...Right to Die Movement The Right to Die movement began in 1993, and has continued to grow over the past twenty-three years. In 1997, Oregon passed the first right to die law called the Death with Dignity Act, which allowed those who were terminally ill to choose a death on their terms. It withstood multiple attempts to nullify it, and in 2006 the Supreme Court ruled that Oregon physicians can prescribe life ending medications under the act. At this time, there are five states who have passed a similar Right to Die law, and in the next election, 19 more states will attempt to pass their own version of the Death with Dignity Act. In this essay I will explain Death with Dignity, address any frequently asked questions, express how the opposition...
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...Death with Dignity Act Esther Harris November 29, 2015 Business Law – BA3310 Death with Dignity is a very controversial subject that has spanned many decades and continues to spark great debate from both sides of the subject. Death is a very personal matter, and those who support that law believe that a person should be able to die with dignity if he or she chooses to do so. Those who oppose the law believe that there should not be any human intervention into the process of dying. There are two distinct sides of the debate, but people should have the choice if he or she chooses to do so. Death with Dignity should become a legalized process throughout the United States. HISTORY Death with Dignity laws in several states allow mentally competent, terminally-ill adult residents to voluntarily request and receive a prescription medication, from a physician, so they can die in a peaceful, humane manner in a place and time of their choosing (Death with Dignity, 2015.) In layman’s terms, a person who is eighteen years or older and has received a terminal medical diagnosis, with less than six months to live, can request for a physician to provide him or her with a prescription of pentobarbital, which can be used at the patient’s discretion to end his or her life. Some states require that the patient request the medications in writing and then again verbally, while others only require the patient to make a verbal request. The patient’s primary diagnosis must be validated...
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...Euthanasia: Freedom to Die with Dignity Charletta R. Anderson Strayer University ENG 215 Dr. Aaron Miller December 12, 2011 Euthanasia: Freedom to Die with Dignity The word “Euthanasia” comes from a Greek phrase meaning “good death”. However, in today’s society it means killing a terminally ill person as a way to end that person’s pain and suffering (Cundiff, 1992 ). In the year 2007, my grandfather the Honorable Leon Davis was dying. This American war hero had made a request to die with dignity. He was dealing with a failed kidney, pneumonia, dementia, hypertension, MRSA foot infection, a broken hip, and terrible living conditions at a nursing home. All these problems left him weak and physically dependent on others. For terminally ill patients like my grandfather, where death was inevitable and would have been less painful than living, euthanasia should be a consideration or an option. Euthanasia is a way of relieving terminally or severely ill people's pain and save them from the agony of their illness. People claim that the right to die is protected by the same constitutional safeguards that promise such rights as marriage, and the refusal or termination of life-saving medical treatment. This essay will discuss why or why not ill people should have the right to end their suffering with a quick, dignified, and merciful death by the means of Euthanasia. Legalizing Euthanasia In the 1970s , a movement that had tried to legalize some form of...
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...Applying an Ethical Theory PHI208 Kristy Villone March 30, 2014 Should assisted death, or euthanasia be an option for the terminally ill? In 1994, the Oregon Death With Dignity Act was formed, making Oregon the first state to legalize physician assisted deaths with restrictions. As of today, Washington, Vermont, New Mexico, along with Oregon are all legalized in euthanasia. The individuals wanting to end their life must be at least 18 years of age with a terminal illness, be a state resident, and have less than six months to live (Procon.org 2014). The question is, is euthanasia ethical? In this paper, I will be focusing on euthanasia and how it relates to the Deontology Theory. The Deontology Theory relates to the rights and wrongs of actions themselves. It is defined as "the focus on the duties and obligations one has in carrying out actions rather than on the consequences of those actions” (Mosser, 2013). Meaning, the act is right or wrong, depending upon the action in which it was brought upon. In general, Deontologist tend to focus on the the will of the person and their intentions. Euthanasia is a very debatable topic. It is a heated topic because it relates to death. Some may say euthanasia is allowing people to die, which is the same as killing. Whereas others may see it as the right to die, especially when one is suffering with a terminal illness …."life is a precious gift from God. To end it prematurely is to reject that gift; only God should determine when life...
