Should a terminally ill patient be allowed to commit physician-assisted suicide? The main dispute to the issue of a terminally ill patient’s ability to commit physician-assisted suicide is their basic right to be able to die with dignity. They want the right to be able to go beyond the refusal of treatment when their suffering becomes intolerable. They would like the opportunity to end their suffering in a humane way and on their own terms. Additionally, no one has directly asked sick, let alone terminally ill, patients whether having euthanasia or PAS available as an option would be reassuring (Emanuel, 1999).
This waiting time can be extremely painful for the patients and the people who surround them. Failing to decriminalize euthanasia will result in the continued tragedies associated with botched suicide
White Paper Series Serious Safety Events: A Focus on Harm Classification. American Society for Healthcare Risk Management. Internet, available from http://www.ashrm.org/pubs/files/white_papers/SSE%20White20Pape_10-5-12_FINAL.pdf accessed 24 July 2015 Michelle Hoppes, and Jacque Mitchell. White Paper Series Serious Safety Events: Getting to Zero. American Society for Healthcare Risk Management.
Right or Wrong - Physician Assisted Suicide Something we all can agree with-cancer is painful. “…two thirds of patients with advanced disease have significant pain, and the major reason why cancer is painful is that it invades tissues, like bone, or soft tissue like muscle, and compresses the nerves and produces pain in that way” says ABC News (Foley). Imagine that patient was your loved one fighting a chronic illness. You have watched as they have battled through the ugly side effects of chemo, radiation or some other painful intervention. Your loved one has lost weight, their hair and most of their immune system.
Management of Pain in Elderly Patients with Cancer. JAMA; 279:23, 1877-1882. Retrieved from http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=187650 Breast Cancer. (September 17, 2012) Pain Management. Retrieved from http://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/types/recur_metast/treat_metast/pain_manage Davis, M., Khoshknabi, D., Yue, G. (2006).
(Dec,1997),A Right to Die:The Dax Cowart Case,Library Journal 122.20 ProCon.Org. (May,2012).Should Euthanasia or Physician Assisted Suicide be Legal? Euthanasia.Procon.org Retrieved from http://euthanasia.procon.org/view.resource Savage,David.G. (June,1997) High Court Refuses to Grant Constitutional “Right To Die”.Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, California,A,1:6 Wolfson, Jay, DrPH, JD. (2003-12-01).
It is a humane and judicious way to allow a person relief from suffering that modern medicine has prolonged. There should be evaluation by a psychiatrist and all options of treatment should be explored. If the prognosis is still certain death or an egregious decline in quality of life, then physician assisted suicide should be an option for those who are capable of choosing it. With appropriate safeguards defined and a process to closely monitor extreme cases of suffering, this procedure should be on the table. If it isn’t, we are condemning people to a long and painful end without dignity or humanity and we are forcing their loved ones to stand by and watch, powerless to help them.
Oregon was a landmark decision from the U.S. Supreme Court in 2006 that upheld Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act (ODWDA). This law, passed in 1997, which allows Oregon physicians to prescribe a lethal drug dose of medication to a patient. Oregon’s voters believed that a competent adult who has a terminal illness should have the right to ask a physician for assistance in ending their life. This allows the patient to control their dying with dignity. Under ODWDA, the steps are very specific, providing the patient an opportunity to understand their condition and seek counseling if desired.
Does one have a right to physician-assisted suicide? Is it acceptable for a physician to end a terminally-ill patient’s suffering? One will discuss the reasons why physician-assisted suicide should be legalized for terminally-ill patients in the United States. Terminally-ill patients should be granted the basic human right to decide to end their life, when in a state of prolonged suffering. The act of euthanizing suffering animals is considered an act of human kindness in society, which should be extended to the terminally-ill as well.
"Assisted Suicide Is Controversial for Doctors." Village Life Company: Multimedia Information Since 1996. Villagelife.org, 1998. Web. 9 Apr.