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Pros And Cons Of Physician Assisted Suicide

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The debate over whether or not physician-assisted suicide should be a legal option for dying patients has long been a topic for discussion amongst members of the medical community. There are pros and cons for each argument, however, at the center of this debate is the consideration of patient advocacy and well-being. Although every health care profession centers their profession around providing the best ethical care for the patient, the most important value to consider are the decisions the patient makes for themselves. Currently, patients are given many safeguards such as living wills, a durable power of attorney, and the option for do not resuscitate that act as guidelines for end of life treatment. Physician-assisted suicide should also …show more content…

For instance, the cost to treat a cancer patient at the end of life triples in cost for inpatient care.1 The pressure of increasing medical costs will tend to pressure the patient to make a decision based primarily on financial reasons.2 Thus, potentially putting low-income groups at risk for hasty medical decision making. However, a study based on data collected from Oregon and the Netherlands concluded no evidence of heightened risk in the following groups: low educational status, the poor, physically disabled, chronically ill, psychiatric illnesses, and racial and ethnic minorities.3 Among the reported reasons for choosing physician-assisted suicide, the lowest on the list were financial problems at 3%, which provides stronger evidence to legalize physician-assisted suicide and allow patients the autonomy for end of life decision …show more content…

Amongst those laws in other states and countries, there are many other qualifications and criteria which must be met before the medication is actually dispensed to the patient. In California, these strict limitations include the need of multiple physicians agreement, age of the patient, and the prognosis of death within six months.5 Moreover, there is a 15-day waiting period, three different timeframes of the patient request, both verbal and written, and be physically and mentally capable of self-administering the medications, as well as many other restrictions.5 Rather than leaving it to the individual to take their own life outside of medical supervision, the option to take a legal and humane route allows for there to be guidelines and safeguards in place which support the terminally ill patient up until the time of

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As mentioned, physician- assisted suicide is a debate that has been discussed for decades. A newspaper article written by Ezekiel J. Emanuel, Four Myths About Doctor-Assisted Suicide, provides information about the arguments that have been debated decades ago. Emanuel informs the reader both the arguments and the realistic statics since 2012. The first myth is concerning of the pain patients endure, Emanuel quotes the main argument advocates gave, “Most patients want to die are suffering from depression, and not pain”(1). Emanuel claims the statement to be false, due to statics done in 2012.

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The United States Government has taken a rather laissez-faire approach to an aspect of life that could ease a person’s suffering – Physician Assisted Suicide (PAS) – Euthanasia. In the United States, five states have legalized physician-assisted suicide via legislation of which one requires court ruling for the suicide to be legal. The physician-assisted suicide is illegal in the remaining 46 states. Out of the 46 states, four, including Nevada, have no specific laws regarding assisted suicide or are unclear on the legality of the issue. Nevada has not enacted any law against assisted suicide and does not recognize common law crimes regarding this matter.

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Conclusion I have argued that even though a physician killing an untreatable patient and a physician letting a patient die upon their request are both morally justifiable, the distinction between the two regarding the morality of physician assisted suicide is important because they are both justified differently. I have presented two counter arguments based on consequentialism, and argued that both of them untrue. A physician killing an untreatable patient upon their request and letting an untreatable patient die upon their request are both justifiable aspects of physician assisted suicide, and therefore it is not an important distinction to make regarding the moral permissibility of physician assisted suicide. However, it is an important

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Although, this practice has been deemed as, “…there is no constitutional right to commit suicide, with or without assistance” by the Supreme Court under the case “People v. Kevorkian” (2). Several states such as Oregon have adopted a policy of PAD, which then in turn allows patients, under a specific set of circumstances, to end their lives as they please, and in doing so relinquishing themselves from a world of demise and agonizing torture. In the state of Oregon a patient must be, “Terminally ill, have six months or less to live, make two oral requests for assistance in dying…” and much more (8).

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“Oregon insists that the lethal dose is self-administered, to avoid voluntary euthanasia… Oregon’s law covers only conditions that are terminal. Again, that is too rigid. The criterion for assisting dying should be a patient’s assessment of his suffering, not the nature of his illness.” (The Right to Die)

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Some physicians are not comfortable prescribing lethal doses of medications. Despite the legality of physician-assisted dying, the American Medical Association does not accept physician-assisted dying as an acceptable medical practice (Shibata, 2017). In fact, physicians who do not believe in this practice can transfer the care of these patients to other physicians who participate in physician-assisted dying. Pharmacists also have a choice to not participate. Pharmacists’ right to “conscientious objection,” or the refusal to participate in activities they consider to be against their moral, ethical, or religious beliefs, comes to mind when faced with the personal decision of whether to dispense a medication dose that is intended for use in ending a patient’s life (Fass and Fass, 2011).

