The Right to Physician Assisted Suicide
analytical Essay
1874 words
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. Medical technology today has achieved remarkable feats in prolonging the lives of human beings. Respirators can support a patient's failin... ... middle of paper ... ...e terminally ill. This right would allow them to leave this earth with dignity, save their families from financial ruin, and relieve them of insufferable pain. To give competent, terminally-ill adults this necessary right is to give them the autonomy to close the book on a life well-lived. Works Cited Barnard, Christaan. Good Life/Good Death. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice, 1980. Beck, Joan. "Answers to Right-to-Die Questions Hard."Houston Chronicle 16 Mar. 1996, late ed.: 36. Cotton, Paul. "Medicine's Position Is Both Pivotal And Precarious In Assisted Suicide Debate." The Journal of the American Association 1 Feb. 1995: 363-64. Dworkin, Ronald. Life's Dominion. New York: Knopf, 1993. Smith, Cheryl. "Should Active Euthanasia Be Legalized: Yes." American Bar Association Journal April 1993. Rpt. in CQ Researcher 5.1 (1995): 409.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the right to assisted suicide is a significant topic that concerns people all over the united states.
- Opines that medical technology is science's greatest gift to mankind, but for the terminally ill, it is just a means of prolonging suffering.
- Explains that medical technology has failed to save a loved-one, but the cost is sometimes too much for the terminally ill's family.
- Opines that terminally ill patients should be allowed to die with dignity. choosing the right to assisted suicide would be a final exercise of autonomy for the dying.
- Argues that the hippocratic oath cannot be used to deny the right to assisted suicide.
- Argues that the doctor-patient relationship would encourage distrust if assisted suicide was legalized.
- Explains that stephen reinhardt's ruling is the strongest defense for the right to assisted suicide.
- Opines that the right to assisted suicide must be freely bestowed upon terminally ill people. this would allow them to leave with dignity, save their families from financial ruin, and relieve them of insufferable pain.
- Explains cotton, paul, "medicine's position is both pivotal and precarious in assisted suicide debate." the journal of the american association.
- Analyzes smith, cheryl, "should active euthanasia be legalized: yes." american bar association journal april 1993.
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- The Euthanasia Debateanalytical essayA long, ongoing battle in the institutional review boards, ethics committee and in the United states federal court is Physician assisted suicide (PAS) and euthanasia. PAS refers to “a third part action informed by the intended objective (at the very least) to furnish a potential suicide with the lethal means necessary to end his or her bodily life” (Parteson 11). There are victims suffering in silence because of this issue and it calls for immediate action with a federal regulated law. The victims are cancer patients who want to end suffering from their illness and impending death, patients that are brain dead or on life support, and patients that have diseases that cause excruciating pain that ultimately deteriorate the quality of life until it is gone. The other victims are the families that watch their loved ones suffer, or care for the ones on life support for years without being able to aid them in their wish to die. There are also those potential victims that have a chance to fight and live, though in certain cases this fight has been taken away. There is a concern for innocent deaths such as the Jack Kevorkian case, “out of Kevorkian’s first 93 victims, only 27 were determined by autopsy to be terminal, that is, to have less than six months to live” (Olevich 21), that is why strict regulations is critical. The United States Supreme Court has left the decision to legalize and regulate assisted suicide to the states. Washington and Oregon are among the first to take the lead. Although they have taken the initiative, they are lacking fine detail and have left a few holes in the law that could create potential unnecessary deaths. Science is rapidly advancing pushing the boundaries past the national ethics committee, it is time ...
In this essay, the author
- Opines that there is a long, ongoing battle in the institutional review boards, ethics committee, and the united states federal court over physician assisted suicide and euthanasia.
- Opines that euthanasia and pas need to be addressed clearly and society needs the correct information to make the right decisions and pursue action.
- Advocates for a more peaceful death for the terminally ill patient. the supreme court ruled in 1997 that americans don't get the constitutional "right to die".
- Argues that medical professionals should be allowed the freedom to make the decision for the patient within their care plan.
- Opines that medicine wants to fix things, but the reality is that we can't fix everybody. human beings get sick and die. they feel guilty when performing compressions on ninety-five-year-olds.
