America land of the free? Americans have fought for and gained freedom for liberties that we believe we are entitled to. Freedom of speech, freedom of press, right to bear arms and to defend ourselves, yet we are not able to decide our own fate when it comes to our death? Even the poor animals are allowed to die when they are in unbearable pain. I remember when I was eight years old my Saint Bernard, Beethoven, was diagnosed with canine osteosarcoma. Even though he was administered with analgesics and treated with premium care, the time came when the veterinarian said that there was nothing else we could do. It was the first time I had witnessed so much pain in a being I loved. I was hurt by the thought of losing him and not having him with …show more content…
However, it must also be recognized that even without physician assisted suicide being passed doctors still meddle in a patient’s life by having way worse alternatives to the way of death. For example, David J. Mayo, explains how there is options that are legal that still lead to the hastening of death; one of the examples would be to stop the feeding tubes. His father died of colon cancer at the age of 93 after self-starving himself (qtd. in Karaim 465). Although many people claim that if physician assisted suicide were to be legalized, it would invite abuse from the doctors and maybe even the family members, according to David J. Mayo, “…Oregon’s 15-year experience with legalized death with dignity provides such conclusive data: The threatened abuses simply have not materialized” (qtd. in Karaim 465). It is normal to think that abuse will occur if physician assisted suicide were to be legalized, but it is next to impossible. Obviously many people believe that if physician assisted suicide were to be legalized, it would target the poor or other vulnerable groups. However, Battin et al., “found no evidence that patients in the vulnerable groups were more likely to receive PAS” (qtd. in Lachman). Critics argue that patients might die just because the doctors or nurses in charge of them …show more content…
A person who is terminally ill will be able to leave this world without having to go through the process of the intense suffering predicted by a doctor. Why should a human being have to suffer on his/her last days on earth? Would they be truly living, or would they be imprisoned in a hospital room for the remaining days depressed and not in control of their life like they used to? They lose their quality of life. Marc Siegel, a doctor, talks about the two roles of a doctor, to prolong life and to ease suffering. He explains how sometimes they conflict with each other, and how the number one priority is to respect a patient’s wishes. He says that they, “…when pain predominates, when the patient is in agony, when reducing morphine cannot bring back quality of life. When the only choice is pain or death, doctors routinely¬ – with their patients’ advance approval – help them choose death” (821). The terminally ill patient does not suffer at the moment of death like she would if she would let nature take its course. Not only would they have a painless death, they would be able to choose when, where, and with whom they want to die. They will be able to say all the goodbyes they want, they could leave this world having made peace with everyone, and they would have the opportunity to really enjoy their quality of life. They will have the opportunity to not go through all the excruciating mental
Imagine a family member being extremely ill and suffering from day to day. When they decide they cannot take the pain any more, would you want them to pull through for you or would you fulfill their dying wish and let the doctor pull the plug? Could you even make a decision? Many people would not allow such an event to happen because with all the pain and confusion the patient is enduring may cause confusion and suicidal tendencies. However, there are people who believe otherwise. This is called physician-assisted suicide. Physician-assisted suicide (PAS) is a controversial topic that causes much debate. Though it is only legal in the three states Oregon, Washington and Montana, there are many people who are for it and think it can be necessary. Even with morals put aside, Physician-assisted suicide should be illegal because it will be a huge violation of the oath every doctor must abide by, there would be no real way to distinguish between people who are suffering and the people who are faking or depressed, and it causes a lot of confusion to people with new diseases or new strands of disease that does not have a clear cure.
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 on 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.
