Core Assessment Paper Physician Assisted Suicide Creates Perpetuates the Slippery Slope Argument Abstract Human illness, suffering and death, unfortunately, are part of the human condition, and dealing with chronic illness and death is part of the human experience. With a topic as far reaching as Physician Assisted Suicide (PAS), and, of course the root topic, death, it is understandable that much controversy exist between propends of suicide as a method to ease suffering and their opposition. This paper will address the controversy by presenting a balanced assessment of each argument. The research and findings will show trend predictions in the Slippery Slope argument have been proven factual. Keywords: Physician Assisted Suicide, Medical Ethics, Goals of Medicine, Slippery Slope, Sweden .
The act of taking a person’s life is murder. But would it still be murder if the act was done in order to save the person from certain pain and possibly humiliation? Such an act is known as euthanasia or assisted suicide and is clearly defined as the act of taking a terminally ill patient’s life, or allowing their death in a painless and swift way, ensuring that the said patient does not suffer physically or mentally from their condition. This controversial procedure has sparked many debates in recent times, debates that have yet to reach a conclusion. The main question remains: should we kill in order to relieve pain?
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.
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?
Applied Ethics – Assignment Essay Topic: Euthanasia or murder? Euthanasia is always a controversial issue which has led arguments between two-sides for a long period. It raises lots of moral and religious questions, such as: is euthanasia another word for murder? In my point of view, euthanasia definitely is not a murder. In this essay, I am going to discuss the difference between euthanasia and murder in three main aspects – the patients’ will, the intention, the condition of patients.
Assisted Suicide Assisted suicide is a very controversial topic in our country today. Even after weighing in all of the evidence, I am still not sure how to feel about this dilemma. I understand and empathize with the people that support assisted suicide and also with the people that are against it. There are several aspects to consider on such a diverse topic. One aspect to consider about assisted suicide is the legal one.
“Many physicians say they would be clouding their roles as healers if they helped patients to die” (Buchanan 36.) Physicians even take the Hippocratic Oath, which states that “a physician promises to help the sick and never to cause harm” (Buchanan 36.) As Daniel E. Lee, a reporter for the Hastings Center, says “Meaning and hope are possible in all of life’s situations, even in the midst of suffering” (17.) If the United States were to nationally legalize assisted suicide, it would be a disaster, not only because the way it would go against our morals, but the way it would negatively effect today’s society. “Janet, Sherry , Marjorie, and Susan were not terminal by accepted medical definition…[they] were not Kevorkian’s patients in any traditional sense.
Therefore, this is an extremely controversial topic, which has raised a great deal of debate all over the world. Life seems to be the most obvious answer, if to choose between life and death. Nevertheless, in the case when the euthanasia may be voluntary, I would like to highlight the human right to be in charge of their life. Maimed, bedridden people feel a burden for their relatives. Humble and disabled, they want at least to leave this world peacefully and to die with dignity.
The case could then be turned into that of homicide. The Arguments I believe that everyone should have the right to their own death whenever they feel they need or deserve it. If a certain individual feels that they would be miserable for the rest of their life after being paralyzed below the waist, and they request to be euthanized, who are we to deny them? So far, only two states have legalized physician-assisted suicide: Oregon and Washington. Their rules to receive this death is that the patient must provide two verbal requests and one written request to their health care provider.
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.