- Analyzes how janice hudson, in her book trauma junkie, is subjected to four months of a slow painful death, brain dead with ulcers covering her body until each of her limbs are amputated, rots and the pain medication no longer keeps her comfortable.
- Argues that society already has a way to speak for oneself when unable to make medical decisions, called living wills, and physicians directives.
- Explains fraser, sharon i., and walters, james w. “death: whose decision? euthanasia and the terminally ill.” journal of medical ethics 26.2 apr.
- Explains hanson, lc, and rodgman e. the use of living wills at the end of life. a national study.
- States that hudson, janice, trauma junkie: memoirs of an emergency flight nurse, firefly books, new york, 2001, 2010.
- Explains olevitch, barbara a. protecting psychiatric patients from the assisted-suicide movement : insights and strategies.
- Explains paterson, craig, assisted suicide and euthanasia : a natural law ethics approach.
1590 wordsRead More - Argument Analysis: Euthanasia and the Right to Dieanalytical essayThe right to die and euthanasia, also known as physician-assisted suicide, have long been topics of passionate debate. Euthanasia is simply mercy killing while the phrase “physician-assisted suicide” regards the administering or the provision of lethal means to aid in the ending of a person’s life. The right to die entails the belief that if humans have the governmental and natural right to live and to prolong their lives then they should also have the right to end their life whenever desired. Articles such as Gary Cartwright’s “Last Rights” and Margaret Somerville’s “The Role of Death” provide the life support for these two topics will likely never fade away. Both articles cover physician-assisted suicide and the right to die. Cartwright’s article is much more personal and easier for readers to relate to while Somerville’s article is very aggressive and tries to persuade the reader with exhaustive vocabulary and unproven facts and statistics.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the right to die and physician-assisted suicide have long been topics of passionate debate. gary cartwright's "last rights" and margaret somerville' "the role of death" provide the life support for these two topics.
- Analyzes somerville's article on euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide in canada to reinforce people who are against it, and to inform those that are stuck in the middle.
- Analyzes how somerville's article proves the slippery slope theory, which is the idea that if physician-assisted suicide is allowed only for certain extreme cases, it will grow out of control.
- Analyzes how gary cartwright's article, "last rights," was written in response to his home state, texas, being overwhelmed by euthanasia opponents.
- Opines that gary cartwright's "last rights" is a better article than "the role of death" by margaret somerville.
1034 wordsRead More - Physician Assisted Suicideanalytical essayPhysician assisted suicide, also known as right to die has become a hot button issue within the last twenty years. The reason behind the interest is because in the “land of the free” known as America, that promotes independence and personal rights; it seems quite regressive to many to deny a person their right to die. After the 1997 Supreme Court decision which declined to nationally recognize assisted suicide, Chief Justice William Rehquist stated this issue best when he said we are “engaged in an earnest and profound debate about the morality, legality and practicality of physician assisted suicide as it should in a democratic society”(Karim Paragraph 10). Cut to 2014 and over ten years later this issue has gained more momentum than ever, specifically in California after the California Compassionate Choices Act following the passing and implementation of The Dignity Act in Oregon (Tucker 1611). The benefits of assisted suicide include an end in suffering for patients while saving their family from future debt and allowing their organs and the energy used to keep them alive to save others who can live a complete and healthy life. There is some personal and moral opposition to physician assisted suicide nationally, but the positives outweigh the negatives and California should take further steps in aiding and providing options for those dying.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that physician assisted suicide, also known as right to die, has become a hot button issue within the last twenty years.
- Argues that physician assisted suicide prevents pain and suffering surrounding the final months and days of a person's life by their choice alone.
- Explains that autonomy is synonymous with independence and is often brought up as a major pro for assisted suicide because terminally ill want to keep their autonomy and not depend on anyone in their final days.
- Explains that physician assisted suicide is irrational and selfish to some, but benefits include preventing family from accruing future debt. california could prevent debt and misery surrounding dying people by adopting the death with dignity act.
- Opines that prolonging a life when the outcome is death is not the state's business. doctors' main goal is to save lives, but some patients may be able to donate viable organs and help others.
- Argues that physician assisted suicide is morally wrong and should not be further implemented in our country for that reason alone.
