...take the life of an innocent person? Euthanasia, or the practice of ending the life of a terminally ill person, stirs controversy. There are several different categories of euthanasia. There are also many laws and requirements for euthanasia to be performed. Euthanasia and its laws have adapted according to changes in the U.S. culture over the years that euthanasia has been performed. What is euthanasia? When a person decides that they no longer want to live and want to end their lives medically it is known as assisted suicide which is known as euthanasia. (Pereira) Euthanasia is when a medically trained professional lethally injects a medicine that will cause the patient to face a non...
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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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...Euthanasia/Assisted Suicide Yes or No HCA322: Health Care Ethics and Medical Law Instructor: Keysha Knights July 22, 2013 Yes or No Euthanasia, also known as assisted suicide, physician-assisted suicide (dying) , doctor-assisted dying (suicide), and more loosely termed mercy killing, basically means to take a deliberate action with the express intention of ending a life to relieve intractable (persistent, unstoppable) suffering. Some 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 (Nordqvist, 2010). When breaking down euthanasia there are two different types passive euthanasia and active euthanasia. Active euthanasia is a state where a patient is given a lethal injection, while passive euthanasia involves withdrawing life support systems from a patient (Anonymous, 2011). Active euthanasia basically is when the physician gives the patient medication to help end their life. Passive euthanasia is when treatments for the patient’s condition are stopped and ultimately ends in the patient’s death. When it comes to euthanasia or physician assisted suicide I can understand both sides of the debate but in the end I feel that it should be legal under certain circumstances. If a person is terminally ill I feel they should have the right to have a choice to end their life instead of suffering. A doctor’s job is to help the patient and their...
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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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...Euthanasia/Assisted Suicide Debate HCA 322 Sonya Pedro 24 April 2011 Everybody is going to die sometime, but for some, serious medical conditions only prolong the wait upon their deathbed. From newborn infants with severe handicaps, to elderly men and women diagnosed with hopeless amnesia, euthanasia has found a place in society since society’s creation. In this paper I will focus on the controversial and difficult issue of assisted suicide or euthanasia. I will discuss my beliefs concerning euthanasia, to include the “special population” and identify the laws concerning physician-assisted suicide in the state of North Dakota. Euthanasia has its share of protesters, and there are some supporters who recognize the boundaries. Let’s discuss some of my beliefs concerning euthanasia. A person has become extremely ill and doesn't want to continue suffering, should he/she be forced to stay alive? Whose life is it anyways? Is it the family's life or the persons'? As our text explains, physician-assisted suicide occurs when the physician gives the patient a lethal dose of some medication, but the patient administers it him/herself. Euthanasia occurs when the physician carries out the final act. (Pozgar, 2010). Most families believe that they should be given the right to decide if they want to let their loved ones go, but in most cases it's not the family's choice. The decision to live or die usually rests with the individual, unless he/she is too ill to make...
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...Euthanasia Debate May 24, 2010 Professor Melissa Green, M.H.A. Euthanasia Debate Every day in the field of medicine professionals are faced with an ethical decision or problem. The advancements in medicine and technology are raising questions and concerns never once thought of. Controversy over euthanasia is on the forefront of today’s health care platform. With the present change occurring with the American Heath Care Reform health care providers and society need to be informed of the options available in end of life care. This paper will present a debate about human euthanasia. Euthanasia will first be defined. Support for each side of the debate will be presented. Each side will be provided with questions from the opposing side, with the opposing teams response presented. Each side will then present a closing statement, again to support their side from the result of the debate. Euthanasia defined Euthanasia is the practice of mercifully ending a person's life to free someone from a deadly disease. The word euthanasia comes from the Greek word "good death." The term euthanasia is being used synonymously with the term Physician Assisted Suicide (PAS), although they are not one and the same. PAS 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 (University of Washington School of Medicine, 2010). Voluntary...
