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Debate over assisted suicide
Pros for assisted suicide
Debate over assisted suicide
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More handpicked essays just for you.
Debate over assisted suicide
Pros for assisted suicide
Debate over assisted suicide
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Recommended: Debate over assisted suicide
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.
“The real reason for not committing suicide is because you always know how well life gets again after the hell is over.” People are unable to realize how their situation can be resolved better than having to kill themselves. Terminally ill patients are notorious for taking their lives before they can realize the mistake they are making. They believe that it is best for their situation, however, there are multiple reasons for why they should reconsider their actions before something terrible happens. Doctor assisted suicides should not be allowed because of the effects it has on the deceased loved ones and how more terminally ill patients are overcoming their disabilities.
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.
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.
Physician- assisted suicide is the practice of providing terminally ill patients a prescription for medication to use with the intention of ending his or her life. According to the article “What’s Really Involved in Physician-Assisted Death?” pain was not the main reason patients made the request of physician-assisted suicide but ratherm loss of autonomy and dignity, inability to enjoy life and regular activities and other types of mental distress were the dominant motivations, the study found. Physician- assisted suicide should be legal for terminally ill patients. The patient’s family will not have to suffer and want have to watch the patients suffer for so long. Before starting physician- assisted suicide, it is made sure of that this is what the patient truly wants.
Physician Assisted Suicide Within the past decade, Physician Assisted Suicide (PAS) has become a controversial topic within the medical field. However, many people are not entirely aware of the terminology regarding PAS (3). PAS is when a physician provides the necessary means and/or information to enable the patient to perform a life-ending act (AMA). In regards to physician assisted suicide there are many positive and negative arguments that can help us decide for ourselves on how we feel about PAS.
Physician-Assisted suicide is legal in five out of the fifty states in America. These states include: California, Montana, Oregon, Vermont and Washington. Physician-assisted suicide is considered acceptable when a patient has less than six months to live. Physician-assisted suicide was publicly brought to attention in 1990 after Dr. Kevorkian assisted over 40 people into committing suicide in Michigan. Before the process starts, the patient must meet the certain requirements before given a lethal drug.
As medical technology advances in leaps and bounds, so does the number of ethical dilemmas in the world of contemporary medicine. Whereas once, the concept of keeping a man's heart beating despite its inability to do so was considered quackery, it has now become routine procedure in most hospitals. Any sane man would be delighted to hear they can extend their lifespan by up to ten years, despite their heart's dysfunctionality. However, what if one does not wish to be kept alive? What if the consequences that may accompany such methods outweigh the pros?
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.
No one should be able to assist in taking that away from someone even if it seems like the only solution to that person. I have never had a family member, friend, or myself experience a terminal illness or disability so it may seem easy for me to not support this. I cannot imagine what someone with a terminal illness or disability has to endure everyday for months and years at a time. However, I do know that life is a sacred thing that we were not meant to terminate ourselves. Doctors are meant to help save lives and discover cures to diseases.
Milan Kundera once said “dogs do not have many advantages over people, but one of them is extremely important: euthanasia is not forbidden by law in their case; animals have the right to a merciful death.” ( The Unbearable Lightness of Being ) You’re visiting your grandfather at a Hospice for the twentieth day in a row. Your grandfathers lung cancer has entered metastasis, it has been slowly spreading through out his body, he just recently lost most movement in his legs. He is now a hollow shell of the man that he used to be, the color in his eyes dull steadily every day, and now his high-spirited attitude has vanished.
Physician-assisted suicide for psychiatric patients has become a highly debated ethical issue. In the United States, only a handful of states allow for assisted death (“Physician-Assisted Suicide Fast Facts”). Growing awareness for mental health has stirred conversation about whether physician-assisted suicide should be extended to individuals with severe mental illness. For physicians, the ethical principles of beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice are in direct conflict with autonomy. Does the idea of “do no harm” outweigh the potential emotional benefit patients receive from choosing to no longer suffer from their mental illness?
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.
In the modern world, all humans have the right to live their lives as they chose to do, as long as it does not break any law. In Canada, the Charter defines these rights as an individual's own freedom in terms of freedom of speech, freedom to work, freedom to travel and any other basic structures that does not allow infringing on their human rights. Assisted dying arrives from the greek word Euthanasia - good death, or the practice of ending a life intentionally to relieve pain and suffering. Assisted dying has been an issue debated since the start of the 20th century.
Denying people of being in control of their life violates our basic rights as humans. In a court case in Canada, the supreme court declared that “the criminal law measures prohibiting the provision of assistance in dying unconstitutional.” (Palmer 191). Canada is a large country and they believed that the blanket ban they had violated the rights people are guaranteed in their constitution. They are right.