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...mmmmmmm 2 February 2016 Decision Made by Terminally Ill Patients What if you think that your time is up, why not end it without suffering? Why allow your siblings loved ones, and others sit around and watch you die slowly? People who are terminally ill should decide if they want to live in pain or die. There are a lot of arguments about the family wanting their love ones to live instead of die, which is selfish. The family should also understand. If a person is terminally ill and not able to take the pain anymore, then they should end their lives upon their choice. Terminally ill patients should be able to decide not to suffer, make their own decisions and die with dignity. For one it is selfish to have an ill person suffering waiting on their death day. It should only be their choice if they decide to suffer or not. If you have never suffered before, then you wouldn’t know how bad the pain really is. No matter whom they are, regardless if it’s the mother, father, sister, brother, aunt, or any other close member of the family, have to understand it’s our lives. Pain is pain there is no big or small, pain is exactly what it is. “Legalize Assisted Suicide: A debate.”(1) Discuss killing someone to suffer. It discusses the fear of the losing capacity to make the choice to die. Those are some of the reason terminally ill patients should not have to suffer. Secondly, under no circumstances a terminally ill person should decide how he/she would like to end their lives. No one should...
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...Choices, referring to Brittany Maynard's assisted suicide. The assisted suicide has helped many, ones who feel that they can no longer continue lead with the unbearable pain of an incurable disease. However, there are people that are against this because "no one has the right to take their life." The "Right to Die" helps in many ways; having the option to not extend life by artificial or heroic means, allows people to die with dignity, and ends physical suffering due to an incurable...
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...someone decided to cut the last breath of their life with dignity and called it as the euthanasia. It turned out that it has two sides about the point of view towards the euthanasia issue in a positive and negative ways. Although some people against these ideas and claim that it is an unacceptable manner, I certainly disagree about that because it can be proved that the euthanasia is one of the most peaceful ways to escape the great pain for dying people. Euthanasia can be one of the way to relieve the pain and suffering for dying people. As everyone knows that people who have to struggle with the terminal illness always end up in physical and psychological suffering, so some of them wanted to die before the pain is getting worse. According to the news of the Telegraph in 2008 which reported about Val McKay, the British woman who was diagnosed with the multiple sclerosis. She commented with the reporter before she went to the Dignitas, where is the only Swiss facility to accept foreigners for the euthanasia that people should not suffer with their illness, they should...
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...United Church of Christ: The Church affirms individual freedom and responsibility. It has not asserted that hastened dying is the Christian position, but the right to choose is a legitimate 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...
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...that people have about euthanasia. People with a heavy religious culture are more likely to be against it, whereas people suffering from a life threatening or terminal disease are not. Euthanasia is currently only allowed in the state of Oregon through the Death with Dignity Act that was placed in 1997 and in four other states as well as three countries. Since that act, only 752 of the 1173 patients actually carried on to kill themselves. An article written by Ryan Wallace on October 7, 2014 titled “One Woman's Quest to Die with Dignity—and What It Means for Us All” is about a 29 year old woman named Brittany Maynard who has been diagnosed with stage four glioblastoma multiform, which is a fast-growing brain cancer that kills its victims. She is one of many that are in favor of assisted-suicide due to her illness. Maynard moved to Portland, Oregon where she would be able to end her life legally thru the Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act (DWDA). Those who are advocates don’t believe it is considered suicide because “aid in dying involves mentally competent people who are terminally ill but would love to live, if possible.” Maynard said herself that “there is not a cell in my body that is suicidal or that wants to die” but she wishes there was a cure. Terminally ill people are given a dignified way to exit life thru assisted-death. In “Joni Eareckson Tada to Brittany Maynard: God alone chooses the day you...
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...United States should have access to the Death with Dignity Act. The Death with Dignity laws allow patients who are terminally ill and state residents to die voluntarily by prescription medication under a physicians care. Right now this is only legal in the states of Oregon, Washington, and Vermont. There are many reasons why the Death with Dignity laws can be beneficial for the patients as well as their families who are going on this painful journey as well. Access to the Death with Dignity laws allows the terminal ill patient to deal with minor pain and suffering, ultimately giving them the decision when the pain is to much. It also would help lessen the amounts of suicides thats are directly correlated with patients who have been diagnosed with a terminally ill diseases. Having the death with Dignity laws in place would help with vital organs that can be saved and used help save the lives of others. And lastly, these laws would help with health care costs. Although there is the flip side to this case about religion and morality, the benefits overcome these issues by having a positive influence on these patients and their families. I think the most positive benefit that is related with Death with Dignity Act is the limit to the pain and suffering both the patient and the families must go through. In a recent story on the news and internet a cancer patient name Brittney Msynard made the decision to access the Death with Dignity laws. She was diagnosed with brain cancer and is...
