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Outline for physician assisted suicide
Physician assisted suicide should be legal in the us
Legal implications of physician assisted suicide
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Physican-assisted suicide is defined as a voluntary termination of one 's own life by administration of a lethal substance with direct or indirect assistance of a physican. (Webster Dictionary, 2011). This topic has been a very controversial subject among so many people from different types of states and countries. The fact that, some physican are agaisnt this and some are fore it can lead to a very huge debet on whether or not to legalize this act. For one moment, imgine that you are in the hospital bed, and you have been getting treated for years now and the doctor just tells you that you have no more hope and starting now, you will be going down hill with serve pain that not even medication will help relive this pain.
Public opinion polls showed increased support for physician assisted suicide. This was due in part to technological advances in medicine as well as a greater recognition of patient’s rights.” Twenty-nine-year-old Brittany Maynard, utilized Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act, took her own life in November 2014 following a diagnosis of terminal brain cancer. “A Pew poll conducted after Ms. Maynard’s death, revealed that people viewed this as a heroic act. Also, revealed, the majority of Americans, most likely including physicians, now favor legalizing physician-assisted suicide for painful and incurable conditions: 68 percent in favor, 28 percent opposed.
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.
“Be smart, be strong, live honorably and with dignity, and just hold on” (Fray). Physician assisted suicide or better known as Death with Dignity isn’t your everyday topic or thought, but for the terminally ill it’s a constant want. The Death with Dignity isn’t something that all people or religions are in favor of and nor is the act passed in all states in the United States. Only three states in the U.S. today, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington offer their residents the option to have aid in dying as long as all the requirements are met. Death with Dignity doesn’t effect just the terminally ill person, but as well as family and friends around them creating many conflicting thoughts when opinion if Death with Dignity is truly moral and a choice
Physician assisted suicide, although legal in some states, should remain illegal because it goes against religious and moral beliefs. “In physician assisted suicide, the physician provides the necessary means or information and the patient performs the act” (Endlink). Supporters of assisted-suicide laws believe that mentally competent people who are in misery and have no chance of long-term survival, should have the right to die if and when they choose. I agree that people should have the right to refuse life-saving treatments, written in the patient bill of rights.
For individuals with mental illness in New Zealand, the most common cause of premature death is suicide (Monasterio 77). Legalizing physician-assisted suicide could allow individuals with suicidal ideation to die peacefully. While this is a relevant and compelling position, it is not sufficient. Every case of mental illness is different, so they all need to be considered independently (Brodeur 19). A different deontological take would be that the physician would be violating the idea of what it is to be a physician by participating in assisted suicide.
• Death with Dignity Act - Oregon Health Authority states that, “ Oregon passed a law that allows terminally ill residents to end their lives through voluntary assisted suicide of lethal medication, directly prescribed by a physician.” - To be granted the ability for assisted suicide, the individual has to be suffering from a terminal disease and have a doctor that has confirmed that they only have 6 months or less left to live. - The Death with Dignity National Center says that, “By adding a voluntary option to the continuum of end-of-life care, these laws give patients dignity, control, and peace of mind during their final days with family and loved ones.” • Examples of some of the terminal illnesses that should be allowed for assisted
People should be able to to live their life to the longest. Physician-assisted suicide is a controversial topic spreading throughout the United States due to the ethical issues surrounding the topic. Physician-assisted suicide is legal in a few states and other states have passed bills to make sure this does not happen. Even though some say that all have a right to die, physician-assisted suicide should not be legal because it would be too psychologically damaging to all involved. Having a right to die is what makes assisted suicide so controversial.
Moreover, there should be the freedom of choice to have the right to choose when you can get doctor assisted suicide for patients such diseases. Secondly, many have asked for assisted suicide in the past as well but not have been granted it. In the early 1990’s a woman named Sue Rodriguez had a disease which she was suffering from but she was not able to get doctor assisted suicide. She had a disease called ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). This was a neurological disease that affected nerve cells, affecting movement of muscles.
Two Sides of The Right-To-Die Law The history of the right-to-die movement in the U.S. begins in the 1970s in the New Jersey Supreme Court. After the World War II, the medical field advanced greatly through the discoveries of powerful antibiotics and the machinery to prolong the lives of the patients in coma. However, the treatments aimed at prolonging the life did not bring the recovery to the patients.
According to the article Dangers of Euthanasia by Nathaniel Centre, suicidal thoughts can sometimes be associated depression. This is one of the many risks of euthanasia, or physician assisted suicide. Many people also like to consider that if this procedure becomes legal, it will then be difficult to distinguish between an assisted suicide and a murder. This statement is inaccurate because of the extent of permission that the patient has to go through to receive this permission. For instance, there needs to be proof that the patient has a terminal disease as well as all of the correct paperwork that needs to be received by the government as well as multiple medical offices and second opinion doctors.
A total of 44 states have not legalized assisted suicide leaving 6 states remaining, those 6 states have legalized assisted suicide. My personal opinion is that your life should be your choice it should be your choice if you are in suffering from pain it should be your choice if you want to end it or not. Assisted suicide is a chance to end the pain when you can no longer control it because your family doesn't want to see you in that much pain and nobody should have to live every day knowing that they are suffering and can no longer handle the pain The medical field has expanded extremely, we are now capable of so much more we can take a failing heart and make it brand new. We have made it possible to end the pain that is slowly killing someone with the touch of a button Barnard, Christaan one said Barnard, Christaan.
Patients have the right to the kind of treatment they want. 3) Conclusion a) Physician assisted suicide can help treat the terminally ill how they would like to be treated. b) The long history of assisted suicide speaks for itself in the matter of if it should be legal or
The pros to having the right to die law are that patients are able to end their suffering and pain. Some patients have illnesses that are so painful that the only way to get rid of the pain is to end their own life. The patient is able to die in dignity because they don’t have to worry about losing their mental and physical capacities. The patient can arrange to say goodbye to their love ones and their financial burden is reduced. Patients are able to donate their organs to other patients if they were planned ahead of time.
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.
