Analysis Of The Movie 'You Don T Know Jack'

1270 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Pros and cons of assisted suicide

What I Already Knew/What I Wanted to Know

My film major roommate, Sadie, came home from class with an assignment to watch “You Don’t Know Jack”. This is a movie based off a true story about a physician named Jack Kevorkian. He believed in doctor-assisted suicide for terminally ill patients. The film incites the viewer question the morality of physician-assisted suicide and inspires the viewer to reflect on where they personally stand on the issue. This is a subject I was not educated about nor took a position on before my research. Should the right of free choice include ending your life when you have no hope of recovery? Would allowing doctors to end lives be a moral controversy to societies who believe it is their duty to protect the sick? I planned to research the benefits and risks of legalizing the act in order to be able to take an educated position.

The Story of My Search

I began my search by learning the benefits and disadvantages of Physician Assisted Suicide by typing Physician Assisted Suicide into the Google search engine. Google led me to many different opinionated articles that gave me insight on both sides. The most unbiased article I encountered was on BalancedPolitic.org. The article, “Should an incurably-ill patient be able to commit physician-assisted suicide?” gave great insight on both sides of the argument, helping me to take a stance on the question. Another website Google directed me too was AssistedSuicide.org a webpage of the Euthanasia Research & Guidance Organization that educated me on the reasons why Physician Assisted Suicide should be legalized.
Next I researched the facts. I wanted to know what percentage of American citizens agree and disagree with assisted suicide for terminally ill patien...

... middle of paper ...

...he time of his or her own choice. The law should not tell us how or when we should die.
Physician Assisted Suicide should be a right to all terminally ill patients in America with the exception of those who have not and cannot speak for themselves. Laws can be made to prevent abuse of the privilege and insure protection of human life. Medicine should be used for both saving, prolonging, and ending lives.

My Growth as a Researcher

I learned a lot about researching while writing this paper. This paper helped me learn to find more creditable sources. I believe this paper improved my vocabulary, because people with a wide vocabulary wrote many of the articles and I had to look up multiple definitions. I also learned a lot of great information on a topic that I was not previously educated on and can now use that knowledge in other aspects of my life such as voting.

Show More
Related

  • The Debate on Whether Assisted Suicide is Ethical or Immoral

    1755 Words  | 4 Pages

    Assisted Suicide, also known as mercy killing, occurs when a physician provides the means (drugs or other agents) by which a person can take his or her own life. This assistance is one of the most debated issues today in society followed by abortion. Physicians are frequently faced with the question of whether or not assisted suicide is ethical or immoral. Although assisted suicide is currently illegal in almost all states in America, it is still often committed. Is assisted suicide ethical? Studies have found that the majority of Americans support assisted suicide. One must weigh both sides of the argument before they can decide.

    Read More

  • Ethical Issues With Physician Assisted Suicide

    824 Words  | 2 Pages

    The 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

    Read More

  • 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: A Case Study Analysis

    1833 Words  | 4 Pages

    There are many legal and ethical issues when discussing the topic of physician-assisted suicide (PAS). The legal issues are those regarding numerous court cases over the past few decades, the debate over how the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution comes into play, and the legalization vs. illegalization of this practice. The 14th Amendment states, “nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws” (U.S. Const. amend. XIV, §1). PAS in the past has been upheld as illegal due to the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th amendment of the constitution, but in recent years this same 14th amendment is also part of the reasoning for legalizing PAS, “nor shall any State deprive any person of…liberty” (U.S. Const. amend. XIV, §1). The ethical issues surrounding this topic include a patient’s autonomy and dignity and if PAS should be legalized everywhere. This paper is an analysis of the PAS debate and explores these different issues using a specific case that went to the supreme courts called Washington et al. v. Glucksberg et al.

    Read More

  • Importance of Dr. Kevorkian case for Medical Ethics

    707 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Dr. Kevorkian case is important for medical ethics, because it brings up the issues of physician-assisted suicide and physician-assisted death. Physician-assisted suicide is where the doctor is assisting the patient in suicide, but the patient actually performs the act. Physician-assisted death, also known as euthanasia, is when the doctor does the act to bring about the patient’s death based on the patient’s request. This brings up the limitations of beneficence. Does a doctor have the right to end a patient’s life to relieve their suffering?

    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

  • Physician Assisted Suicide Essay

    2048 Words  | 5 Pages

    There is great debate in this country and worldwide over whether or not terminally ill patients who are experiencing great suffering should have the right to choose death. A deep divide amongst the American public exists on the issue. It is extremely important to reach an ethical decision on whether or not terminally ill patients have this right to choose death, since many may be needlessly suffering, if an ethical solution exists.

    Read More

  • Physician Assisted Suicide

    986 Words  | 2 Pages

    In conclusion, all should firmly believe that physician assisted suicide should not be legalized in any state. Although it is legalized in Oregon it is not wise for any other state to follow that example. By now, all should strongly believe the growing public support for PAS still remains a very dangerous trend. The role of our physician is that of a healer, not a killer. It must be understood that in some cases the only way to relieve someone from their pain is to let them go. On the contrary, each human life has an

    Read More

  • Should Physcian-Assisted Suicide be Legal

    826 Words  | 2 Pages

    Terminally ill patients should have the legal option of physician-assisted suicide. Terminally ill patients deserve the right to control their own death. Legalizing assisted suicide would relive families of the burdens of caring for a terminally ill relative. Doctors should not be prosecuted for assisting in the suicide of a terminally ill patient. We as a society must protect life, but we must also recognize the right to a humane death. When a person is near death, in unbearable pain, they have the right to ask a physician to assist in ending their lives.

    Read More

  • The Death With Dignity Act

    1734 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Assisted Suicide Should Not Be Legalized

    2109 Words  | 5 Pages

    In conclusion, legalizing physician assisted suicide will reduce health care costs by not having patients kept on expensive machines and needing expensive surgeries. Allowing patients to legally receive assistance with their suicides will allow doctors to manage their time on more promising patients instead of ones that will most likely die within a couple days to a couple of months. Legalizing assisted suicide will not only allow doctors to manage their time better, but gives the patient an option. Some worry about legalizing assisted suicide going against the doctor’s oath, but the patients are the ones who are suffering, not the doctors. Many believe that legalizing physician assisted suicide will allow options for the patients so they aren’t suffering anymore.

    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

  • Argumentative Essay On Euthanasia

    1374 Words  | 3 Pages

    Should a patient have the right to ask for a physician’s help to end his or her life? This question has raised great controversy for many years. The legalization of physician assisted suicide or active euthanasia is a complex issue and both sides have strong arguments. Supporters of active euthanasia often argue that active euthanasia is a good death, painless, quick, and ultimately is the patient’s choice. While it is understandable, though heart-rending, why a patient that is in severe pain and suffering that is incurable would choose euthanasia, it still does not outweigh the potential negative effects that the legalization of euthanasia may have. Active euthanasia should not be legalized because

    Read More

More about Analysis Of The Movie 'You Don T Know Jack'

Open Document