The organisation could also be fined by not complying with the law which would have a negative effect with exposure in the media. Organisations would have a reduction in patient and public confidence and so their reputation would be affected and patients would choose to have their care else where. Members of staff would also have a decrease in confidence with the organisation and their stress levels will increase. On the individual: This could cause further complications to their primary condition increasing their recovery time and possibly giving them a lengthy stay in a hospital setting. Patients may be forced to stay off work which will lead to a loss of earnings putting more stress on the individual and their families, possibly leaving a patient needing treatment for depression.
Since this topic is illegal physicians and patients do not speak of it. It becomes a topic that is hidden under a rock. Physicians know they can help the dying and the dying know that the physicians can help them, but because of legal issues no one dares to speak of the aid in dying. Legalization of PAD would promote open discussion and may promote better end-of-life care as patients and physicians could more directly address concern and options. Patients and doctors should have the right to speak about the topic of physician aid in dying.
Physician assisted suicide should be a right given to all people who are suffering from a painful, degenerative, or deadly condition. Anyone who might never enjoy the luxuries of living a happy and healthy life again. Though several ongoing debates are against physician-assisted suicide, ethicists are still not the one who is responsible to make this decision. Patients have the right to free will and human dignity that gives them the right to choose physician assisted suicide. Being able to have this choice allows the patient to maintain some control over their devastating situation.
The Dangers of Assisted Suicide “Advocates of physician assisted suicide try to convey the impression that in terminally ill patients the wish to die is totally different from suicidal intent in those without terminal illness” (Herbert and Klerman 118.) Physician assisted suicide is when a physician assists their patient in dying upon their request. In some states there are laws giving limitations to who can request such a “procedure,“ but these laws are not enough to prevent the dangers of assisted suicide. Assisted suicide should be illegal in all fifty states because it is immoral, dangerous to society, and can lead to the deaths of millions of depressed people. “Critics of physician assisted suicide believe that doctors like Jack Kevorkian are doing nothing less than playing God“ (Gay 47.)
In my nursing class, I learned that doctors cure the sickness and nurses cure the patient. This means that the nurse attends to the physical, mental, and psychosocial aspects in the care of patients. Some days can be demanding on the mind and body, but you can still go home and be grateful of what you have done for someone else. I believe that the core of nursing is love and passion for others. Without this love and passion, why is one in nursing.
Euthanasia is intentionally ending a person’s life from suffering (Glau and Jacobsen 399). What patient in the hospital is not suffering? Every patient is suffering to some degree; otherwise he/she would not be in the hospital. To many people, euthanasia is considered as a slippery slope to medical practice. This euthanasia idea can go so far as to being imposed on people who aren’t even in a comatose state.
In contrast, involuntary euthanasia refers to ending one’s life that openly expresses their wish to die and requests other individuals to end their lives. [2] Euthanasia is currently illegal in many countries, including Canada. It has been recently legalized in some cities such as Oregon, Washington, Montana, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. Euthanasia should remain illegal because it takes away hope from the patients to get through their diseases, it creates conflicts between religious groups and it could be used for ulterior motives. If euthanasia becomes legal, it would be a treatment option for the terminally sick ones.
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).
The law is based on morals and opinions that those affected by the law do not share, as well as based on the possibility of a complication that has another solution. Admitting privileges are not necessary when a complication in an abortion occurs, and therefore the law that requires the obtaining of privileges is not necessary as well. Acting out against this unfairness that denies women their law-given right to abortion is a justifiable
Recurrently, there are cases where patients aren’t given a choice when it comes to euthanasia. In fact, many ill patients lack the sufficient knowledge needed to ease their own symptoms, and aren’t in stable enough conditions to make critical decisions revolving life and death. After being in constant care, it is common for these patients to feel anxious about the future of their health, as well as pressured to make this choice; in hopes that they will become less of a burden towards their family members. It is also possible for doctors to misdiagnose an ill patient. “It is foolish to claim that incorrect diagnoses and prognoses could never occur” (Ethical Rights, 2013).