- Cites alstyne, william van, dahl, e., and n. levy. "the case for physician assisted suicide: how can it possibly be proven?"
- Analyzes karaim, reed, steinbock, b., tucker, kathryn, and tucker.
1112 wordsRead More - The debate of Physician Assisted Suicideopinionated essayOver the years the medical field has developed many miraculous ideas and procedures. From organ transfers to blood transfusions, tons of lives have been saved. A doctor’s whole purpose is to help those dying to live. Yet, doctors have developed PAS, Physician Assisted Suicide, also known as Physician Assisted Death, and not to be mixed up with Euthanasia. Physician Assisted Suicide is morally wrong, gives doctors too much power, and it opens a door for those less critical patients to receive treatment too.
In this essay, the author
- Argues that doctors have developed pas, physician assisted suicide, and not to be mixed up with euthanasia. it is morally wrong and gives doctors too much power.
- Explains that the debate of physician assisted suicide has been going on since over 2000 years ago during the development of western medicine. dr. jack kevorkian brought up the subject in the 1950s to 1990s.
- Explains the differences between euthanasia and pas, stating that the doctor literally takes the critically ill patient's life, while the patient voluntarily takes their life.
- Analyzes how the wicked old world is trying to make jesus' sacrifice seem worthless by throwing their lives away.
- Explains that physician assisted suicide gives doctors the power to take someone's life, without having to commit the act.
- Explains that if anyone can ask for assisted suicide, the doctor could make the decision to give anyone who asks for the treatment the lethal dosage of drugs.
- Explains that suicide is an anchor that pulls you into the darkness and keeps pulling you deeper and deeper. with love and hope, suicide can be overcome.
- Opines that critically ill patients should be allowed to be physician assisted in committing suicide.
- Opines that pro-life is more than just an opinion of suicide, or abortion; it is knowing what a better life is and how to get it.
- Opines that dr. kevorkian's art is a side you've probably never seen.
- Opines that physician-assisted suicide should be legal? poll shows divide among experts.
- Opines that physician assisted suicide: compassionate liberation or murder?
- Explains that an incurably-ill patient should be able to commit physician-assisted suicide.
- Explains the "physician assisted suicide debate" at endlink/comprehensive cancer center. pretzer, michael. "assisted suicide: should it be legal?"
- Analyzes how opinion on physician-assisted suicide sharply divided, poll shows.
977 wordsRead More - Physician-Assisted Suicide as It Applies to Current U.S. Policyopinionated essayPhysician-Assisted Suicide as It Applies to Current U.S. Policy 1.1 Definition of the Problem As people in the United States assume more active roles in their personal healthcare and the healthcare policies of the country, debates concerning individual autonomy in healthcare begin to emerge. Among these debates is one contemplating the legality of physician-assisted suicide. The United States federal government has deemed this medical procedure an act of homicide, but some states have instated certain policies allowing the procedure. Due to the contending federal and state policies, the populace is left to ask if the current federal prohibitions are justified and applicable to United States healthcare policy.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that physician-assisted suicide (pas) is a palliative care procedure and has been illegal under anglo-american common law since the formation of the united states colonies.
- States that oregon was the first state in the united states to legalize and decriminalize pas. the federal assisted suicide funding restriction act of 1997 prohibits federal funds from paying for the procedure.
- Explains that the supreme court ruled that washington's ban on assisted suicide was constitutional in that it did not infringe upon the due process clause of the fourteenth amendment.
- Analyzes vacco v. quill, which claimed a ban on pas in the state of new york to be unconstitutional, citing the equal protection clause of the fourteenth amendment.
- States that pas remains illegal in oregon, washington, montana, and vermont. multiple societies and organizations lobby for these procedures of palliative care.
- Opines that there are two policy options that could be considered for physician-assisted suicide: the current system in which pas is illegal, not funded by the government, and prosecutable by federal law could continue, or the united states could consider the legalization and decriminalization
- Recommends clarifying the definition of physician-assisted suicide in a federal statute of its own, since many states have their own statutes by which the prosecute pas as distinct crime.
- Explains that there are many ways to have legalization of pas considered by the federal government, but here we will set forth proposed guidelines and policy measures concerning this policy option.
