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Euthanasia argument issue investigation
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Euthanasia and the Pain Relief Promotion Act
President Clinton said that the key question regarding the Nickles/Lieberman Pain Relief Promotion Act is "whether the bill as written would have a chilling effect on doctors writing medication for pain relief on terminally ill patients."
The question he raised is a testable proposition. Language almost identical to that found in the Pain Relief Promotion Act has been enacted in ten states in recent years - and the effect of such language on the use of powerful pain relief medication such as morphine has been dramatically positive.
There is considerable data from states passing new laws against assisted suicide since 1992. During this period, ten states passed new laws that ban intentionally assisting suicide (or that strengthen existing bans), including language that affirms the use of medications to control pain even when this may unintentionally increase the risk of death. Data on morphine use from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) show that per capita use of morphine always increased in these states afterward, sometimes dramatically so (in Iowa, Rhode Island and South Dakota, morphine use doubled). The average change in morphine use in these ten states was an increase of over 50%.
During the same period, four states passed laws against assisted suicide that did not include language affirming pain control like that found in the federal Pain Relief Promotion Act. Even here, there is little evidence of a significant "chilling effect" on morphine use; but per capita use of morphine tended to stay about the same or to increase only slightly. In these four states, where new bans on assisted suicide lacked the kind of positive language on pain control found in the Pain Relief Promotion Act, morphine use rose by an average of 3%.
Turning back to the ten states with language similar to that of the Pain Relief Promotion Act, one can reasonably predict that the impact of passing the federal Act would be even more positive for pain control, for the following reasons:
1. These states actually passed new bans (or established new civil penalties for doctors) where none previously existed. By contrast, in the vast majority of states the Pain Relief Promotion Act establishes no new ban at all - it is already a state crime (and/or a violation of state medical licensing standards) to assist suicide, and thus an automatic violation of the federal Controlled Substances Act to use a federally controlled drug in such a practice.
killing and letting die. Some argue that letting die, which is the action considered to take
Galileo was a mathematician and a natural philosopher, who converted Copernicanism, which states that the earth revolved around the sun, into philosophy and the world’s true nature. By introducing new knowledge and using science to prove existing theories, he had caused a revolution by changing how people perceive the world during the last few hundred years and to doubt the authority of the Church, so as to spur on more people to confront the Church’s interpretations of the Bible and generate more knowledge.
(According to www.mentalhealthdaily.com ) Throughout the United States committing suicide or attempting to commit suicide is not illegal. But Physician assisted suicide is illegal in 45 states not
February 18). Legalized Physician-Assisted Suicide in Oregon - The First Years' Experience. The New England Journal of Medicine, 340(7). Retrieved June 26, 2011, from http://www.nejm.org
To sanction the taking of innocent human life is to contradict a primary purpose of law in an ordered society. A law or court decision allowing assisted suicide would demean the lives of vulnerable patients and expose them to exploitation by those who feel they are better off dead. Such a policy would corrupt the medical profession, whose ethical code calls on physicians to serve life and never to kill. The voiceless or marginalized in our society -- the poor, the frail elderly, racial minorities, millions of people who lack health insurance -- would be the first to feel pressure to die.
Oftentimes when one hears the term Physician Assisted Suicide (hereafter PAS) the words cruel and unethical come to mind. On October 27, 1997 Oregon passed the Death with Dignity Act, this act would allow terminally ill Oregon residents to end their lives through a voluntary self-administered dose of lethal medications that are prescribed by a physician (Death with Dignity Act) . This has become a vital, medical and social movement. Having a choice should mean that a terminally ill patient is entitled to the choice to pursue PAS. If people have the right to refuse lifesaving treatments, such as chemo and palliative care, then the choice of ending life with PAS should be a choice that is allowed.
It is hard to argue that the enlightenment does not heavily impact our lives today; and without the philosophers and scientists of that time, the world would be a completely different place. Galileo, a scientist, philosopher, and writer, was hugely important to our society’s advancement. With his advances in astronomy and the study of physics alone, he played a major role in our society’s advancement. However, even more important were his ideals that helped bring on the enlightenment and change the course of history.
The beginning of physician-assisted death is attributed to Dr. Jack Kevorkian. He practiced euthanasia, which eventually led to assisted suicide. The idea that terminally ill patients in pain could choose when to end their life was appealing to many, especially those whose friends or family suffered from debilitating illnesses. Over time, more countries and states have legalized assisted suicide and are continually refining the qualifications a person must meet for eligibility. The Death with Dignity Act in Oregon was passed by the slimmest of margins- 51% to 49%- in 1994; however, a measure that would have repealed the law was defeated by a vote of 60% to 40% in 1997 (Norman-Eady). The OLR Research Report outlines two sets of requirements patients must meet in order to reques...
What would the world be like without the knowledge of the solar system? No one would land on the moon and no research would go into the effects of the sun’s gravity on the earth. Also, what would happen if Galileo never studied the laws of moving objects or their mathematical effects? Many of the advanced technologies of today are contingent on this fact. Galileo Galilei was an astronomer, physicist and mathematician who was influential because of the complex discoveries that he made and the knowledge he bequeathed to the modern world. He was one of the key figures in providing information to the scientific revolution and was important during the Renaissance. Also, he contributed to physics, mathematics and astronomy because of the discoveries he proved through extensive experimenting. Many would consider this great man to be very important in the studies he pursued. This is why he is listed as number twelve in Michael Hart’s book The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History.
Marriage is another aspect of families in the 1700's that is very different from today. Most girls in the 1700's married extremely early around th...
Some feel that a terminally ill patient should have a legal right to control the manner in which they die. Physicians and nurses have fought for the right to aid a patient in their death. Many families of the terminally ill have exhausted all of their funds caring for a dying patient and would prefer the option of assisted suicide to bankruptcy. While there are many strong opposing viewpoints, one of the strongest is that the terminally ill patient has the right to die in a humane, dignified manner. However, dignity in dying is not necessarily assured when a trusted doctor, whose professional ethics are to promote and maintain life, injects a terminally ill patient with a lethal dose of morphine.
Nicolas Copernicus died never knowing what a revolution he made in the scientific world. Mathematicians and scientist like Ptolemy, Newton, and Brahe supported his heliocentric theory. He was born in Poland on February 19th, 1473 the baby of four children. His father was Nicholas Copernicus Sr. died in 1483 when Copernicus was at the young age of ten. He and his sibling went to live with his Uncle Lucas Waltzenrode the bishop of Warmia in Germany. His family’s exceptional wealth allowed him to attend some of the finest schools in Europe. After attending Cracow for mathematics he went to Italy to study canon law. Under the influence of his uncle he become a canon, which is just below a bishop. In Italy he made his first astronomical observation one night with a friend who was a professor of astronomy. Copernicus explored many occupations: a canon, mathematician, and the one he is most known for astronomer.
Manchikanti, Laxmaiah. “National Drug Control Policy and Prescription Drug Abuse: Facts and Fallacies.” Pain Physician Journal 10 (May 2011): 399-424. Print.
Inventor and astronomer Galileo Galilei is one of the most well-known scientists in the history of the world. Galileo has been credited for many astonishing inventions such as the pendulum and the telescope. Through many years of research and studious acts, he discovered behaviors of the universe that still hold true today. Galileo, “the Father of Modern Science”, changed the world.
The sixteenth and seventeenth centuries were known as the Scientific Revolution. During these centuries, science was starting to answer many questions about the earth. Scientists all around the world were making their assumptions on how the universe worked. Nicolaus Copernicus was a Polish astronomer that also had a theory. The Copernican Theory changed many views and had a great effect on society.