English 1301 110 Memoir What they don’t know June 9, 1996. Mom was full of joy with a smile from ear to ear when suddenly the doctor comes into the room where my mom was laying in at the time she gave birth to me. Then with no warning what so ever she was given one of the worst news she has had in her life. The doctor stated these words to her with his half spoken Spanish “su hijo a el parser esta ciego.” Meaning that by the looks of it, I was blind. My mom bursted in tears she didn’t want to see her child struggle throughout life.
The author always wanted to be thinner; she had no patience for her body. She began to hate her body and wanted to be seen as an anorectic not a bulimic. She wanted her body to go away and wanted to be admired for her incredible self-control. She was bulimic for seven long years and somewhere in this illness she made the decision to be strictly anorectic. Hornbacher unhealthy weight loss lead into physical symptoms such as starving herself and malnutrition.
She requested information about the morning-after pill and was denied such information being that the hospital was Catholic. In addition, she was never told that in order for the pill to be effective she would have to take it within 72 hours (Ascension Health, 2007). For a rape victim this is a huge issue, is not enough that her innocence was taken, but the choice of deciding whether or not she would want to keep an unwanted child. Furthermore, she would have to conduct an abortion because the hospital staff denied her of her rights, leaving her with the guilt of killing that child and being raped. Legally, hospitals and staff should do what is in the patient’s best interest.
In 1997, the Oregon Death with Dignity act was passed. The law strictly prohibits lethal injection, mercy killing or active euthanasia, but it allows mentally competent adults who declare their intentions in writing, and have been diagnosed
My friend whose body was shaking still trying to carry the baby's grandmother because she couldn't stand and she was about to fell down. "That was a horrible day ever in my life" cried my friend. She cried a lot when she called me. She said she didn't cry in front of her family, so that she could take care of
Suicide is not a contention to those who have access to medical options that offer relief and comfort to their day to day suffering. But, what of those who do not have these options? This is the opening for physician’s to lead patients to suicides if they have no other alternative. In New York, the court’s are debating over the legalization of assisted suicide as it applies to physicians who “facilitate the exercise of the decision of competent, terminally ill adults to hasten inevitable death by prescribing suitable medications for the patient to self-administer for that purpose” ( Supreme Court, 1997). The court examined six interests asserted by the state to support it prohibition of assisted suicide.
Under ODWDA, the steps are very specific, providing the patient an opportunity to understand their condition and seek counseling if desired. Once the patient expresses desire in the lethal treatment, a second physician provides an independent examination and confirms the initial physician’s findings. Finally, the physician can issue the prescription, but the patient must take the medication on their own; the physician cannot administer the lethal dose to the patient. This groundbreaking law by Oregon set the precedent for other states to issue similar laws since physician-assisted suicide is illegal in the United
(Enouen). The state of Oregon was the first state in the United States of America to legalize physician-assisted suicide. This makes it legal to prescribe (life-ending) drugs to terminally ill patent’s that have 6 or less months to live. Albeit these records show a relatively small % of Oregonians choose to do this. Most likely due to the lack of responsibility and safeguards.
What about people with disabilities? Who will decide for them? Medical professionals of course agree that the disabled would be exempt. You have to be of sound mind to even consider euthanasia. Professor Suzanne McDermott of USC School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, stated, there will be many states in the next decade that introduce or consider the introduction of laws to legalize assisted suicide.
Last Friday, I had a first time parent tell me in full blown tears, she would never be back. As she cried, between the tears said she had to get insurance for her baby. I was devastated that she felt inadequate because she could not provide healthcare for her child; but even worse, because a medical professional made her feel that way. She felt the provider had been rude and dismissive of her concerns and basically ignored her. I attempted to explain to her, she had done absolutely nothing wrong and no one had the right to make her feel