- Proposes a 24-hour waiting period for the patient to assess their request for pas. the patient may contact their own legal counsel to provide 'written directives' of the request, which would legally give permission to the physician.
- Describes the two discussed options regarding the debate over physician-assisted suicide.
- Opines that a policy allowing for regulation of pas would be beneficial as it would allow for an easier and less painful alternative to the refusal of life-saving treatment.
- Opines that there are many flaws regarding the regulation of pas and proposed guidelines.
- Opines that some individuals may choose pas because it is an easier way out than continuing to recovery, paying for treatments, etc.
- States the federal assisted suicide funding restriction act of 1997.
- Argues that individual autonomy and individual liberties in taking one’s own life don’t provide justification for a physician to assist in inducing suicide.
- Explains that while a patient may have the right to die and commit suicide, they can't enlist the aid of physicians to provide the means of suicide; if pas is illegal, the physician would breach their standard of care.
- Opines that the government should define what physician-assisted suicide is by federal law to combat the breach of this role. the expansion of social liberalism may give rise to more state legislatures to permit pas.
2733 wordsRead More - Physician Assisted Suicideanalytical essayAmongst the legal and medical communities there are many definitions of assisted suicide, along with the contentious debate of suicide that is assisted by a physician rather a family member or friend. PAS has some benefits with it but it also has some disadvantages. The benefits of assisted suicide for the terminally ill individual are significant, even though the debates still raise questions about the responsibilities of the medical comm...
In this essay, the author
- Argues that terminally ill patients should have the right to decide when and how their life ends — being kept alive by modern technology is cruel and inhumane.
- Opines that a terminally ill patient should not feel forced to decide to perform their own suicide, which can be painful and sometimes unsuccessful.
- Explains that assisted suicide advocates address the issue as a matter of personal freedom and personal choice, but many people think of it in terms of ethics and religion.
- Explains that physician assisted suicide is a complex issue because sentiment about the practice ranges from strong support on personal freedom to religious feedback that insists that it is murder.
- Argues that medical treatment and interventions aren't enough to ensure a dignified life. with physician assisted suicide legalized, patients with terminal conditions can die with dignity and peace.
- Concludes that the debate about physician assisted suicide is complex because of the values each side being rooted in two different areas.
- Explains gupta, deepak, and the internet journal of pain, symptom control & palliative care.
- Explains that assisted suicide is a socially debated topic that involves people making choices about whether to continue on with their lives or give up hope and end their life.
- Argues that the involvement of physicians in assisting a patient suicide is cruel and inhumane because they are supposed to be dedicated in the healing of the patient.
- Opines that death with dignity or a criminal act? a review of general semantics.
2465 wordsRead More - Physician-Assisted Suicide Essay - I Want to Dieanalytical essayDeath and dying are a natural part of our lives. Not a day goes by that we do not take the chance of being run over by a car while running, being stabbed in a robbery, or being poisoned by bacteria in our food. In all of these cases, we have very little choice in deciding our fate. But what about those cases when we can do something to affect the dying process? What if we can decide whether we wish to live or die? For most of us, that is still uncharted territory, and just the thought of it chills us to the bone. Euthanasia is one such opportunity where a person can affect the dying process. It is not, as many people believe, a case of a physician killing a patient, but instead, a case where a patient who is facing a prolonged, painful, and, finally, terminal illness can make a conscious and reasoned choice to end his or her suffering early and in a dignified manner. It is the purpose of this paper to prove to you that euthanasia in the form of physician-assisted suicide (PAS) should be legalized. That a person facing a terminal illness should have the opportunity, and the right, to choose to die in a dignified manner when faced with a prolonged and terminal illness. That a physician should not be restrained in committing an act which might be in the best interest of a patient. And that if legalized, it would be possible to protect the patient's interests through regulation, and in effect, make euthanasia a perfectly safe choice for a patient.
In this essay, the author
- Argues that euthanasia in the form of physician-assisted suicide (pas) should be legalized.
- Explains the difference between what nazi germany considered euthanasia and what proponents today consider.
- Explains that euthanasia has become an established alternative to prolonged and useless health care procedures in the netherlands.
