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The Pros And Cons Of Physician Assisted Suicide

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Many terminally ill patients choose to hasten their death by ingesting a dose of lethal medications, prescribed by their physician. This is a very controversial topic known as physician-assisted death. There are several other terms people use interchangeably with physician-assisted death. Some examples are physician-assisted suicide, aid in dying, euthanasia, and death with dignity. There are only five states that have laws set in place, pertaining to physician-assisted death. One well-known law is Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act. This act legally allows physicians to write these prescriptions, without facing any criminal charges. Their patients must meet certain requirements, prior to the consideration of making the medications available …show more content…

The patient must verbally request the medications twice (at least fifteen days apart) and then submit a written request (“Right to Die”). A couple of other states have adopted very similar laws. Of course, there are people on both sides of this debate. Often, those who oppose these laws utilize the terms physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia. Some of their arguments include: it goes against the Hippocratic Oath, pain can be treated through palliative care, it’s against God’s will, and that these physicians are committing murder. Those in favor of these laws argue that pain cannot always be managed, there is no reason a person should be forced to suffer through the processes of death, and physicians are abiding by the Hippocratic Oath of “do no harm,” by not allowing their patient to have prolonged suffering. As controversial as these laws are, they are necessary. Laws regarding physician-assisted death should be passed in all states, because it allows terminally ill patients to have a peace of mind, choose how much suffering they will endure, and have an opportunity to die with dignity without losing their mental or …show more content…

Dr. Phillip Herbert, a physician who has prescribed these lethal medications stated, “When their suffering becomes intolerable, I help them exit this world peacefully.” People who are against physician-assisted death argue that these patients should be placed on hospice and receive palliative care. Most of these patients are already receiving hospice services, medications, and other interventions to cope with their conditions. In Oregon, from 2008 to 2009, 95.1 percent of patients that ended their lives utilizing the Death with Dignity Act were enrolled in hospice care (Campbell). However, often even high doses of pain medications do not relieve the discomfort these people experience. Tragically, some of these patients choose other drastic means to end their lives, due to the fact they cannot cope with the suffering any longer. Brittany Maynard wrote about the brain cancer affecting her mind but the rest of her body was very healthy. She feared she would have suffered, physically and emotionally, for an extended period due to this fact. 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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“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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In order for patients to use prescriptions from their physicians for self administration of lethal medications, patients must meet multiple requirements. Death with Dignity National Center requires patients to be an adult who are eighteen years of age or older, a resident of one of the three legalized states, capable to make and communicate health care decisions, and patients must be diagnosed with a terminal illness that will soon lead to death within six months (Death with Dignity National Center). After all these requirements have been met, patients will be eligible to request lethal prescriptions from a licensed physician. To receive a prescription, the prescribing physician and a consulting physician must agree to another multiple set of conditions. Both physicians must agree with each other to an appropriate diagnosis, determine whether patients are capable of health decisions, patients must also produce a written request to both physicians, patients must pass all psychological examination, prescribing physician must inform patients other alternatives, and last, but not least, patients’ next-of-kin could be notified about the prescription request.

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In current society a debate on a controversial topic is rocking the nation. The debate of the Right to Die has been put back on the spotlight after an advocate for the cause made the choice to end her own life after being diagnosed with a terminal disease. The Right to Die is a campaign which supports every individual's choice to die when faced with a terminal disease. A specific form is called Physician Assisted Suicide which was the way the advocate chose to die. A Physician Assisted Suicide is when a physician prescribes a competent patient a lethal dose of drugs so he/she may use to intentionally end their own life whenever they see fit.

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Introduction Physician assisted suicide is “The voluntary termination of one's own life by administration of a lethal substance with the direct or indirect assistance of a physician ”. Physician assisted suicide is illegal under the terms of the Suicide Act 1961 and is punishable by up to 14 years' imprisonment. However, more than 100 Britons with terminal or incurable illnesses have gone to the Swiss centre Dignitas to die and none of the relatives and friends involved in the cases has been prosecuted. Despite physician assisted suicide being illegal in Britain, in 1997 the US state of Oregon licensed doctors to supply lethal drugs to terminally ill patients who had less than six months to live, and were acting voluntarily. Up to 2013 there

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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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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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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

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• 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

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These conditions include the patient having to get “two doctors to agree, before prescribing the drugs, that a patient has six months or less to live” (NPR). This law also requires that the patient requests a prescription “...for an aid-in-dying drug without influence from others. ”(CCCC). For these reasons, the fear that people who opt for physician assisted suicide are unable to truly choose death for themselves is misplaced. People who qualify for death with dignity should not have to fear a doctor turning them down when what they are requesting is

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Many people will believe that this ethical issue should be legal all over the United States. Oregon, California, Colorado, Vermont, Washington, and D.C all have legalized the process of allowing a terminally ill patient painlessly end their lives with the approval of their doctor. Oregon runs a pro-assisted suicide group called “Death with Dignity”. According to their website, “The Death with Dignity process is robust: Two physicians must confirm the patient’s residency, diagnosis, prognosis, mental competence, and voluntariness of the request. Two waiting periods, the first between the oral requests, the second between receiving and filling the prescription, are required.”

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Legalization of physician-assisted suicide has been in discussion throughout the years in the United States. While many state and federal lawmakers have this up in discussion, the state of Oregon is the only U.S state were physician-assisted suicide is legal. Not only is assisted suicide illegal, the use of euthanasia is also an illegal substance being prescribed to patients. There are four distinguished types of euthanasia, all with different meanings that are mentioned later on in the text. Over the last forty years and counting, Pakes had informed that the views of physician-assisted suicide have been changing, and it is still ongoing today.

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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

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Death with Dignity Physician-assisted death, also known as PAD, is a highly controversial topic debated in legal, philosophical, religious, and medical fields today. PAD is when a physician provides a terminally ill patient with a lethal dose of medication while knowing that the intent of the patient is to end his or her own life (Torr 122). Such patient then can make the decision of when and where to take the prescription to end his or her own life. Currently, a person would only be eligible for PAD if their terminal illness would lead to the patient’s death in under six months (Weir 101). While the debate on physician-assisted death is often seen as an ethical dilemma, many argue it is a decision that should be made by the individual and

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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.

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