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Physician Assisted Suicide Argumentative Essay

1228 Words5 Pages

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. Physician assisted suicide has been an intensely debated problem for years but if used properly, could be an effective way to help those who are suffering at the end of their life. Countless people have been advocating for physician assisted suicide for years and the most famous advocate for assisted suicide was Dr. Jack Kevorkian. He was a pathologist but received the nickname Dr. Death after it was estimated that between 1990 and 1999 he assisted 130 terminally ill individuals in their assisted suicides (“Jack Kevorkian”). Dr. Kevorkian is considered a crusader for physician …show more content…

Some safeguards around the world include the patient being a mentally healthy adult, two physicians must agree on the diagnosis and must inform the patient of all options and if the patient still agrees to the assisted suicide then a mandatory waiting period ensues (Pope). After the waiting period the patient makes three requests, two oral and one written, and they can rescind the request at any time but if they proceed the patient must administer the lethal medication themselves. These safeguards are precautions to ensure that assisted suicide is done as safely and legally as possible (“Euthanasia and Assisted

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Jack Kevorkian, otherwise known as “Dr. Death,” became one of the first physicians to bring widespread attention to the concept of physician-assisted suicide. Kevorkian developed a machine he called the “Thanatron” which would allow him to assist the patient, whom had the desire to end his/her own life, as they inject lethal doses of medicine. The machine had 3 bottles which delivered the fluid through an IV. The first solution to be injected through the IV is saline, then pain killer, and finally the last fluid to be injected is a lethal dose of potassium chloride. This instrument developed by Kevorkian gave patients the ability to end their own life, have assistance from a licensed physician, and die a dignified and peaceful death.

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Physician assisted suicide is something that has been debated all the way back to 1st century B.C. As opinions back then favored physician assisted suicide, opinions in the 12th-15th century did not support it, with the backup of the hippocratic oath. As the years progressed opinions on this subject flipped back and forth. Today, the opinion on physician assisted suicide is on it’s favor. However, there are only five states that allow this practice.

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