...she now had to deal with him verbally expressing the desire to let him die. The love she felt for her father was so strong that she wanted to grant him this final wish, but also wanted to ensure he would not suffer from this and be as comfortable as possible. Due to his health rapidly deteriorating and he was in more pain every day, she began to seek assistance from the many hospitals he sought care in to help end her father’s suffering. This will be a brief discussion of the issue of ethics regarding physician-assisted suicide, her final consensus to this matter being interpreted as a deontological view verses my own view being the utilitarian view. I would also like to state that I do agree with Susan Wolf’s attempts to locate hospital officials to try and let her father die as he wished, but I do not agree with her final decision that she is still against legalizing physician-assisted suicides. Susan M. Wolf did extensive research on the subject of physician-assisted suicides and her stance of being against the legalizing of it is very clear. While going through her own personal tragedy with her dying father, she was forced to rethink her position on this subject. This is indeed a traumatic event when there is a loved one asking to die because they are in so much pain. As stated in our text, ethics means, “…moral philosophy, investigates how we can evaluate our behavior in terms of right or wrong, good and bad – in short, how we determine what we should do, what we...
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...Should Physician-Assisted suicide be legal? LisAnn Marcum PHI 103 Instructor: Bruce-Alan Barnard September 16, 2013 Should Physician-Assisted suicide be legal? This paper is an argumentative paper on whether it should or should not be legal for a Physician to aid in a patient’s suicide. Physician-assisted suicide transpires when a patient who has a terminal illness wishes to end their suffering and seeks help from their physician in aiding them to do so. This will be a challenging paper that will take a look at whether or not it is legal for a physician to help in assisting a patient’s suicide, if this practice is ethical, moral, and/or unconstitutional. A great deal of the general public feel as though this form of practice is alright because if the patient is suffering then something should be done to help them. On the other hand many feel it should be left up to God to decide when our time is up. In the end it is between the patient and their physician. Physician assisted suicide is a scandalous issue that has remained disputed for centuries. The arguments are still going on in the present day about if it should be ethically accepted. Many feel this kind of action ought to remain being left up to God, others see this argument as though if the patient is in pain and distress shouldn’t something be allowed to be done in order to help them. “Deductive arguments offer reasons to accept a conclusion, and those reasons should provide all information we need to determine...
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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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...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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