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The foundations of the ethical and moral arguments found in discourse over individual rights battles can be traced back to the modern founders of these principals. In today’s society, physician-assisted suicide garners great concern over morality and ethics within Western medicine. Medical advances now have the ability to extend life or even keep the patient’s body alive even when the brain is essentially dead. In recent years, an increased emphasis on respect toward patient autonomy begs whether or not there is solid reason to decline physician-assisted suicide. For many, physician-assisted suicide may be the rational choice for a dying person choosing to escape unbearable suffering at the end of life.

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Physician assisted suicide has been a controversial topic in the medical world for centuries. Physician assisted suicide (PAS) is the act in which a doctor provides their terminally ill patients with the knowledge and means to commit suicide. Doctors must inform their patients on the lethal drugs that may be used and the process of the suicide. Physician assisted suicide has been legalized in a few states throughout the United States including Oregon, Montana, Vermont, Washington, and Bernalillo County in New Mexico. Although many families and doctors agree with the idea of physician assisted suicide, even more people disagree with “mercy killing” because it exploits the doctor's hippocratic oath and may violate the constitution.

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More so, physician assisted suicide should only be available as an optional means of ending the life of a terminally ill patient where the burden of pain and suffering mentally, physically and economically becomes unbearable for the patient and the family. Under the above revelations, it’s paramount to draft policies and regulation that would ensure that the right criterion is met for determining a terminally ill person. For example, a requirement of state and private doctors approvals, each 15 days a part, that someone is terminally ill and there is no hope of keeping them

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Euthanasia, otherwise known as “mercy killing,” is the act of intentionally ending the life of a person who suffers from an untreatable or incurable condition that typically causes a great deal of pain (“Euthanasia”). The practice has been a contentious legal issue in the United States ever since Oregon enacted the Oregon Death with Dignity act in 1997, legalizing physician aided death (“Oregon”). To be more specific, the act permits physicians to prescribe treatment that will result in the death of a patient, if the patient requests it. After Oregon passed its act, California, Colorado, Vermont, and Washington followed suit and passed their own legislation legalizing the practice (“History”). To this day, the legality and morality of such

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846 Words | 4 Pages

The patients should be allowed to have a physicians assisted suicide because of how much the patient suffers. A patient undergoes physical, emotional and psychological pain during treatments. Cathleen Kaveny from Gale database says, “The term euthanasia in general refers to a situation in which one party adopts a course of action with the intention of causing the death of a second party to alleviate suffering.” Euthanasia or assisted suicide is a way for a person who is suffering to end their suffering which is causing them emotional trauma. Some people believe in letting one naturally end their life but assisted suicide is a way to get rid of the pain in an easy way.

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This project has conferred an extremely controversial and relevant topic. Euthanasia is illegal throughout all of the United States; however, physician assisted suicide is legal in Oregon, Washington, Vermont, California, Colorado, Washington D.C., and Montana. In addition, there are many benefits and drawbacks of legalizing euthanasia in the United States. Some advantages, including allowing a patient to die with dignity and granting a patient a pleasant death. One disadvantage is the possible abuse of euthanasia by physicians, since euthanasia gives a lot of power to doctors.

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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.

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Our democracy should not legalize active voluntary, active nonvoluntary euthanasia, or physician-assisted suicide, but made exceptional in some extreme cases. Euthanasia is the painless killing of a patient who is suffering from a terminal illness, disability, or coma. Euthanasia has sparked a strong debate in society, and continues to be strongly controversial on whether it should be practiced at all. Euthanasia attacks the basis of many individual’s ethical beliefs and causes many to fear that how individuals view life will deteriorate in value. However, many find no hope in continuing to live when diagnosed with terminal illnesses and disabilities that require intensive care and treatment, and turn to physicians for mercy.

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Unfortunately, we cannot choose our fate and terminally ill patients share the same predicament. These individuals experience immeasurable pain battling for their lives with no hope. Literally, they are listening to the tick of the clock until their time. Despite the moral conflict of permitting mercy killing, euthanasia provides a multitude of benefits such as, alleviating the pain of terminally-ill patients, cutting the expenditure of struggling families, and letting individuals practice their freewill and judgment.

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