They also argue that Physician-Assisted-Suicide allows terminally ill patients to avoid unnecessary pain and agony in their final days and also allows the patient to control the manner and timing of his/her own death. Cons Just like there are many pros there are cons to Physician-Assisted-Suicide. Society is fearful of Physician-Assisted-Suicide because they fear being pressured to terminate their lives by the people around them and/or the medical staff. In addition, patients might feel as if they have become a burden to their families and committing suicide will resolve that for his/her family. Another concern would be the message being sent, especially to those who are not terminally ill. Would our younger generation have the understanding that committing suicide is appropriate?
Assisted Suicide Is Not Murder Assisted suicide is a very touchy issue but should be allowed for all terminally ill patients. Any person who has been diagnosed terminal should be allowed to end their pain and suffering. The term assisted suicide has several different interpretations. The most widely used and accepted is the intentional hastening of death by a terminally ill patient with assistance from a doctor, relative, or another person. Some people think that the definition should include the words, in order to relieve extreme pain and suffering Most people just want to live and die with dignity.
The primary concern is to ensure that the patient is as comfortable as possible and that any emotional and psychological needs are being addressed. “For many, hospice is a frightening word because it is associated with end of life. But really the confusion is due to not understanding what hospice is and how it can help people who are sick and their families. Often, the biggest myth surrounding hospice care is that the family has given up and hospice is a final surrender. But hospice is a way for people to prioritize the wishes of the patient and the family and is in no way "giving up."
The American Medical Association has generally argued against physician assisted suicide on the grounds that it undermines the integrity of the profession (Braddock & Tonelli 1998). Although patients can commit suicide without the aid of their physician it is still against the law and it can affect family members after they are gone. Opinions differ on the ethical consequences of trying to make physician assisted suicide the responsibility of doctors, but prior consideration of such ethically relevant consequences the question arises of whether the provision assisted suicide can logically be part of the doctor’s role (Fiona Randall & Robin Downie 2010). At the same time the state needs to monitor physician to see that they do not break the law and take it into their hands to participate in physician assisted suicide. A physician job description is to aim at the provision of treatments with health benefits in the patient’s best interest, and to avoid adverse outcomes (Fiona Randall & Robin Downie 2010).
Such a gravely ill person, would hardly be in the right mind and position to make this important decision; his only wish would be to escape from his sufferings. Even if he was thinking rationally, there would be many foreign factors taken into consideration, influences by others to make you feel devalued and a burden, comments by doctors, sighs and the look of exhaustion in the eyes of loved ones, all these small gestures are enough to persuade a patient exhausted of fighting to sign the document of approval. The idea of “letting go”, choosing to go into peaceful, endless slumber sounds like a much happier and fortunate future than battling your illness for a few more months writhing in agony, but please realize, death isn’t a brighter future you will be entering into, but non-existence. Furthermore, establishing legal euthanasia would have a profound negative on the society. Imagine, if euthanasia was legalized, the message sent to general public would be: death is a legitimate alternative to sufficiently large personal challenges, regardless of what those challenges are.
It is not enough to simply keep the body alive, the spirit that is within it must be tended to as well. Is it mere convenience to assist a person that is terminally ill, with their suicide? Is it moral, to end the suffering of one at the expense of their family’s emotional pain? My argument against euthanasia would be to better improve the quality of life for an ailing individual, rather than terminate their life. It may not be cost effective, or the most convenient for friends and family and hospital staff, but it provides the satisfaction that everything that could have been done, was done.
On the other hand opponents of assisted suicide do not believe this is the only way to secure a good health alternative. Opponents believe that it is important to make a patient feel comfortable and help them improve their quality of life not end life just because it is an option or that they may feel they are a burden to loved ones. Assisted suicide can be performed by a physician or a person who is willing to help a patient end their life. This paper will focus on physician assisted suicide (PAS), this has been a controversial issue in many countries and have many different opinions on the ethics behind assisted suicide. To further examine the data the utilitarian ethics approach will be used.
For those who know others are going through hard times , whether they be cancer survivors or not I hope this lets you know that just because they seem to be coping with it well - doesn't mean they are. That simple question, "Are you okay" saves lives. Stopping that unfair expectation and breaking that stereotype of a survivor starts with
English 060 21 July 2010 Legalize Murder or Suicide? Death is a part of life that everyone has to deal with. For some people the eternal rest will come much quicker then for others. People with Aids, Lou Gehrig’s disease and multiple sclerosis are staring right into the face of death. Their exit from this world will most likely be slow and painful.
How a person can say they love someone and be willing to help in their death was just beyond me. For many people this is a topic of discussion. Why do the ones who believe that it is ok for this to happen believe the way they do? Why are some people opposed to this way of dying? We are going to begin this paper by looking at the opposing side of this topic.