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Argumentative Essay On Physician Assisted Suicide

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Introduction Assisted suicide is an ethical matter that has been the center of great debate. There are arguments to both sides as to why this should or should not be put into law in more states. The ethical issues come from people believing that this is murder or that it is against their religious beliefs. Currently 6 out of the fifty states, and Washington D.C., allow physician-assisted suicide. There are currently no assisted suicide federal laws. The matter is handled state by state. Assisted suicide should be allowed by all states as an option to terminally ill patients to end their life with dignity on their terms.
Argument
Autonomy is something widely talked about in the medical field these days. It is important to obtain informed consent in all patients for procedures. Doctors are held to a standard of making sure a patient knows what the alternatives to procedures are. This should be true to the dying process also. People should be allowed …show more content…

Oregon is a good example of how the law on assisted suicide should work. While assisted suicide is allowed, euthanasia is illegal. The person must meet certain requirements. Those being: be an adult, age 18 or older, be an Oregon resident, be of sound mind and able to make and communicate medical decisions, and be diagnosed with a terminal illness, being incurable and irreversible, that will lead to death within six months. After meeting those requirements, there is a list of 7 more steps that must be taken before the prescription of a lethal dose of medication is prescribed. The physician is then responsible for reporting this prescription of lethal medication. Washington D.C has similar regulations where a person must make 3 request, the last not being less than fifteen days after the

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This poll also found that 56 percent of Americans believe that physician assisted suicide is a morally acceptable act regardless of its legality, and only 37 percent believe it is morally wrong. Additionally, 62 percent of adults agree that a person has a moral right to suicide” (Ralph A Capone). Other states including Oregon, that have passed death-with-dignity laws include Vermont, California, Colorado and Washington. There is a death with dignity bill that is slated to go before the Maine Legislature in support of physician assisted suicide.

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106 Words | 1 Pages

The right to assisted suicide is a heavily controversial and debated over topic that concerns people all around the United States. The arguments go back and forth about whether a dying patient has the right to end their life with the assistance of a doctor or physician. Some people are against it because of moral and religious reasons. Others are for it because of their compassions and respect for unhappy patients waiting to die naturally. Assisted suicide is prohibited by common law or criminal statute in all 50 U.S. states; medical aid in dying is specifically authorized in 5 states: Oregon, Washington, Vermont, Montana, and California.

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The act also states that “a patient with a terminal condition who self-administers a lethal dose of medication shall not be considered to be a person exposed to grave physical harm…and no person shall be subject to civil or criminal liability solely for being present when a patient with a terminal condition self-administers a lethal dose of medication or for not acting to prevent the patient from self-administering a lethal dose of

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Assisted suicide is a tough decision that comes down to what you morally believe in. The author of the article “The right to die” believes that doctor assisted suicide should be legalized in more states than just the four that it is. He approaches the topic from an ethical standpoint, stating its rights and wrongs. This essay will include reasons as to why assisted suicide should be legalized, how the system of death should work and if it is morally right. Only in four states is assisted suicide mandated by state law: Oregon, Washington, Vermont and California.

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1673 Words | 7 Pages

Physician assisted suicide is currently legal in five U.S. states with fifteen more states reviewing it within the next year making it an important topic to look at morally and ethically. Physician assisted suicide is the act of an individual killing themselves with the help of a physician, usually by taking a lethal dose of a drug. It is important to point out that the patient first has to request it and they complete the ultimate act. This differs from euthanasia where the physician is the one who ultimately causes the death. Physician assisted suicide is requested because the patient is enduring tremendous pain and suffering which can only be ended with their death (Vaughn 293).

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849 Words | 4 Pages

There are only four states in the United States that offer physician assisted suicide they are California, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington. Physician assisted suicide is a form of euthanasia where a doctor provides a lethal amount of drugs so a patient can willingly end their life. This topic is controversial because some people think that it goes against all commonly accepted laws of medical ethics for a doctor to assist in the suicide of a patient and that the wrong people could request it. Physician assisted suicide should be legal and accessible for all people because painful terminal illnesses can’t always be cured or become less painful, and people in that much pain shouldn’t have to suffer when there are other options. Some terminally

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When it comes to physician assisted suicide, no clear-cut answer is immediately exposed as to whether it should be allowed in today’s society. According to CNN, “Physician-assisted suicide is legal in five US states. It is an option given to individuals by state law in Oregon, Vermont, Washington and California.” (par. 1)

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951 Words | 4 Pages

Physician assisted suicide should be allowed in all fifty states. Physician assisted suicide (PAS) is legal in California, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and Montana. Since these states have ruled in favor of PAS there has not been an overuse or malpractice of this law. All five states have a very strict set of qualifications which you must meet even before being able to visit with a doctor. These qualifications are: being of 18 years or older, a resident of said state, capable of making life altering decisions on their own, have a terminal illness with 6 or less months left, and physically capable of administering the drug themselves.

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For this to be a legal, each state has to have some requirements that patience have to meet before continuing with the prescription. It is important to realize not all the states have the same requirements. Each state has a general requirement to go from; however, it does not have to be exact. “The Ongoing Debate Over Physician-Assisted Suicide” presents three similar requirements that will be found for each state. This includes a patient who is mentally stable, have a witness when the procedure is brought up, and finally the patient has to be terminally ill

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However, the sad truth is that nobody gets to choose how he or she dies. Or do they? In some states such as Oregon, Montana, and Washington physician-assisted suicide has been made legal, allowing people to choose death. This sounds very dark and wrong but the truth is that physician assisted suicide should be legal throughout the United States because people deserve the right to make choices for themselves in life, because some people would die an extremely painful death, and because some people have major disabilities that prevent them from really living.

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(Dignity) The mentally competent patient must also be able to administer the

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Physician Assisted-Suicide Should we allow Physician Assisted-Suicide for people who are terminally ill with conditions like cancer and aids? It is quite understandable not to want your loved ones to suffer, however taking your own life goes against what is right under God. States like California has become the fourth state to pass legislation on physician assisted-suicide (Retrieved from California Governor Signs Physician Assisted-Bill).

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1376 Words | 6 Pages

Physician assisted suicide is when a person can choose to die on their own free will. The doctor helps the person administer life-ending medication. This is legally used in California, Oregon, Washington, Vermont, Colorado, and Montana. Not only is it widely used throughout the world there are still laws on it like the Death with Dignity Act. While physician assisted suicide and euthanasia is a topic greatly debated around the world, it should be legal in all states because it is a human right to die on their own terms.

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1465 Words | 6 Pages

Physicians may prescribe a dose of lethal to help rest the patient easily to their death. Patients have to meet certain requirements in order for them to do it. In Oregon, secobarbital, and pentobarbital are the most commonly prescribed medication for the patients. The physician gives the patient the medicine right for them. There are a few different types of medications the physician can prescribe to the patient in need.

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1514 Words | 7 Pages

Denying people of being in control of their life violates our basic rights as humans. In a court case in Canada, the supreme court declared that “the criminal law measures prohibiting the provision of assistance in dying unconstitutional.” (Palmer 191). Canada is a large country and they believed that the blanket ban they had violated the rights people are guaranteed in their constitution. They are right.

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