1. What Social, Legal, Ethical, and Medical Issues Are Relevant to the End-of-Life Movement? for Each Issue, Summarize Important Arguments for and Against End-of-Life.

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The care of those dying involves so much of one’s self. Most often times due to selfishness we fail to understand those who are terminally ill. Their suffering, the pain they endure on a daily basis both physically and mentally and in some cases spiritually. Self-deliverance or a “good death” is not a familiar idea in the American culture regardless of the circumstances. It’s apparent that because of the ending of one’s life social, legal, ethical and medical issues will arise. Who’s right is it to die? Should the U.S. Supreme Court rule that the Constitution not guarantee the right for physician-assisted suicides or should the decision be left to be made by individual states? The end-of-life movement is much more complicated than the polarized debate over Kevorkian or issues on “Who’s right it is.” In fact some feel that as a society we should condemn the ending of one’s life as well as assisted suicides by a doctor. Others agree that only in exceptional cases interventions are appropriate so long as all elements of treatment have been tried. Treatments such as medications, surgical procedures, psychotherapy and in some instances spiritual guidance and so on. Ending one’s life should not be performed simply because a patient is depressed, or feels as though he or she is a burden, worried about being dependant or just tired of life. Diversity in the United States is among the greatest in the developed world, because of this- it’s difficult to share norms and enforce them. In some cultures and religions taking one’s life is unacceptable and forbidden and in others so long as there is justification then and only then would it be considered just. Assisted suicide is currently illegal in most states in the United States. Oregon is the only U.S. state where physician-assisted suicide is legal. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that there is no constitutional

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