Patients seek relief from symptoms such as unremitting severe pain, breathing difficulties such as choking and suffocation, nausea and vomiting. When a patient refuses treatment or is taken off of it they will endure endless amounts of pain and suffering before they actually die. If the patient is given lethal medication, the death would be much swifter and peaceful. Euthanasia in Greek means “painless, happy death” as stated in http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/articles/commentary-case-against-physician-assisted-suicide-right-end-life-care. Patients feel as if their bodies are turning against them. They realize they cannot eat, drink, or even go to the bathroom by themselves. Patient’s whose lungs are failing have to be hooked up to a breathing tube acquiring massive doses of morphine for weeks to ease the pain until they pass. This is no different than PSA only the patient wouldn’t have to suffer as long. On the other hand physical pain is not the only form of suffering. One must take in to consideration the patient’s mental health. When the patient knows they are going to die and they understand more pain and suffering are to come the more humane way would be to let the patient choose to die peacefully. Also a patient that is psychologically suffering could decide to end their lives themselves in a non-peaceful manner. Doctors can allow the patient to end the
In March of 1998, a woman suffering with cancer became the first person known to die under the law on physician-assisted suicide in the state of Oregon when she took a lethal dose of drugs. This law does not include people who have been on a life support system nor does it include those who have not voluntarily asked physicians to help them commit suicide. Many people worry that legalizing doctor assisted suicide is irrational and violates the life-saving tradition of medicine and it has been argued that the reason why some terminally ill patients yearn to commit suicide is nothing more than depression. Physician Assisted Suicide would lessen the human life or end the suffering and pain of those on the verge of dying; Physician Assisted Suicide needs to be figured out for those in dire need of it or for those fighting against it. The main purpose for this paper is to bring light on the advantages and disadvantages of physician-assisted suicide and to show what principled and moral reasoning there is behind each point.
Euthanasia - Pro and Con & nbsp; Abstract & nbsp; This paper will define Euthanasia and assisted suicide. Euthanasia is often confused with and associated with assisted suicide, definitions of the two are. required. Two perspectives shall be presented in this paper. The first perspective favor euthanasia or the "right to die," the second perspective. favor antieuthanasia, or the "right to live". Each perspective shall. endeavor to clarify the legal, moral and ethical ramifications or aspects of euthanasia. & nbsp; Thesis Statement & nbsp; Euthanasia, also mercy killing, is the practice of ending a life so as to.
Should people have the right to kill themselves if they’re on the verge of dying? People are allowed to kill themselves in everyday life, so why can’t a person who knows that there is no way he will be able recover from his illness choose to end his life on his own terms? Many people don’t support and agree with assisted suicide. Even though many people don’t believe in physician assisted suicide, there are people suffering when they shouldn’t have too. A person who is terminally ill should have the right to choose to die if they choose. Being suicidal is just as much as a sickness as the flu. Both might need medicine to help get better as well as seeking professional help to take care of their aliment.. Someone who is suicidal is not something to be taken lightly..
People have their own beliefs on certain topics like abortion, right to die assisted-suicide, and the stand your ground laws. These beliefs are either conservative or liberal. Liberal thinkers believe that a woman has the right to do whatever she wants to do with her body and that a person has the right to die if they want to. Conservative thinkers believe that a baby is a human being and that a loved one or doctor should not help a loved one kill itself. I am on the conservative side for these different types of murders:abortion,right to die assisted-suicide,and stand your ground laws. We in America have our freedom and we can do almost anything we want, but just because we can do something doesn’t mean we should do it for example
How would you respond if asked to end a patient’s suffering? Would you agree to the terms; obliterate their future and possibly far more? Hoping to die with dignity, several patients believe that hospitals should offer suicide as a ‘medical treatment’ for an immediate end to pain. However, the government should not allow physician assisted suicide in the world of health care due to its immorality.
When the time comes there are many decisions and choices between casket or urn, but what about the choices that are commonly undecided? Physician assisted suicide is currently legal in five states in the United States. It is a new option of death for the terminally ill. It has been determined to be a painless death for the ill. This law was passed to help those who were terminally ill, were in painful situations, or near death. Laws state that patients must be eighteen or older. Frequently people assume that doctors are murdering their patients. Doctors are doing the exact opposite. Physician assisted suicide should be legal because it can help the terminally ill, will save their family members and doctors from harsh legal matters, and help
In today’s technologically advanced society, we have the opportunity to control life and death more than ever before. Breakthroughs in infertility treatments, such as the donation of reproductive sperm cells and artificial womb transplants, have allowed infertile women to conceive children of their own. Along with the creation of life, medical professionals have developed a method dubbed physician assisted suicide (PAS). This treatment enables a physician to terminate the life of an individual using a lethal substance called barbiturates, which when consumed causes the brain and nervous system to shut down (Chaar & Isaac). As I become more familiar with the positives and negatives of PAS on the individual, their family, and the medical staff performing the treatment, there is a concern that comes to mind. The original goal of physician assisted suicide is to ease the painful and prolonged process of death, however I believe it’s truly not benefiting our society as a whole.
