However, there are many pros and cons to each side of the argument. Physician-assisted suicide is unethical based on the Hippocratic Oath, but is ethical based on the patient’s views – which sometimes outweigh the morals of a physician. Physician-assisted suicide first became an issue when our society decided that it was neither moral nor ethical for a physician to help end a terminally ill patient’s life. According to Katie Pickert, Dr. Jack Kevorkian brought lots of attention to the topic during the “epic assisted suicide battle of the 1990s” (1). People who argue with Kevorkian for physician-assisted suicide feel that by helping a patient end his or her life peacefully is helpful to family and friends.
Eventually some people and their families might be forced to put financial concerns above the needs of a loved one. Doctors or insurance companies could try to convince some people to opt for assisted suicide rather than the more expensive treatment. This would be an injustice to all humankind. A history professor at San Francisco State University argued that assisted suicide would lead to inequities and would not be limited to those with a terminal illness. “Given the way the U.S. healthcare system is getting increasingly unjust and even savage, I don't think this system could be trusted to implement such a system equitably, or confine it to people who are immediately terminally ill"(Mohler).
Should Euthanasia or Physician-Assisted Suicide Be Legal? Dion O. Hales SOC120 Introduction to Ethics and Social Responsibility Prof. Theodore Framan June 22, 2012 Should Euthanasia or Physician-Assisted Suicide Be Legal? While killing yourself is harder than having someone do it for you is that killing yourself requires firmer resolve, Should euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide be legal? Because a patient's last will and last testament should be honored, a competent patient's request to terminate life-sustaining treatment, and it is our moral right to prevent a person from suffering if they suffer from a disease we cannot cure. First, Should euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide be legal?
To this day, one of the biggest controversial topics that continue to spark endless discussions is the public approval of euthanasia. Euthanasia which is commonly known as “assisted suicide” is the deliberate action of ending a life to relieve continuous pain and suffering (Nordqvist, 2010). This has become a complicated global issue, as various cultures battle with the list of ethical, religious, and legal factors that play a major part in the act. Many see euthanasia as a benefit not only for the patient, but for the patient’s family as well. In this case, the practice is able to end one’s life in a peaceful manner, while a financial and emotional burden can also be lifted off of the family members.
Outline and comment upon arguments for and against legalising euthanasia. Euthanasia, a term that once meant ‘good death’ in the times of the Ancient Greeks, is now seen as a taboo subject which many struggle to speak about. Euthanasia was once a simple term for a ‘good death’ but now refers to a death that is deliberately brought about for humane reasons (Rachels, 1993). With advancements in medical and moral fields, euthanasia is now about so much more. It can be broken down into multiple categories which help to give clarity to what exact action is being conducted.
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.
Physician-assisted suicide, a suicide made possible by a physician providing a patient with the means to kill themselves, and euthanasia, the mercy killing of one individual by another, are highly controversial topics. Even countries which share a great deal of their philosophical and moral foundations, such as the United States and much of Western Europe, come to very different conclusions and create very different legislation in this area. However, I believe that there are some basic conclusions that argue both for and against PAS and euthanasia, and when they are weighed against each other there is a much stronger case for legalizing the practices than for banning them. To begin, though, it is important to point out that banning a practice
For others who are more incapacitated, PAS could involve setting up a mechanism whereby the patient merely has to 'press a button' to receive a lethal injection. Physician assisted suicide clearly has consequences for another person since it requires involvement of another. The issue of whether human beings and more pointedly, doctors have the right to help others die has been in the public disagreement for a very long time. The Hippocratic Oath, which was estimated to be written in the fourth century B.C., includes the statement “I will not give a lethal drug to anyone if I am asked, nor will I
Nevertheless, the technologies also prolong the dying processes, leading some people to question whether modern medicine is forcing patients to live in unnecessary pain when there is no chance they will be cured. “Passive euthanasia—disconnecting a respirator or removing a feeding tube has become an accepted solution to this dilemma. Active euthanasia perhaps an overdose of pills or a deadly injection of morphine remains controversial “(McDougall,
Suicide can be defined as the act of one person taking away their own life intentionally. Before the late 19th century, in most Western countries suicide was seen as a criminal act. This act is usually considered and reacted to as a psychiatric emergency. Suicide is usually seen as a very common cause of death in prison settings. It is a serious public health concern and it does need attention, but preventing this from occurring is not an easy task to take on.