Physician Assisted Suicide Argumentative Essay

1771 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Doctor assisted suicide pros and cons

Today throughout the medical world, there has been a highly controversial topic to preserve life, and never to take life. Some people believe it's okay to end the suffering of those with a terminal illness with no cure and no hope of recovery out a position of being humane. In the following paragraphs, I will explain the views of those for and against Physician Assisted Suicide (PAS). Pages one and two will provide arguments of those in favor of PAS, and pages three and four will be of arguments of those in opposition to PAS. Having excruciating pain everyday sounds terrifying, and not a pleasant life to live. The life of those with a terminal illness can be full of depression, many tears, and psychological distress. PAS involves …show more content…

Soldiers in the armed forces fight for life everyday, and surgeons undergo surgeries to save lives. Although, with the rise in requests for Physician Assisted Suicide (PAS) it can feel like the sanctity of life is being harmed. Several people who oppose PAS see it as murder, and question whether it should be legal. There’s fear that Physician-aid-in dying has the potential of becoming an ethical slippery slope. People who are in distress, but are not terminally ill, may also want the offer of assisted death. It raises the question of where does this stop and who will decide when Physician-aid-in dying is permitted. Another argument is that good palliative care can; help control pain, shortness of breath, and nausea. With this many believe the option of PAS wouldn’t be chosen, and is unnecessary. Infact, some would even say it is the physician's job to keep the sick from harm and injustice. The Hippocratic oath declares “I will keep the sick from harm and injustice. I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody who asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect.” When physicians make the choice to assist in suicide many see it as the opposite of compassion and caring. One of the reasons people oppose PAS is because they feel it violates human dignity and equality before the law. This means that the government should take the steps needed to prevent anyone from feeling devalued as a human, and killed. Religion also is a key reason why most people are on the opposing side. Those who believe in a God think that killing someone goes against the purpose for that person's life, and that it belongs to God alone to control the times of when someone lives and dies. Another viewpoint of people that oppose PAS, is that doctors often make mistakes. Mistakes can happen, and sometimes doctors make them. The Journal of the American Medical Association states that the third leading cause of death is due to medical errors, “2,000

Show More
Related

  • The Pros And Cons Of Physician Assisted Suicide

    1112 Words  | 3 Pages

    There are many convincing and compelling arguments for and against Physician Assisted Suicide. There are numerous different aspects of this issue, including religious, legal and ethical issues. However, for the purpose of this paper, I will examine the ethical concerns of both sides. There are strong pro and con arguments regarding this, and I will make a case for both. It is definitely an issue that has been debated for years and will continue to be debated in years to come.

    Read More

  • Physician Assisted Suicide ( Pas )

    859 Words  | 2 Pages

    Imagine, if you will, that you have just found out you have a terminal medical condition. Doesn’t matter which one, it’s terminal. Over the 6 months you have to live you experience unmeasurable amounts of pain, and when your free of your pain the medication you’re under renders you in an impaired sense of consciousness. Towards the 4th month, you begin to believe all this suffering is pointless, you are to die anyways, why not with a little dignity. You begin to consider Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS). In this essay I will explain the ethical decisions and dilemmas one may face when deciding to accept the idea of Physician-Assisted Suicide. I will also provide factual information pertaining to the subject of PAS and testimony from some that advocate for legalization of PAS. PAS is not to be taken lightly. It is the decision to end one’s life with the aid of a medical physician. Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary states that PAS is “Suicide by a patient facilitated by means (as a drug prescription) or by information (as an indication of a lethal dosage) provided by a physician aware of the patient’s intent.” PAS is considered, by our textbook – Doing Ethics by Lewis Vaughn, an active voluntary form of euthanasia. There are other forms of euthanasia such as non-voluntary, involuntary, and passive. This essay is focusing on PAS, an active voluntary form of euthanasia. PAS is commonly known as “Dying/Death with Dignity.” The most recent publicized case of PAS is the case of Brittany Maynard. She was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer in California, where she lived. At the time California didn’t have Legislative right to allow Brittany the right to commit PAS so she was transported to Oregon where PAS is legal....

    Read More

  • Ethical Issues In The Documentary, The Suicide Tourist, And Physician Assisted Suicide

    1636 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the medical field, there has always been the question raised, “What is ethical?” There is a growing conflict between two important principles: autonomy and death being considered a medical treatment. Physician assisted suicide is defined as help from a medical professional,

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Physician Assisted Suicide

    1967 Words  | 4 Pages

    Imagine being diagnosed with a disease that is going to kill you, but then you learn that you cannot do anything to avoid the pain it will cause you. The palliative care you will receive will only be able to provide slight comfort. You look at the options and consult with your physician, and decide physician-assisted suicide, or PAS, is what you want. Within the last two decades, the argument regarding physician-assisted suicide has grown. While some believe that death should be "natural", physician-assisted suicide helps the terminally ill maintain their dignity while dying. Physician assisted suicide should be a viable option for those diagnosed with a terminal illness. It provides a permanent relief to the pain and suffering that is involved

    Read More

  • Mapping the Issue: Assisted Suicide

    1341 Words  | 3 Pages

    The issue of physician assisted suicide has been around for quite a while. There has been many court cases on it to make it legalized but all of it has been struck down by the Supreme Court. What seem to be a lost cause in the past is now becoming a real possibility as America moves further into the twenty-first century. As citizens increase their support for PAS, many states are beginning to draft bills to legalize this cause, with tough restriction and regulation of course. In 1997, Oregon became the first state to legalized physician assisted suicide for the terminally ill. Soon after, three other states (Washington, Vermont, and Montana) follow Oregon’s footstep while two other states are inching closer to making this procedure legal. Even so, there are still many people against PAS and are constantly fighting this from becoming legal. With the rise of popularity on this issue, the debate on whether one has the right to end their life, and the morality of this issue are reason why the UTA community should care about this topic and why it is worth exploring the three position concerning PAS. In this paper, I will discuss the three main position on this debate: that physician assisted suicide should be illegal, that physician assisted suicide should be limited to terminally ill patient, and that physician assisted suicide should be available for everyone.

