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The Pros And Cons Of Assisted Suicide

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Assisted suicide is becoming a common medical practice around the world--now making its way into the United States--the practice will become even more conflicting with medical professionals as the practice spreads. Assisted suicide: the choice to die by a lethal injection from a medical professional. The intentions of assisted suicide is to alleviate the following: pain, suffering, and financial instability caused by severe illnesses. However, many doctors refuse to prescribe the drug to a patient because doctors believe they are participating in legal murder. Some doctors face losing their jobs as a result of refusing to prescribe the drug. In order to receive the drug a patient must go through a legal process to request for euthanasia, (CC) …show more content…

Many doctors deem the act of prescribing this drug as legal murder. Unfortunately, some terminal patients request to be euthanized because they have lost hope, (CR) which puts doctors into an uncomfortable situation. Euthanasia conflicts with many doctors because their interest in the career comes from wanting to help people not aid them in death. ‘“Our doctors have been, I would say, incredibly disturbed and distressed by this because they are being put in a position where they have to choose between their conscience and their careers,’ said Larry Worthen” (Grant, 2017, p.1) The doctors are disturbed and terrified by the new practice because it conflicts with their morals, and some: with their religion. It is horrific to expect doctors to have to choose between their career or their morals. Although, doctors could lose their jobs by refusing to prescribe the drug, many doctors have refused to prescribe the lethal drug to their patients because they want to help suffering patients, not assist them in death. Karlamangla (2017) states, “Some doctors are still uncomfortable with the practice, and many patients' families reported struggling to find a doctor who would write such a prescription” (p. 1). The practice is deemed immoral, and many doctors refuse to prescribe it even though it could cost them their hard earned …show more content…

depression), (IP) as a side effect of their severe illness; (CA) therefore, this issue can cause them to make a suicidal decision. Mental illness influences people to make irrational and spontaneous decisions. “The law does not require an attending physician to refer the patient for psychological assessment. It thus does not allow for screening for possible coercion, or for underlying mental conditions that could be behind the suicide request” (Dreisbach, 2017, p. 1). Euthanasia is too easily requested for, especially under severe medical conditions that affects their mental state. When terminal patients are presented the euthanasia practice they are more willing to accept because of their severe suffering and distress, (CC) and even some of the strongest willed patients may consider assisted suicide under extreme conditions. Hanson (2017) states, “I'm a U.S. Marine Corps veteran of Iraq. I've been through a lot in my life and always resolved never to give up, but there was a moment after my diagnosis when I felt despair. In that moment, had assisted suicide been an option, I might have taken it. With my family's support, I came through that depression. But not everyone is lucky enough to have that kind of support” (Hanson, 2017, p. 2). As stated, some people do not have the support others have, (CC) and as a result, they end their lives believing there is nothing left to fight for. In patients’ current conditions

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“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.

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Since Oregon began allowing physician-assisted suicide of the terminally ill in 1997, more than seven hundred people have ended their own lives with prescription medications in the state alone (NPR.org). Physician-assisted suicide is not only becoming a topic of controversy in the United States, but foreign countries as well. Supporters of the issue believe that competent people who do not have a chance of longevity should be able to choose their fate. Opponents argue that terminal diagnoses can be inaccurate, or that the person with the illness may not be capable of making informed decisions. Assisted suicide refers to the act of one giving another the “Instructions, means, or capability to bring about their own demise.”

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“In the 20 years that Oregon’s Death with Dignity Law has been on the books, 1,749 patients have been prescribed lethal medications, and only 64% of them (1,127) used them to die, according to state data. Last year, Oregon doctors prescribed 206 lethal medications, 133 of which were reported used by patients” (Portland Press Herald). This statistic shows that not all patients who are prescribed the drugs, use them to end their life. Gale states, “The three most frequently cites reasons for requesting suicide were: a decreasing ability to participate in activities that made life enjoyable, loss of autonomy and loss of dignity.

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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.

