Physician Assisted Suicide Why is it only ethical to die “naturally”, after a long illness filled with highly “un-natural” life extending medical procedures? Over the last twenty years, physician assisted suicides have become a sensitive issue in governmental offices as whether to legalize such an option. Even though many religions prohibit suicide and the intentional killing of others, and some believe it violates a portion of a doctors’ Hippocratic Oath, Physician Assisted Suicide should be a legal option for those with terminal diseases or conditions because reasonable laws can be constructed which prevent abuse and still protect the value of human life. Physician assisted suicide is the voluntary termination of one's own life by administration
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.
Perspectives on Physician-Assisted Suicides Brendolynn Champlaie PHI103 Informal Logic John Moore September 22, 2010 Thesis Assisted suicide should be legal it will allow terminally ill patients the freedom of choosing how they should end their life when they can no longer endure the pain and suffering. People have the freedom to do almost anything that they choose to do except for how they die. Some patients would like to die with dignity since is a personal choice and this is something their doctor should understand. The method that they might want to choose is euthanasia which is also known as assisted suicide, physician-assisted suicide (dying), doctor-assisted dying (suicide), and more loosely termed mercy (Christian Nordquist
PHYSICIAN ASSISTED SUICIDE, for or against it? Physician assisted suicide (PAS) is a physician providing medication or other sorts of treatment/interventions with the knowledge and understanding that the patient intends to use these medications in order to end their life. Arguments for and against physician assisted suicide have shown to be both very strong. Although at times the issues brought up may seem to be old or very similar and even repetitive, new ideas and concerns constantly are emerging. Many states throughout the United States of America have continuously tried to legalize it, and Oregon, Washington and Montana being successful in that endeavor.
Then there are the people who feel that if people who are suffering have the right to stop life sustaining-treatment then why other suffering patients can’t ask physicians to give them life –ending treatments. Physician assisted suicide has been a big debate here in the America. In 1997 the Us Supreme Court said that there is no constitutional right to physician assisted suicide and the State Legistratures may choose if they want to vote to legalize physician assisted suicide then the Oregon board of Pharmacy put in an order requiring physicians to document if this is for an assisted suicide. In 1999 Oregon became the only US state that voted to legalize physician assisted suicide and in January 1998 one doctor announced his or her participation in the assisted suicide act. There are several countries that currently allow one or the other types of physician assisted suicide.
(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.
Oregon’s DWDA is an example of assisted suicide; not to be confused with euthanasia. Assisted suicide is the process by which an individual, who may otherwise be incapable, is provided with the means (drugs or equipment) to commit suicide. This differs from euthanasia in that, assisted suicide, the individual performs the critical action and in euthanasia, the life ending decision is made and/or performed by a third party. The United States seems to have strong opposition against assisted suicide;
Is Assisted Suicide Ethically Justified? Chriss N. Thomas Philosophy of Ethics Dr. John Schmitz February 8, 2012 The choice a terminally ill patient makes should be available to them in the event they no longer want to suffer. According to Dame Jill Macleod Clark, who sits on the Council of Deans of Health, states “those who have cared for terminally ill patients, friends or family know their greatest fears and anxieties are about intractable sufferings, and their desire for a dignified and peaceful death” (2011). When patients who are terminally ill want to hear options the argument has been made that all options are not available because assisted suicide comes with scrutiny and consequences. On the other hand opponents of assisted suicide do not believe this is the only way to secure a good health alternative.
Assisted Suicide PHI 200 Steven Carter February 27, 2012 Assisted Suicide Dealing with a painful and a long terminal illness is hard on everyone involved especially the person whom this is happening to. Susan Wolf’s article, “Confronting Physician-Assisted suicide and Euthanasia: My Father’s Death”, was very emotional and expressed the changes a dying person makes as the pain and all the treatments become too much to handle, especially when it is determined nothing else can be done. If this had been one of my parents, I would have dealt with the situation the same way that Susan Wolf did. I had an aunt that suffered with colon cancer and I agree that the most important thing to do is to keep the person comfortable and do only
Sometimes, the lethal dose of medication does not work and the patient is left alive. In one case, a man took his dose of medication and did not die. He ended up surviving his terminal illness three years past his estimated time of death. In order for doctor assisted death to be legalized, doctors must make it more of an exact science. The dose of medication given to the patient must be lethal enough so that he/she does not wake up to the nightmare of realizing that they did not die.