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...organ donation, and gives the patient the dignity of choosing his/her own fate. A very important aspect of why physician-assisted suicide should be legal is that it ends suffering. Terminally ill patients go through much suffering, and it can get to the point where no medication helps with the pain. Only so much of the pain can be managed (Quill, “Dying Patients Should” 61).This is one of the main reasons...
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...What does it mean to die with dignity? For Brittany Maynard, it meant ending her life on her terms, and not on anyone else’s. Maynard had terminal brain cancer and chose to move to Oregon to utilize her freedom of choice and responsibility over her life. She decided to end her pain and suffering with a life-ending prescription that allowed her to die peacefully and without pain. Like Maynard, many terminally ill patients experience immense pain, spend a prolonged amount of time in hospitals, lose the enjoyment of life, and lose control over their lives. To combat these dehumanizing experiences, some patients choose to end their lives with physician-assisted suicide, which can help give them a sense of peace and self-autonomy at the end of their lives. With the option to die with dignity, terminally ill patients can regain control over their lives. In many cases, battling a terminal illness can be too painful and time-consuming that patients would rather hasten their death than live another day in such a terrible condition. For many of us, it is difficult to imagine having a condition in which we would rather die than spend time with loved ones. However, thousands of Americans live in this state of pain and fear for months until their respective illnesses take their lives. In extreme cases, some terminally...
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...Assisted suicide is defined as a physician providing a patient the means to take his or her own life. It is done by the administration of a lethal substance usually a type of medication. It is easy to see why this is such a controversial topic, it is dealing with the voluntary death of an individual. Each side has very strong views and arguments on this matter. Many believe that terminal ill patients have the “right to die,” while others say that we as a society have a moral responsibility “to protect and to preserve all life” (Andre, and Velazquez, Assisted Suicide: A Right or a Wrong?). People who are for assisted suicide say that terminally ill patients who are living in severe pain have the “right to die,” and should be allowed to end...
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...American Suicide Story: Your Right to Die Matthew Gregorie Pima Medical Institute American Suicide Story: Your Right to Die The year was 1776, the United States was on the brink of war with England and in an unwavering effort to be free from the tyranny of King George III, America’s fore-fathers drafted forth a Declaration of Independence. Included in this declaration was a line that still resonates in the hearts and minds of free thinking men and women: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal[->0], that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness (US, 1776)”. Even during this simpler time, America’s ancestors realized the value and importance of an individual’s right to make decisions regarding their own fate. Flash forward to present day and these words still hold an incredibly strong value, possibly none greater than when discussing the terminally ill and the right to physician assisted suicide. While there are some who feel that people should not be in control of their own destiny, if the pursuit of happiness means that a person with an incurable sickness chooses they no longer wish to be alive, then they as human beings should be able to make that choice for themselves. Thankfully for them, there is a place in the United States that will consider and allow a person the right to die peacefully with the assistance of a doctor. Oregon, whom...
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...perspectives, and many are afraid that if it were to be completely legal in all of the United States then citizens would certainly abuse this right. However, the four states that have legalized it, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and Montana prove these opinions to be false. Especially in Oregon the Death with Dignity Act set the precedent for Euthanasia legislature by setting limitations on who or who could not be considered to actively take their own life. These limitations included a minimum age of 18 years, a diagnoses of six months to live or less, two oral recommendations from physicians at least fifteen days apart and one written recommendation from a physician before the patient could be qualified for active Euthanasia. These guidelines made the practice of Euthanasia more practical to Americans. In a study conducted by Public Agenda, Gallup Organization, in the year 1950 only twenty-six percent of Americans supported assisted suicide and that number more than doubled in 2003 to seventy-two percent. These information alone proves the progressiveness of this form of mercy, this form of choice that euthanasia gives to those suffering. Euthanasia has many forms and is a positive act for those in extreme pain, it gives terminally ill people the last piece of control, people have the natural right to live and they should have the natural right to die, and it allows patients to exit life in a dignified and graceful manner. To begin with Euthanasia has many forms, active, passive, voluntary...
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