As patients come closer to the end of their lives, certain organs stop performing as well as they use to. People are unable to do simple tasks like putting on clothes, going to the restroom without assistance, eat on our own, and sometimes even breathe without the help of a machine. Needing to depend on someone for everything suddenly brings feelings of helplessness much like an infant feels. It is easy to see why some patients with terminal illnesses would seek any type of relief from this hardship, even if that relief is suicide. Euthanasia or assisted suicide is where a physician would give a patient an aid in dying. “Assisted suicide is a controversial medical and ethical issue based on the question of whether, in certain situations, Medical practioners should be allowed to help patients actively determine the time and circumstances of their death” (Lee). “Arguments for and against assisted suicide (sometimes called the “right to die” debate) are complicated by the fact that they come from very many different points of view: medical issues, ethical issues, legal issues, religious issues, and social issues all play a part in shaping people’s opinions on the subject” (Lee). Euthanasia should not be legalized because it is considered murder, it goes against physicians’ Hippocratic Oath, violates the Controlled
He is suffering from a terminal illness. He is bed ridden and in pain. You have heard the statistics and all the unpleasant details- you know that small cell lung cancer is incurable, but all you can do is helplessly watch him suffer. For all its advances, modern medicine has failed him with its lack of a cure or even relief from the suffering. There is such a small chance for your loved one’s survival. The only hope there seems to be is that death will overcome him and relieve him from his suffering. But death continues to evade him. And he continues to suffer.
When a person is suffering from terminal illness, the will to live often decreases as the days go by. Some people believe that the only solution to end the pain is death. This is where assisted suicide comes in. Assisted suicide is a topic that has been gaining some controversy. There have been many cases where doctors or even family members have been indicted because the patient didn’t want to suffer anymore. Assisted suicide is the ending of life with consent of the patient. There are various types and different names for assisted suicide. Some of these include passive or active euthanasia, Physician Assisted Death, and mercy killing. It is legal in some countries in Europe and four states in the United States.
Euthanasia and suicide s a very serious topic of discussion in the world we live in today. Euthanasia is a choice that an individual may or may not make in there life. It is when someone or the individual thinks it is better for them to die rather then suffering in the hospital bed or hardly living. It mostly happens when their life depends on nutrients coming through an HIV tube, or a breathing mask etc. It eases the pain completely by pulling the switch. By pulling the switch on the machine, what ever is aiding you to survive will no longer function and you will die peacefully. Suicide is a more talked about and rising topic in society especially Montreal in the past few years. As of 2011, Canada is ranked in the world suicide poll at 67 out of 192 (World Life Expectancy). Suicide has different approaches to everyone in the world. Everyone who has ever committed or attempted suicide have a reason why. “ Warning signs of suicide could be the following. Hard time concentrating, loss of interest in stuff that use to amuse the individual, drugs or alcohol use etc”(Dr.Davidson,3).
However, instead of making them comfortable until their death, this one involves a doctor helping a patient to end their life. Physician-assisted suicide is a very controversial topic. Many people think that if physician-assisted suicide were to be legalized in cases where the patients are terminally ill, it could then be opened up to be legalized in other cases as well. This could include mentally ill patients and chronically ill patients. In some states, physician-assisted suicide is already legal, such as in Oregon. Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act allows for doctors to prescribe lethal dosages of medications to their terminal patients. Doctors who are opposed to the act are allowed to refuse to participate. The most important part of this act, to me, is that while the doctor prescribes the lethal medication, they do not administer it to the patients. Even after the patients receive the prescription, they are not obligated to take the medication. As I understand it, those who get the prescription but don’t take the medication do so because they want to feel as if they have a choice. While they may not want to end their lives now, they have the power to if at any point their suffering becomes too much for them. Learning about physician-assisted suicide in this course made me even more comfortable with the idea of legalizing it. If I was terminally ill, I would want as