- Describes the countries where euthanasia is legal, including the netherlands, australia, and the united states.
- Explains that the pro-euthanasia argument revolves around the belief that a patient should have the right to choose his or her end.
- Argues that a physician's job is to assist and take care of the patient. by making physicians' actions criminal in nature, they are inhibiting them from completing their job.
- Opines that euthanasia should be a safe choice for patients because of the fear of being exploited by third parties for gain.
- Explains that the model act requires counseling sessions with the patient during which all other possible options, such as drugs, hospice care, or experimental treatments, are explored.
- Argues that euthanasia might not be in society's best interests if it is implemented without legal representation.
- Explains alcorn, gay, "first assisted suicide under euthanasia law." sydney morning herald, 26 sep. 1996.
- Argues that euthanasia is contrary to a physician's goal of looking out for the well-being of the patient.
- Explains hoefler, james m., misbin, robert i. and kamoie. deathright: culture, medicine, politics, and their right to die.
2302 wordsRead More - Euthanasiaanalytical essayMcCuen, Gary E. Doctor Assisted Suicide and the Euthanasia Movement. Hudson, WI: GEM Publications, 1994. Print.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how separates arguments based on being practical, philosophy, rights, and death itself.
- Explains the pros and cons of euthanasia and why it should be legal/illegal.
- Explains mccuen, gary e. doctor assisted suicide and the euthanasia movement.
- Explains the definition of living wills and how to get one.
- Explains that both euthanasia and doctor assisted suicide are illegal in the united states.
- Explains that this website goes into detail about the different kinds of euthanasia and the history of it.
- Explains the hippocratic oath and the history of it in "lifevoice blog."
- Analyzes procon's headlines, which goes into detail about living wills and euthanasia, but only in certain occasions.
650 wordsRead More - Ethical Issues With Physician Assisted Suicideexplanatory essayThe ethical issues of physician-assisted suicide are both emotional and controversial, as it struggles with the issue of life and death. If you take a moment and imagine how you would choose to live your last day, it is almost guaranteed that it wouldn’t be a day spent lying in a hospital bed, suffering in pain, continuously being pumped with medicine, and living in a strangers’ body. Today we live in a culture that denies the terminally ill the right to maintain control over when and how to end their lives. Physicians-assisted suicide “is the voluntary termination of one's own life by the administration of a lethal substance with the direct or indirect assistance of a physician” (Medical Definition of Physician-Assisted Suicide, 2017). Physician-assisted
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the ethical issues of physician-assisted suicide are emotional and controversial, as it struggles with the issue of life and death.
- Explains that life-sustaining procedures such as ventilators, feeding tubes, and treatments for infectious and terminal diseases have positively influenced modern medicine, but inadvertently cause terminal patients extensive pain and suffering.
- Explains that the discussion of physician-assisted suicide is often focused around the ethical implications. the patient has given consent to the physician to ethically aid in their death.
- Explains that euthanasia is divided into two separate classifications, namely passive and active. active and physician-assisted suicide share many of the same characteristics but differ in the role for committing the final act.
- Explains that physician-assisted suicide is legalized in six out of the fifty states in america, but there are additional states that have death with dignity laws.
824 wordsRead More - Argumentative Essay On Physician Assisted Suicideanalytical essayPhysician -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.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that physician-assisted suicide has been a conflict in the medical field since pre-christian eras.
- Explains that physician-assisted suicide is when a physician provides necessary information intentionally for the patient to commit suicide, but the physician does not actually harm them.
- Explains that assisted suicide has many controversial arguments because people have different perspectives. those who agree with the method argue that we have to respect the dignity of those lying in hospitality beds.
- Argues that pain and physical disability should be justifications for legalizing assisted suicide. rosenfeld's book explains that palliative cares are not available to many terminally ill patients.
- Explains that people opposed to assisted suicide argue that patients demanding this process are suffering from depression and not able to make decisions.
- Quotes robert young's remarks about assisted suicide in his book, medically assisted death.
- Analyzes how rosenfeld's book assisted suicide and the right to die gives strong arguments on perusing legalization of physician assisted suicide and euthanasia in the usa.
- Concludes that there have been rising discussions over giving patients the option of having a hasty death.
1130 wordsRead More