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...Euthanasia/Assisted Suicide Debate Marissa Burton HCA 322 Mark Metzger April 29, 2013 Dying has become a dilemma. The act of dying has transformed in recent technological advances by making it possible not only to lessen pain but also to extend life. However, when treatment fails and modern medicine has nothing more to present to patients, they may demand for a life ending act. When patients and their family become aware of the quality of life and a great deal of unbearable pain, conflict often introduces itself between health care professionals who are trained to save lives, and patients and their families, who desire to end all suffering. According to Pozgar (2013), the focal point of this conflict is on the concept of euthanasia and its position in the modern world. The issue has been at the middle of some very heated debates for many years (p.123). Euthanasia can be defined as the act or practice of terminating a person’s life in order to relieve them of their suffering from incurable conditions or diseases. Euthanasia is also known as “the mercy killing of the hopelessly ill, injured, or incapacitated”. The dividing of euthanasia into two categories, active and passive, is for many the most controversial aspect of this topic (Pozgar, 2013). Active euthanasia takes place when the medical professional, or another person, intentionally do something that causes the patient to die. Passive euthanasia takes place when the patient dies because the medical professional either...
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...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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...university | ME Ciera Clark NAtional American university | ME State Health Laws on Physician-Assisted Suicide State Health Laws on Physician-Assisted Suicide February 15, 2013 February 15, 2013 Table of Contents Introduction……………………………………………………………….2 About Euthanasia and Assisted suicide………………………………….2 Legalized euthanasia and assisted suicide……………………………….3 States considering bills to legalize physician-assisted suicide………….3-4 Death with Dignity Acts………………………………………………......4-5 Oppose Physician Assisted Suicide………………………………………5-6 Supporters…………………………………………………………………6-7 Reference…………………………………………………………………..7-8 Introduction For decades, the public, government, and physicians have been debating over the “Death with Dignity Act” or “Physician-Assisted Suicide.” It started back in the Ancient Greek and Rome time. The debate originated around the Hippocratic Oath and the condemnation of the practice. With the upsurge of Christianity, many physicians continued to condemn the practice. Within the last two centuries the public has spurned many discussions about Physician-assisted suicide and Euthanasia from many different historic perspectives (Procon.org, 2012). Although this debate has been lengthy and many of the issues discussed over the centuries are repetitive, new ideas and concerns do emerge with the current debate. What do you think when you here assisted suicide? Would you want your family member to suffer with an illness that has put them in so much pain...
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...Euthanasia/Assisted Suicide Debate Of course we want our loved ones to be a part of our lives as long as possible and thanks to modern medical technology, the average human life span is about seventy-eight years. Yet, some of us get sick, diseased or injured in an accident and become comatose. When the medical condition of a person is deemed progressive, terminal and there is no hope of recovery, that person should be able to exercise the option of ending their life. Particularly, when that individual feels he or she cannot stand the suffering in the last stages of their disease. Moreover, if a person has sustained an injury where their brain is not functional or damaged beyond basic functions, euthanasia is an option to lengthy life-sustaining treatment methods that may be futile. However, euthanasia has been a debated topic since the Greek-written Hippocratic Oath. This Oath is one of the first statements of moral conduct where doctors and health care professionals profess to do no harm by practicing medicine ethically. There are many opinions that in certain special populations, such as minorities and the disabled, euthanasia and assisted suicide give ways to possible abuse of the health care system. The three states that that now allow assisted suicide are Washington (2008), Montana (2008), and Oregon (1994), euthanasia is still illegal in the United States. The difference between euthanasia and assisted suicide is the administration of the lethal drugs to...
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...Christian decision. Mainline and Liberal Christian denominations: Pro-choice statements have been made by the United Church of Christ, and the Methodist Church on the US West coast. The 'Episcopalian (Anglican) Unitarian, Methodist, Presbyterian and Quaker movements are amongst the most liberal, allowing at least individual decision making in cases of active euthanasia The BBC wrote in an Aug. 3, 2009 online article titled "Religion & Ethics - Christianity: Euthanasia - the Christian View" on www.bbc.co.uk: "Christians are mostly against euthanasia. The arguments are usually based on the beliefs that life is given by God, and that human beings are made in God's image. Some churches also emphasise the importance of not interfering with the natural process of death... Christians believe that the intrinsic dignity and value of human lives means that the value of each human life is identical. They don't think that human dignity and value are measured by mobility, intelligence, or any achievements in life. Valuing human beings as equal just because they are human beings has clear implications for thinking about euthanasia: • patients in a persistent vegetative state, although seriously damaged, remain living human beings, and so their intrinsic value remains the same as anyone else's • so it would be wrong to treat their lives as worthless and to conclude that they 'would be better off dead' • patients who are old or sick, and who are near the end of earthly life...
