in our society. In order to gain insight into the workings, social questions, and political questions physician assisted suicide, physician suicide must be defined. In order for physician assisted suicide to occur, “a doctor and a terminally ill patient whose death is likely to occur in a short time” are required (Robinson, 2010, p. 15). Furthermore, examination of the roles of the doctor and the patient must be explored. For the doctor’s role or the physician assisted portion, “the doctor prescribes a drug that should cause the patient’s death shortly after it is taken” (Robinson, 2010, p. 15). The role of the patient takes place...
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...Physician Assisted Suicide be Legal? xxxxxxxxxx PHI 103 Informal Logic xxxxxxxxx March Physician assisted suicide or euthanasia, is also known as mercy killing. Euthanasia is the act of putting to death painlessly or allowing to die, as by withholding extreme medical measures, a person or animal suffering from an incurable, especially a painful, disease or condition (www.dictionary.com). Physician assisted suicide is the act of killing or taking some one’s life. Many doctors and people feel that in certain situations it is the best thing to do in order to keep a person from pain and suffering. Who is to say that it is the best thing to do a close friend, family, the doctors, or the person that is sick? If the person that is sick is in a coma who is to make the decision? Who will say that the decision is right and was the right thing to do. Physician assisted suicide or euthanasia is taking life into your own hands, and playing God. The fact that physician assisted suicide or euthanasia is the killing of a person brings about the question should it be legal or illegal? The first time physician assisted suicide or euthanasia was used and first recorded in 1869 by a British moral historian named W.E.H. Lecky(McCartney, Donal 1994). Physician assisted suicide or euthanasia was also used by the Nazi’s. They used it to kill people that they felt did not deserve to live or did not meet their criteria of who should be living on earth. This use of physician assisted suicide...
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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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...of machines. The doctors have done everything they can and have told you that you have no chance of survival, now it’s just a matter of time before you make the final decision. It would only make sense to end the suffering, retain your dignity, and lessen the overall cost of your medical care and life support. Being able 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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...the most controversial topics in the world today is assisted suicide. There are many aspects of this subject that could be discussed. However, the most argued aspect of assisted suicide is whether it should be legal or not. Some people think assisted suicide should be legal to help put terminally ill individuals out of their misery, while others believe assisted suicide should be outlawed because it contradicts morals and religion. Assisted suicide should be legal because it is morally right to help others die the way they want to. Assisted suicide occurs when a doctor decides to help, or assist, a patient in suicide, usually by prescribing patients medication. One of the most common drugs used by doctors is sleeping pills. The doctor will give the patient sleeping pills and direct the patient to take an excessive amount of them. This ensures that the patient passes away as peacefully as possible (Welsh-Huggins). Many doctors that assist in suicide use pentobarbital, which is a very strong sleeping aid. This pill is always available for prescription use, but very few doctors prescribe it due to the numerous amounts of deaths associated with it. This is part of the reason why many doctors use pentobarbital for assisted suicide. When this medication is taken in excess it ensures a peaceful death while sleeping. Passing away peacefully while sleeping is another reason why assisted suicide should be legal. Some believe that assisted suicide is ideal for patients who are terminally...
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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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...Physician Assisted Suicide: Appropriate or Atrocious How much pain can a patient withstand until they feel that they can not take it anymore? Will physician assisted suicide be viewed as something positive rather than a deadly sin? The procedure taken with physician assisted suicide has become one of the most debatable topics since the unjust acts done by Dr. Kevorkian. Dr. Kevorkian was a doctor in medicine who would grant anyone death that seeks it. This story has traveled around the world and time to where it affects the decision of assisted suicide being legal. No one wants to see a slippery slope occur to where it is just another category for murder. In the United States, physician assisted suicide has become legal in five states: Oregon, California, Vermont, Washington and Montana. This is where licensed doctors perform a procedure in assisting a patient with suicide. Within those states, this is only an option not a misfortune. However, society has viewed this topic to be either unethical and morally wrong or something that can help with the terminally ill patients suffering in a hospital. For a doctor to assist the terminally ill in death, it can not be something to be frowned upon. Physician...
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