Physician Assisted Suicide Legalized

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Legalization of Physician assisted suicide Fredy Zurita LEGALIZATION OF PHYSICIAN ASSISTED SUICIDE For many years there has been a lot of controversy about the legalization of physician assisted suicide in the United States. So far the only state that made it legal is Oregon. There were two referendums in Oregon in order to make this possible. Since the old times physicians’ jobs were related to taking care, making feel better, fighting disease, and looking for better treatments for their patients. All of the physicians’ jobs were closely related to ensuring a better and long lasting life for their patients. This has changed very little since the old times. With the advances of technology, science has…show more content…
If we say that Doctors’ who provide assisted suicide can not be trusted, how will we know which doctor provided assisted suicide? We will not trust in any doctor? Even though physician assisted suicide is not legal in all states there have been reports of physicians’ secretly providing it anyway. Quill and Cassel (2003), state that “The illegality of physician-assisted suicide makes estimation of its frequency difficult. Two well done studies about the secret practice of physician-assisted suicide report a lifetime physician participation rate of about 5%. Subgroups, such as AIDS physician in San Francisco, California, show participation rates as high as 50%”…show more content…
(2003). Professional organizations’ position statements on physician-assisted suicide: a case for study neutrality. Annals of Internal Medicine, 138 (3), 208-212. Retrieved January 20, 2007, from www.annals.org. Hurt, S., & Mauron, A. (2006). The ethics of palliative care and euthanasia: exploring common values. Palliative Medecine, 20(2), 107-112. Retrieved February 05, 2007 from EBSCOhost Direct database. Ersek, M. (2005). Assisted suicide: unraveling a complex issue. Nursing, 35(4), 48-52. Retrieved January 20, 2007 from www.nursing2005.com Legalized suicide eroding medical treatment (2005, November 21). America, retrieved January 20, 2007 from www.americamagazine.org Physicians for compassionate care, (2005). Legalizing physician-assisted suicide would damage the physician-patient relationship. In K. F. Balkin (Ed)., Assisted Suicide (pp. 130-132). Detroit: Greenhaven Press. (6) Ersek, M. (2005). Assisted suicide: unraveling a complex issue. Nursing, 35(4), 48-52. Retrieved January 20, 2007 from

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