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...Physician-Assisted Suicide Physician-assisted suicide presents one of the greatest contemporary challenges to the medical profession's ethical responsibilities. Proposed as a means toward more humane care of the dying, assisted suicide threatens the very core of the medical profession's ethical integrity. Physician-assisted suicide occurs when a physician provides a patient with the medical means and/ or the medical knowledge to commit suicide ("Module 5: Physician-assisted,"). For example, the physician could provide sleeping pills and information about the lethal dose, while aware that the patient is contemplating suicide. In physician-assisted suicide, the patient performs the life-ending act, whereas in euthanasia, the physician administers the drug or other agent causing death. Although, the medical field has made great strides in improving end-of-life care through palliative and hospice programs, sometimes it’s just not enough. The care that is offered to the chronically ill and elderly is less than ideal and it is estimated that 40-70% of patients die in pain, another 50-60% die feeling short of breathe; 90% of nursing homes, where patients go to receive 24 hour nursing care, are gravely understaffed (Morrow, 2010). Debates Physician-assisted suicide is among the majority of debates in bioethical technology, in our time. Every reasonable person prefers that no patient ever contemplate suicide (with...
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...PHYSICIAN-ASSISTED SUICIDE: LEGALITY AND MORALITY Wednesday - May 8th, 2002 By Martin Levin, 107 Irving Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (617)-497-6828 mlevin@levinlaw.com On Sunday, June 21, 1992, Jennifer Cowart, age thirty-two, and her brother George Kowalski, age twenty-eight, traveled to Pensacola Beach, Florida, for a day of relaxation. At the end of the day, Jennifer and George were heading back to their vehicle when Jennifer noticed a go-kart track. The two entered the track, bought tickets, and began riding. Within one minute, Jennifer’s go-kart bumped into one of the side guardrails, flipped on its side, and burst into flames. Jennifer was seat-belted in the go-kart and could not get out. George tried to run into the fire to save his sister, but the flames were too intense. Bystanders attempted to use a fire extinguisher, but it did little to lessen the inferno. Jennifer was trapped in the burning go-kart for two minutes when her seat-belt finally burned through and she fell to the ground. George grabbed his sister and pulled her away from the fire. Jennifer was alive. She was lying on the asphalt alert, oriented, and coherent. She had suffered 3rd and 4th degree burns covering ninety-five percent of her body. She was suffering the worst pain imaginable. At the scene, Jennifer begged the rescue personnel to “let me die.” Instead, Jennifer was flown to a burn center in Mobile, Alabama, where she remained for one year until she was overcome by an infection...
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...Euthanasia The word Euthanasia comes from Greek roots meaning “good death”. It refers to the practice, which ends a life in a manner, which is to relieve pain and suffering (Gielen, Van Den Branden & Broeckaert, 2009). According to Harris (2001) its meaning is specifically “a deliberate intervention undertaken with the express intention of ending a life, to relieve intractable suffering”. There are different characteristics of euthanasia, and different reasons for the administration of this. The act of intentionally killing a human being in the name of euthanasia is an act of omission, being for the benefit of the individual. If the death was not intentional, it cannot be defined as euthanasia. Different types of Euthanasia are as follows: * Voluntary euthanasia: The individual who was killed had requested to be killed * Non-voluntary euthanasia: The individual who was killed made no request to be killed, and the choice for the euthanasia was either passed on to a family member, loved one or a clinical physician who has decided that euthanasia was necessary * Involuntary euthanasia: The individual who was killed had made an expressed wish to the contrary of euthanasia * Assisted suicide: The individual is provided guidance, information and the means to take his or her own life. When this is done in a hospital, it is called “physician assisted suicide” * Euthanasia by Action: The intentional action causing a person’s death, such as administering a lethal...
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...Euthanasia: The Dignity 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...
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