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Assisted Suicide Ethical Dilemmas

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An argument from those who are against assisted suicide is that assisted suicide is unethical. Heather Newton, Article Editor for The Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics, argues that assisted suicide is similar to euthanizing. The difference between the two acts is that in assisted suicide the medication is administered by the patient, wherein euthanizing the doctor administers the medication. Also this process can be considered a violation of the Hippocratic Oath that every doctor takes. This oath states “I will give no deadly medicine to anyone if asked, nor suggest any such counsel”(Quffa, Voinea). For many in health care, the goal is to help people by following any oaths taken and rules that have been set in place. Doctors and nurses may
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Anna Acton writes the reading “The Progressive Case Against Assisted Suicide”. In this argument she states she is against assisted suicide. Acton says that money and power play a huge impacting role when it comes to the topic of assisted suicide. Some health care companies are rejecting treatments in order to raise their bottom line. This is outrageous to know that people companies put their financial stability before the well being of those who are disabled, poor, and sick.

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he child's maternal grandmother stated Anna has a history of domestic violence, drug use, and suicidal ideation. The reporter stated Anna has been diagnosed as bipolar and is currently on suicide watch by local law enforcement. Tamara stated Anna was recently released from jail and had plans to spend time with the victim and the reporter while she gets back on track and pick up her medications. Anna left the home on 10/20/15 and has not returned and the reporter has received text messages from Anna stating plans to take her life and heard from others that at this time Anna may be suicidal and plans to come pick up Addyson. Tamara stated she's had custody of Addyson all her life and contacted her lawyer; Ms. Wright's lawyer told her there was

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Threatening to diminish the value of life is very dangerous. Euthanasia, also called mercy killing, is the practice of doctors intentionally ending a terminally ill patient’s life in what is purportedly a gentle and dignified manner. The term originated in ancient Greek and means “easy death.” Doctors perform euthanasia by administering lethal drugs or by withholding treatment that would prolong the patient’s life. Physician-assisted suicide is also a form of euthanasia, but the difference between the two methods is that in euthanasia, doctors end the patient’s life with lethal injections, whereas, in physician-assisted suicide, patients kill themselves with a lethal amount of drugs prescribed by the doctors.

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Physician-assisted Suicide and Ethical Principles The responsibility a physician has to his patients and society is established by medical ethics and is at a greater degree than the law (Sulmasy & Mueller, 2017). The ethical principles, beneficence, autonomy, nonmaleficence, and promotion of fairness and social justice, are the basis for a physician’s duties to his patients. He is a member of a profession with ethical obligations; he is not just a service provider, but a moral advocate. Both medical ethics and the law support the patient’s right to refuse therapy.

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Ethically, how does one support the legalization of euthanasia? The idea of committing suicide, assisted or not, has been debated by both governments and religious spearheads since the 1900s, with the focus on whether assisted suicide or euthanasia should be considered a crime in the eyes of God and the state. The article "Assisted Suicide - Between the Right to Life, the Obligation to Live and Social Acceptance" poses the question: "If there is a right to live, is there also a right to die?" This showcases the idea of ethics behind suicide. Humanity, as a whole, values life as one of the most sacred principles of existence.

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The bioethics of medical procedures have long been a controversial topic, but never more debated than the ethics of doctor-assisted suicide. Doctor-assisted suicide otherwise known as DAS is the voluntary ending of one’s life with the administration of a lethal drug, with the direct or indirect assistance of a physician. To clarify, indirect DAS is when the patient does the final stage to euthanize oneself. Direct DAS occurs when another individual is given consent to do the final stage of administering the lethal substance to the patient, either a physician or nurse. DNR orders (do not resuscitate) are considered a passive form of Direct DAS.

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The Issue with Physician Assisted Suicide Physician-assisted suicide is the act of a physician prescribing a patient medication that allows the patient to kill themselves. Normally it is only given to patients with terminal illness, but the act of assisted suicide is on the rise for other diseases like depression. It is only legal in 5 states in America. Physician-assisted suicide should be made illegal across all states because it is offensive to social groups, causes doctors’ jobs to become more challenging, and it opposes patient freedom.

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Death is unnerving. However, to those fighting unwinnable battles death may seem to be the only way to escape the pain. For the patients in agonizing situations, nurses are there to provide comfort and care. The patient and nurse form a unique relationship and, therefore, the nurse is typically the first person a patient deliberates the topic of assisted suicide with (Maher, 2007). This issue has been strongly deliberated since 1997 when Oregon passed a law termed the Death With Dignity Act.

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Most of these statements come from religious persons or the physicians themselves. They claim that not only is it morally unjust but it is considered murder, “Today, nearly all states prohibit assisted suicide and euthanasia. In Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio, assisting suicide is considered murder.” (Raed Gonzalez, J.D., LL.M candidate) For religious people assisted suicide goes against the laws of God.

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Many people think that there are too many problems with physician assisted suicide. Physician assisted suicide is a procedure that allows physicians to prescribe their patients a lethal medication that they can inject themselves with in order to die on their own terms. There are specific requirements that the patients must meet in order to receive this medication. Physician assisted suicide is only for patients that have life threatening illnesses and do not have much time left to live. It is legal in numerous places around the world including certain places in the United States.

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Introduction Euthanasia also known as assisted suicide is giving patients the right to choose whether they want to live or die. This procedure is administered on patients on life support machines and those with terminal illnesses and there is no hope for recovery and those undergoing much stress and pain. The topic of euthanasia is significant in health care because, this procedure is done by health care professionals. In addition, it is significant to healthcare because of the practical arguments for and against euthanasia.

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A big argument against physician assisted suicide from a medical standpoint is the idea that it violates the Hippocratic oath doctors must take. All doctors must swear to do no intentional harm to patients. While it may seem that physician assisted suicide is not innately harmful, but instead aimed at providing peace, there are some that see the intentional ending of a lives unacceptable under any circumstances. Suicide and

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509 Words | 3 Pages

Among the French Revolution, Napoleonic era, and the American Civil War- which led to the abolishment of slavery- new ethical ideas were produced. Jeremy Bentham’s new ethical idea was the Principle of Utility. Bentham’s new idea stated that morality was all about making people as happy as humanly possible. Euthanasia is not considered moral within our societies standards. However, under the Principle of Utility, euthanasia could be considered moral if it provided true happiness.

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1252 Words | 6 Pages

Assisted suicide is a rather controversial issue in contemporary society. When a terminally ill patient formally requests to be euthanized by a board certified physician, an ethical dilemma arises. Can someone ethically end the life of another human being, even if the patient will die in less than six months? Unlike traditional suicide, euthanasia included multiple individuals including the patient, doctor, and witnesses, where each party involved has a set of legal responsibilities. In order to understand this quandary and eventually reach a conclusion, each party involved must have their responsibilities analyzed and the underlying guidelines of moral ethics must be investigated.

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637 Words | 3 Pages

Imagine you were lying in your bed, cold and in pain, and there were no medications or treatments that could help you. Wouldn’t you want to make the lingering pain go away, forever? Euthanasia gives people the option of ending their suffering. There’s a good and a bad side to it; however, the positive outweighs the negative. Although it involves death, it comes with good intentions.

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