...Gavin Martin Period 6 Research Paper Assisted Suicide A survey of U.S. oncologists suggests that support for assisted suicide in this profession has declined dramatically in recent years. Although there are certain instances where it is justifiably considered okay, it is essentially murder. Some doctors use a machine that injects a deadly dose of poison which kills the person in less than 10 minutes. Assisted suicide is most normally awaited by the terminally ill. Terminally ill patients do suffer significantly, but is it the actual physical pain they suffer from or is it the way they are treated? Many people seem to believe it is depression that leads these patients to want suicide. What is hard for these people to understand who are terminally-ill is that depression is treatable. A person would suffer less physically if they suffered less...
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...Assisted Suicide Kem Dwumaah Texas Women’s University Brittany Maynard was a young woman diagnosed with a terminal case of brain cancer. She chose to end her own life, under Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act, at age 29. This act of physician-assisted suicide is never ethically permissible. Physician - assisted suicide is the act of knowingly and intentionally providing a person with the knowledge or means or both required to commit suicide. Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act has been in effect since 1997 and the idea has since gained legislature in three other states, claiming over 1,000 lives in its first 15 years of its operation. Many argue that when participating in the act of physician assisted suicide, a physician is robbing...
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...In my opinion, Physician-assisted suicide should not be permissible for the reason that, as a Christian, I believe that if a physician participate in helping take a life, they are guilty of committing a murder. I am against the practice of assisting people take their lives due to my beliefs, and besides, I believe that helping them in the process, I will be committing a murder. “Thou shall not kill” (Exodus 20:13). I disagree that under no circumstances, physician should assist a patient in helping them commit a murder, no matter the condition. In the case of terminal illnesses (diseases that are untreatable), I believe that the patient, can pray to God for help. Either, in curing the disease, or ending your pain and suffering. We also see...
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...Assisted Death for the Terminally Ill – Yes or No? (2012, October 20). Over my dead body; Assisted suicide. The Economist, 405(8807), 55(US). This article recognizes the increasing acceptance of assisted suicide amongst the public and across the world. Despite so, there are still groups of people who are apprehensive about legalizing euthanasia as they are worried that it may have negative implications. The article gives a detailed description of the requirements that must be met before a person is allowed to go through with assisted suicide. It also uses data to prove that safety measures put in place are being followed and there is barely any abuse of the law in places that legalize assisted suicide. Although voluntary euthanasia is still considered as murder, many doctors in Europe give patients or their family the choice of proceeding with treatment or undergoing passive euthanasia. The article also talks about the possible reasons why people opt for assisted suicide, including loss of independence, dignity, and more. The use of statistics shows that substantial research has been done by the author to prove his point, confirming it is a good source to support the legalization of assisted suicide. As “The Economist” is a reputable magazine, this source is credible and is unlikely to publish articles without prior research. Cassity, S. A. (2009). To Die or Not To Die: The History and Future of Assisted Suicide Laws in the U.S. Utah Law Review, 2009 (2), 515-523...
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...Legal and Ethical aspects of Assisted Suicide Paula Nehrling Grand Canyon University Introduction to Nursing Research NRS-433V Angie Lawson May 01, 2016 Legal and Ethical aspects of Assisted Suicide Only five states in the US have legalized physician assisted death. California is the latest to legalize this and it will be available here in less than a month. There are many legal and ethical questions that nurses have. Some feel like this is murder or against their religious beliefs and others feel like people should have the right to die with dignity. The Oregon death with dignity act was passed more than 20 years ago in 1994, though legal challenges delayed enactment until 1997. Washington followed in 2008, since this time, Montana and Vermont has passed laws supporting physician assisted death. California has passed legislation and will begin next month (Ganzini, L., 2016). The process is very similar in each of these states. They allow a competent adult resident of that state to obtain a prescription from a physician for a lethal dose of medication, for the purposes of causing death through self administration. The law does not allow lethal injection or allow individuals to acquire a lethal prescription through advanced directive to be used when mentally incapable in the future. There are also limits as to when the prescription can be written. Two physicians, one of whom writes the prescription, must confirm that the...
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...This paper is intended to provide an overview regarding the Colorado End of Life Options Act. This paper includes information regarding what it is, who qualifies to use it, and what the entirety of the process looks like. The ultimate goal of this paper, however, is to provide enough information regarding the Colorado End of Life Options Act to ensure that a general understanding of the basic requirements/qualifications, processes, individuals involved, and dilemmas surrounding physician assisted suicide is obtained. Keywords: Colorado, End of Life Options, Physician assisted suicide The Colorado End of Life Options Act The concept of physician...
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...Physician assisted suicide has been a major debate worldwide for many years. Some individuals don’t realize how hard it is to accept assisted suicide on a grand level. The hardest questions around assisted suicide is not whether it is accepted or not, but if accepted, how and who it will be implement for. This paper will not discuss why assisted suicide should or should not be implemented, but will explain political and societal questions that may arise if assisted suicide is accepted. There will also be given real examples of individuals who completed assisted suicide and possible questions that can arise from them. This paper will also explain how assisted suicide has only a minor effect on nursing care. Once the answers to these questions...