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However, everything comes with a consequence. For doctors, they may never know whether they made the right decision, and they may feel regret it after the fact, thus ruining the rest of their lives. Furthermore, once the deed is done, patients don’t have the ability to change their minds, making this one of the most important, permanent, and impactful decisions they will ever make for themselves and their families. Physician assisted suicide once was widely considered murder, however, with a changing public outlook on how this can benefit patients and their loved ones, it should be considered an asset rather that a breach of the

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Assisted Suicide means that patients have a right to die. According to an article called Issues and Controversies “When patients reach a point where, illness, pain, suffering and lack of freedom have essentially destroyed their quality of life, they should have the ability to end their lives legally and in a dignified manner”(“Right to Die”). Everybody should be able to have a say over how they want to die especially when they have reached a certain point where they are just suffering and there's a way to end it. In Jaret’s words, “I should have the right to take my life when that seems proper and the best thing to do. Suicide isn't illegal.

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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 amount of suffering one must endure, should be determined by the patient, not the government, healthcare professionals, or family members. If the patient meets the mandatory requirements, the option to end their life, with these medications, should be available to

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“The question of whether or not euthanasia is ethical revolves around the meaning of human existence. Those who favor euthanasia argue that human life only has meaning when the individual is free from unendurable physical and mental suffering” (“Preface to ‘Is Euthanasia Ethical?’” 1). Physician-assisted suicide is a practice that was first introduced by Dr.Jack Kevorkian in June of 1990 (“Chronology of Dr.Jack Kevorkian’s Life”, 1), in which a patient is either injected with life-ending drugs or given a carbon monoxide mask to place over their mouth and nose in order to end his or her life (Jackson 3).While this practice may sound harsh and unethical, it is the exact opposite; assisted suicide grants terminally-ill patients the option to end their suffering early and to avoid the loss of meaning to their life (“Preface to ‘Is Euthanasia Ethical?’”, 1). When a person is faced with the possibility of suffering through a dehumanizing and humiliating death, they should always be given the option of legally undergoing physician-assisted suicide; this option benefits both the patient and their family by allowing the patient a chance to end their life in a euphoric state, eliminating the costs of long term care, and to allow a morally acceptable

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1703 Words | 7 Pages

Physician-Assisted Suicide is a very prominent current event being documented today as science and medicine continue to make advancements. However, this is a very misunderstood topic throughout social media and national news, causing many people to have various views on whether or not it should be allowed. Even though some people feel that PAS is unethical, because people are allowed to change their own fate, when people are diagnosed with incurable, terminal illnesses, they should be allowed to die with dignity and on their own terms. There are several factors that help make the patient’s mind up when choosing this method.

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2289 Words | 10 Pages

Many more states are currently in debate over whether this drug is ethical to administer to their people. Euthanasia gives the patients, who have no hope of getting better, the right to choose how they want to live the rest of their life. This right, is just one of many

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Physician assisted suicide is suicide by a lethal drug, which is prescribed by a physician. Physician-assisted suicide is unlike euthanasia, as the physician is less involved with the process. While euthanasia consists of administering a lethal dose to your patient, physician-assisted suicide allows the patient to end his or her life with simply a prescription provided by a physician. Physician assisted suicide is consistently a highly debated topic. It is permitted in several countries, but remains illegal in almost all US states.

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Doctor-assisted suicide is a controversial topic but what people fail to realize is the real facts of it. Physician-assisted suicide, also known as euthanasia, is quite self-explanatory; it is when a terminally ill person has the physician's help to die. It is not legal in all fifty states, and it should be. It is a hard decision to make and can prevent not the suffering of the sick lives, but the family's life, too. Doctor-assisted suicide should be legal, so terminally ill people can end their suffering, to help end their family’s suffering, and a doctor's job is to take care of their patients.

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First of all, what is assisted suicide? The definition of the word ‘suicide’ is ‘the act of killing yourself through any means. But assisted suicide is a bit different. Assisted suicide is when your physician assists you when killing yourself with medication. But just because you decide you want to die, doesn’t mean you can do it via assisted suicide.

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An estimated 44,193 suicides occur a year in the United States (“Physician-Assisted Suicide”). This fact shows how many people suffer each year in the United States. This large number of suicides are from people killing themselves due to depression, suffering, and much more. Assisted suicide can help people die peacefully without having to cause pain to themselves. It is an easy and painless way to end suffering to a person of any age.

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