ipl-logo

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

Show More
Related

Legalizing Physician Assisted Suicide Argumentative Essay

1179 Words | 5 Pages

The medical field is filled with opportunities and procedures that are used to help improve a patient’s standard of living and allow them to be as comfortable as possible. Physician assisted suicide (PAS) is a method, if permitted by the government, that can be employed by physicians across the world as a way to ease a patient’s pain and suffering when all else fails. PAS is, “The voluntary termination of one's own life by administration of a lethal substance with the direct or indirect assistance of a physician.”-Medicinenet.com. This procedure would be the patient’s decision and would allow the patient to end their lives in a more peaceful and comfortable way, rather than suffering until the illness takes over completely. Physician assisted suicide should be permitted by the government because it allows patients to end their suffering and to pass with dignity, save their families and the hospital money, and it allows doctors to preserve vital organs to save

Read More

Physician Assisted Suicide Argumentative Essay

1451 Words | 6 Pages

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.

Read More

Should Physician Assisted Suicide Be Legalized Essay

1800 Words | 8 Pages

In order for a patient to receive the prescription for medication, a physician must declare the patient to be terminally ill, which means they have an incurable and irreversible illness, and they must have no more than six months to live. Also, a second doctor must agree with the first doctor. In addition, the terminally ill patient has to be mentally competent and able to administer the medication themself (“Threat” A12). These rules act as safeguards to ensure that the patient requesting aid in dying is making an informed decision and is acting voluntarily (Gopal

Read More

Pro Physician Assisted Suicide Essay

951 Words | 4 Pages

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.

Read More

Persuasive Essay On Physician Assisted Suicide

1082 Words | 5 Pages

Physician-Assisted suicide is an important problem today. Physician-Assisted suicide is a doctor helping you commit suicide to end your suffering. This is killing the disabled and the sick elders. They are killing the older people because they think they are harming people and/or they are suffering. When they are suffering they kill them because they think they are going to die in 12 months.

Read More

Should Physician Assisted Suicide Be Legalized Essay

1000 Words | 4 Pages

Imagine getting diagnosed with a terminal illness and being told your last months would be spent in extreme pain. Every day somebody is diagnosed with a terminal illness and is given months to live and most of those months are spent in extreme pain that is controlled by multiple medications. Hospice care is available to help their pain in the end, but they usually cannot speak for themselves at that point. Physician-assisted suicide would allow them to choose when, where, and how they die, and their death would be quick and painless. Not only does this help the patient, but it also helps the family cope with the loss.

Read More

Persuasive Essay On Physician Assisted Suicide

586 Words | 3 Pages

Every debate is brought about by someone who is willing to do whatever needs to be done to get their side heard. Dr. Jack Kevorkian brought the issue of physician assisted suicide to the forefront of American media during the mid to late 1990s. Kevorkian started out as a physician and became interested in this topic once his mother passed away from cancer. She had no one to help her end her pain and suffering. During Kevorkian’s younger years doctors were even unwilling to prescribe enough pain medication to assist a terminally ill patient with the pain.

Read More

Assisted Suicide Argumentative Analysis

1461 Words | 6 Pages

Drum affirms, “I will ask my doctor for a prescription sedative that will kill me on my own terms¬—when I want and where I want” (60). Therefore, the passing of the “physician-assisted suicide” (Drum 28) bill will provide countless others the choice of ending their suffering surrounded by those who love them while enjoying as much as possible all the time they have

Read More

Deontological Ethics: The Ethical Ethics Of Assisted Suicide

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.

Read More

Legalizing Assisted Suicide Argumentative Essay

463 Words | 2 Pages

According to Merriam-Webster dictionary,” Assisted suicide is the suicide of a patient suffering from an incurable disease, affected by the taking of lethal drugs provided by a doctor for this purpose.” This controversial topic has taken notice of the public recently, especially since the of the best-selling novel Me Before You has become popular. Though some supporters of assisted suicide claim the right to making their own choice regarding their death, people opposed to assisted suicide take into account the societal impacts and possible abuse that could come from legalizing it. Many people who request assisted suicide are the family members of people in a vegetative state or the paralyzed.

Read More

Pros And Cons Of Assisted Suicide

1156 Words | 5 Pages

According to Pawlick, Dr. Boudewijn Chabot was almost fired for helping a fifty-year-old woman who was depressed commit suicide (Pawlick and DiLascio 11). When people in the world who are depressed or suicidal see that you can die peacefully with the help of doctors, then those people may think of this as an option for their circumstances. If physician-assisted suicide is legalized and considered a medical procedure, then do physicians have to perform this service for patients who request to die for reasons other than terminal illness (LEVY, TAL BERGMAN, et al. 403)? If physician-assisted suicide becomes a common practice, then patients whose quality of life is greatly diminished could become targeted. People with mental and physical disabilities, patients in psychiatric hospitals, and patients with deformities could be considered qualified for physician-assisted suicides (Pawlick and DiLascio 11).

Read More

Thesis Statement For Physician Assisted Suicide

522 Words | 3 Pages

The Right to Die 1) Introduction a) Thesis statement: Physician assisted suicide offers patients a choice of getting out of their pain and misery, presents a way to help those who are already dead mentally because of how much a disease has taken over them, proves to be a great option in many states its legal in, and puts the family at ease knowing their love one is out of pain. i) The use of physician assisted death is used in many different countries and some states. ii) Many people who chose this option are fighting a terminal illness.

Read More

Assisted Suicide Should Not Be Legal Essay

635 Words | 3 Pages

What is Assisted Suicide? Is it ethical to allow someone to take their own life, let alone help them take it? Whose decision is it to decide whether or not someone should be able to consent to die? What legal issues are involved with assisted suicide? Is it legal?

Read More

Argumentative Essay: The Right To Die

1321 Words | 6 Pages

The Right to Die has been taking effect in many states and is rapidly spreading around the world. Patients who have life threatening conditions usually choose to die quickly with the help of their physicians. Many people question this right because of its inhumane authority. Euthanasia or assisted suicide are done by physicians to end the lives of their patients only in Oregon, Washington, Vermont, Montana, New Mexico and soon California that have the Right to Die so that patients don’t have to live with depression, cancer and immobility would rather die quick in peace.

Read More

Argumentative Essay: The Legalization Of Assisted Suicide

737 Words | 3 Pages

“I think those who have a terminal illness and are in great pain should have the right to choose to end their lives, and those who help them should be free from prosecution,” -Stephen Hawking. Assisted suicide is a physician assisted suicide, in which they give medication that allows for a painless and quick death that ends the suffering of people with the illness. Assisted suicide is illegal in 47 states and is usually last resort. Assisted suicide may remove all of the pain quickly and painlessly, but is not reasonable in most people’s cases.

Read More

More about Physician Assisted Suicide Argumentative Essay

Open Document