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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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...WP2 RESEARCH PROPOSAL As a Christian, I know for a fact, that for thousands of years, most Christians and Jews have always opposed suicide. With this being said, one may think that most of my biases could be a result of my religious background. However, in reality, I have actually become very open-minded about the overall concept of euthanasia. While doing my topic proposal, my religious beliefs were overriding my conscious. In order to continue my research, I overcame my biases but trying to imagine myself in the place of a terminally ill person facing death, or envisioning a family member trying to come to terms with there on death. This was not easy for me as it was difficult to not say “No, you shouldn’t attempt any form of suicide, which is a one-way ticket to hell.” But, I have come to the realization that some don’t have the strength to suffer any longer than they already have or continue to feel as if they are a burden to their loved ones. I feel that in physician assisted suicide, to completely understand why someone would want to commit such an act, you have to put yourself in that person’s shoes. This can be difficult when dealing with such a controversial subject. In almost any situation it is true that if you have never personally been in the same type of situation, it may be easy to disagree with them. However, I feel like suicide is a heavier topic because it is literally life or death. I am choosing to write about the legalization of physician assisted suicide...
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...Dilemma of Physician Assisted Suicide: An Analysis: People v Kevorkian Angelia Prince Shorter University The Legal and Ethical Dilemma of Physician Assisted Suicide: An Analysis: People v Kevorkian This research was aimed at providing an analysis of the ethical and legal dilemma surrounding physician assisted suicides. The subject of physician-assisted suicide has raised many thought provoking and controversial questions. This paper will evaluate, the ethical dilemma surrounding physician assisted suicides, the case of People v. Kevorkian, the differing laws pertaining to physician assisted suicide in Michigan, Georgia, and Oregon. The purpose of this paper is to provide the reader with information on the state’s most current laws regarding assisted suicide and how the case of People v. Kevorkian was a unique case involving physician-assisted suicide. The Ethical Debate of PAS In his article, Hosseini (2012), argued that physician-assisted suicide (PAS), is a moral and ethical dilemma faced by physicians, ethicists, legal experts, and others. Hosseini went on to explain that PAS is opposed by the American Medical Association (AMA) and all the US states except for Oregon. In his research, Hosseini (2012) used the case, People v. Kevorkian, as a basis to argue that although there is an ethical dilemma surrounding PAS, it was not the act alone that resulted in Dr. Kevorkian’s arrest and sentence. Hosseini posed the question in his research “Is Physician-Assisted Suicide...
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...all living beings. Now not everyone views death as a natural occurrence and others seek to prevent it by prolonging life by medical means. Physician assisted suicide is a major topic in U.S. culture today. There are people who believe it is more humane to let someone live their days out and there are others who believe that it is morally wrong because it causes unnecessary pain and suffering. Each side has their argument points in which they defend with purpose. The purpose of this paper is to discuss both sides of the issue at hand here. It is also to discuss why physician assisted suicide is a viable option for the future for terminal illnesses. The first portion will discuss the present physician assisted suicide laws that are in place. Following that, the arguments that do not consider physician assisted suicide a viable option will be discussed and...
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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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...rights – specifically whether or not a patient has the right to die if they choose to do so (Altmann & Collins, 2007). While euthanasia and physician assisted suicide are not new topics, they did receive an increase in public and media attention during the early 1990s. Most notably Dr. Jack Kevorkian, who defied the law and assisted in 130 patient suicides, Dr. Kevorkian’s actions brought about increased media coverage on the topic of physician assisted suicide, which is a contributing factor as to why the Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act was conceived in the first place (Werth JR & Wineberg, 2005). On the one side of the spectrum were advocates of physician assisted suicide who maintained that it was an infringement on patients’ rights to deny them aid in dying, and inhumane to make people suffer when diagnosed with a terminal illness (Merino, 2012). On the other side were critics who concluded that physician assisted suicide was a breach of medical ethics, and morally unacceptable because it devalued human life. Furthermore, these critics found that assisted suicide was not valid because there were alternative solutions, such as improving physician training on pain management, and end of life care (Merino, 2012). In 1997, the decision was made, to sign into law, the Oregon Death with Dignity Act (ODWDA), which allowed Oregon physicians to prescribe medicine to specific patients fully knowing that consuming it would bring about the patient’s death (Altmann & Collins, 2007)....
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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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...THE CHURCH, EUTHANASIA and ASSISTED SUICIDE Euthanasia also known as “mercy killing” and assisted suicide are worldwide controversial issues. According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, the word euthanasia comes from Greek, meaning easy death (eu: easy, thanatos: death). Euthanasia means to end the life of a person who is terminally ill or suffering from severe pain, in a deliberate way. At the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) webpage, in the section Ethics guides, under the title of Forms of Euthanasia, Religions and Death? (2009), different types of euthanasia are described, such as indirect, active, passive, voluntary, involuntary and non voluntary. On the other hand, assisted suicide is usually performed with the help of a health professional; that is why; it is usually called Physician Assisted Suicide (or PAS). The main controversy is over the different opinions on whether it is the sick patient’s decision or if it is a legal, ethical or religious issue to be considered by a third party. In order to practice assisted suicide in a country where it is legal, many factors should be present, such as the moral and religious beliefs of the patient and the physician or the patient’s family and the physician, as well as the legislation of the country where it is going to be carried out. At present, in countries where euthanasia is not legalized yet, it is very difficult to obtain legal permission to practice it. As regards the ethical...
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