    Read More

  • Physician Assisted Suicide

    986 Words  | 2 Pages

    the decision to end their lives often turn to their physicians for advice. However, studies indicate that many physicians are unwilling to provide their assistance in suicide because it conflicts with their ethical beliefs and because it is illegal. The legalization of PAS is a sensitive, yet complicated, topic which is becoming more and more popular with America’s aging population and the terminally ill patients. PAS is a social issue which is here to stay. The legalization of PAS is continually being debated all over the United States and offers a potential for abuse. In 1994, PAS laws of Washington and New York were challenged in federal court and declared unconstitutional. Physician assisted suicide should not be legalized in any state.

    Read More

  • Should Physcian-Assisted Suicide be Legal

    826 Words  | 2 Pages

    The approach of physician-assisted suicide respects an individual’s need for personal dignity. It does not force the terminally ill patient to linger hopelessly, and helplessly, often at great cost to their psyche. It drive’s people mad knowing they are going to die in a short period of time, suffering while they wait in a hospital bed.

    Read More

  • The Death With Dignity Act

    1734 Words  | 4 Pages

    In closing, despite all of the different opinions that people have on PAS, there are many good outcomes that come with the decision. Having the right to make a “choice” is what PAS comes down to. Many argue that it is inhumane, while many will argue that it is a choice. If choosing PAS as a last dying right, then one should respect that choice. It is a choice and only the patient should have the right to choose.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Physician Assisted Suicide

    1224 Words  | 3 Pages

    Physicians Assisted Suicide An Argumentative Essay Physicians Assisted suicide is a topic many people are not fully informed about. Physician assisted suicide, or PAS for short, is when a physician can legally prescribe medicine for a patient to take in order to medically kill themselves. I believe that PAS should be talked more about in order for more people to understand how bad or grave it can be to a family and to our world. PAS falls underneath the umbrella of euthanasia. ?

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Physician Assisted Suicide

    1130 Words  | 3 Pages

    Physician -assisted suicide has been a conflict in the medical field since pre- Christian eras, and is an issue that has resurfaced in the twentieth century. People today are not aware of what the term physician assisted suicide means, and are opposed to listening to advocates’ perspectives. Individuals need to understand that problems do not go away by not choosing to face them. This paper’s perspective of assisted suicide is that it is an option to respect the dignity of patients, and only those with deathly illness are justified for this method.

    Read More

  • H

    820 Words  | 2 Pages

    Many people who oppose physician assisted suicide feel as if it is professionally unethical, and that it contradicts the code of ethics that doctors adhere to. People feel as though it is a physician’s responsibility to prolon...

    Read More

  • The Right to Physician Assisted Suicide

    1874 Words  | 4 Pages

    The right to assisted suicide is a significant topic that concerns people all over the United States. The debates go back and forth about whether a dying patient has the right to die with the assistance of a physician. Some are against it because of religious and moral reasons. Others are for it because of their compassion and respect for the dying. Physicians are also divided on the issue. They differ where they place the line that separates relief from dying--and killing. For many the main concern with assisted suicide lies with the competence of the terminally ill. Many terminally ill patients who are in the final stages of their lives have requested doctors to aid them in exercising active euthanasia. It is sad to realize that these people are in great agony and that to them the only hope of bringing that agony to a halt is through assisted suicide.When people see the word euthanasia, they see the meaning of the word in two different lights. Euthanasia for some carries a negative connotation; it is the same as murder. For others, however, euthanasia is the act of putting someone to death painlessly, or allowing a person suffering from an incurable and painful disease or condition to die by withholding extreme medical measures. But after studying both sides of the issue, a compassionate individual must conclude that competent terminal patients should be given the right to assisted suicide in order to end their suffering, reduce the damaging financial effects of hospital care on their families, and preserve the individual right of people to determine their own fate.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Assisted Suicide

    1062 Words  | 3 Pages

    Assisted suicide brings up one of the biggest moral debates currently circulating in America. Physician assisted suicide allows a patient to be informed, including counseling about and prescribing lethal doses of drugs, and allowed to decide, with the help of a doctor, to commit suicide. There are so many questions about assisted suicide and no clear answers. Should assisted suicide be allowed only for the terminally ill, or for everyone? What does it actually mean to assist in a suicide? What will the consequences of legalizing assisted suicide be? What protection will there be to protect innocent people? Is it (morally) right or wrong? Those who are considered “pro-death”, believe that being able to choose how one dies is one’s own right.

    Read More

  • Thesis Statement For Physician Assisted Suicide

    430 Words  | 1 Pages

    Thesis Statement: Physician assisted suicide or euthanasia may offer an accelerated and pain relieved alternative to end someone’s suffering, therefore people should not be denied the right to die especially when faced with terminal illnesses.

    Read More

  • Medical Ethics

    776 Words  | 2 Pages

    Physician-assisted suicide refers to the physician acting indirectly in the death of the patient -- providing the means for death. The ethics of PAS is a continually debated topic. The range of arguments in support and opposition of PAS are vast. Justice, compassion, the moral irrelevance of the difference between killing and letting die, individual liberty are many arguments for PAS. The distinction between killing and letting die, sanctity of life, "do no harm" principle of medicine, and the potential for abuse are some of the arguments in favor of making PAS illegal. However, self-determination, and ultimately respect for autonomy are relied on heavily as principle arguments in the PAS issue.

    Read More

More about Physician Assisted Suicide Argumentative Essay

Open Document