Preview

Argumentative Essay On Physician Assisted Suicide

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1441 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Argumentative Essay On Physician Assisted Suicide
Physician Assisted Suicide In 1997 the Supreme Court ruled that the State should decide to legalize Physician-Assisted Suicide. At the beginning of time, Physician Assisted Suicide was typical despite the Hippocratic oath. PAS was based in500 BC-16th Century AD. The Greek and Roman doctors administered poison to patients who requested it. It wasn’t until 1828, when Physician Assisted Suicide was outlawed in New York, justified by the14th amendment. After New York outlawed Physician Assisted Suicide, many of the other states followed in pursuit. Granted that the 14th amendment states, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law, which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United …show more content…
Dr. Ann Marie Chiasson believes that Physician Assisted Suicide is inhumane, because it goes against the Hippocratic oath. David Orentlicher created a documentary covering the dark side of Physician Assisted Suicide, and it also showed the lack of responsibility some doctors have over their patients. Finally, Ben Mattlin a terminally ill patient himself claimed that any barriers eliminated would make life scary for him, because they could have easily terminated his life, because of his condition. Physician-Assisted Suicide needs to be criminalized, because it blurs the lines between the doctor and patient relationship, not all patients are mentally competent to make their own decisions, and it violates the Hippocratic oath. The American Medical Association’s morals are where they need to be, but the government needs to remove the state’s right to decide if Physician Assisted Suicide should be allowed. The government needs to outlaw it once and for all. Physician Assisted Suicide is not right, or will it ever

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    When we think about the idea of physician- assisted suicide, we most likely feel as though that the act itself should be considered murder. During 1997, The President at the time Bill Clinton signed into regulations “The assisted suicide funding restriction act”. The regulation omitted the use of federal monies to pay for physician assisted suicide, as well as euthanasia, and also mercy killings in the United States. According to the New England Journal of Medicine Physician assisted suicide is now currently legal in three states, they are Oregon, Washington,…

    • 631 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Euthanasia, often referred to as mercy killing, easy death, or right to die, generates strong feelings both pro and con as proponents of each side passionately argue their ideological stance. The broader concept is often missed with the attention placed on the narrow view of physician-assisted suicide. Many have little or no tolerance or understanding of the patient’s position feeling there is no quality of life in their present circumstance or condition and as such, they have a personal choice or entitlement to end their life or have someone else assist them in ending it in order to cease their own personal, unbearable, suffering and/or pain. Currently, this type of practice within these United States is deemed unacceptable and unlawful except within the states of Oregon, Washington, and Montana (Marker,…

    • 1077 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Physician-assisted suicide is the process of killing oneself with the assistance from a physician that writes a lethal prescription for a medication to be administered in the presence of another health professional and is currently legal in only three states, Oregon, Washington and Montana. There are certain qualifications that one must meet to qualify for the service Oregon has named the “Death with Dignity Act”; however, more often than not these stipulations are not being satisfied sufficiently and instead the physician is granting requests without paying mind to the depression the patient may be suffering from. Health insurance companies in these statesare also taking this bill that is supposed to empower patients to choose their own fate and turning it into a reason to exclude coverage for the drugs needed to prolong their lives. Instead of covering thousands of dollars worth of chemotherapy or other treatments, the insurance company would rather take the cheaper way out and offer physician assisted suicide. While it allows the terminally ill to take control of their own fate, physician-assisted suicide should be illegal as it allows outside sources to make deciding factors on the value of human life.…

    • 848 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Should physicians be granted the power to intentionally end the lives of their patients? Recent proposals to legalize physician-assisted suicide have raised this question and triggered intense legal, medical and social debate. For some individuals, the debate is fueled by their fear that medical technology may someday keep them alive past the time of natural death. However, this concern is unfounded for mentally competent adults who have a legal right to refuse or stop any medical treatment. It is also important to recognize that today's health care climate lends itself more to undertreatment than overtreatment.…

    • 289 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Physician-Assisted Suicide

    • 2144 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Do you believe that physician-assisted suicide is a humane and ethical solution to the suffering of the terminally ill? Is one acknowledging their life’s value by having another person doom them to their death? Two esteemed physicians, Dr. Laurence Hartmann and Dr. Jack Kevorkian have both suggested that there should be no negative effects to having a physician assist in one’s suicide. When it comes to the topic of physician-assisted suicide, many readily agree that physician-assisted suicide is a very controversial and misinterpreted topic. One misconception of physician-assisted suicide is the requirements needed to fulfill the act. There are many requirements for a patient to receive a physician-assisted suicide, each varying from state to state. Dr. Hartmann cites that within the state of “Oregon, a mentally competent adult suffering from a terminal illness that is likely to result in death within six months may choose to receive a lethal dose of medication, after consulting with two doctors and 15 days” (1468). The Oregon Death with Dignity Act currently states that “On October 27, 1997 Oregon enacted the Death with Dignity Act which allows terminally-ill Oregonians to end their lives through the voluntary self-administration of lethal medications, expressly prescribed by a physician for that purpose. The Oregon Death with Dignity Act requires the Oregon Health Authority to collect information about the patients and physicians who participate in the Act, and publish an annual statistical report” (Oregon Government 1). As one can see, the act takes a large amount of research to be constructed and committed. Another…

    • 2144 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Physician Assisted Suicide

    • 2492 Words
    • 10 Pages

    In the medical field there are massive amounts of treatments for various diseases. Some treatments are going to help the patient feel more comfortable; however, some are going to counteract the problem, and others are going to help kill the patient. Physician assisted suicide is defined by medterms.com as “the voluntary termination of one 's own life by administration of a lethal substance with the direct or indirect assistance of a physician.” Any person wishing to undergo assisted suicide in Oregon must be at least 18 years of age and have a terminal illness. This illness must be within its final stages and leave the patient with less than six months to live. Within these six months a patient can request the treatment, but must orally request twice, and provide a written request once as well. In order to receive this treatment, however, a second physician must give a second opinion on the length the patient has to live. In her article, “Physician-Assisted Suicide: Compassionate Liberation or Murder?” Vicki Lachman talks about the option that patients have to request a lethal dosage of medication. She explores the moral conscience of nurses, the ethical and moral issues, and the legal issues that surround a patient’s request for lethal dosages.…

    • 2492 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Physician assisted suicide is a highly controversial bioethical issue that has been increasingly debated in recent years. Advocates of physician assisted suicide argue that it champions patient autonomy and reduces suffering while opposers suggest the benefits outweigh the risks and that there are other acceptable alternatives to the practice. This paper attempts to demonstrate the permissibility of physician assisted suicide as a regulated, medically reliable end-of-life option that can help end the suffering of individuals struggling with terminal illnesses. This will be achieved while still providing a comprehensive view of both opponents’ and supporters’ perspectives on the issue, specifically regarding the nature of the death that comes…

    • 1640 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Over the years, there has been much debate within the United States as to whether or not assisted suicide should be allowed. This battle has been long fought, those who support the practice of physician-assisted suicide state that those who are terminally ill should have the right to die with dignity. Those against the practice of physician-assisted suicide state it is not only morally wrong but the same as murder. The classical ethics theory of virtue ethics has been utilized to argue against physician assisted suicide since first instances of the issue. Arguments against legalizing the practice of physician-assisted suicide include arguments that doctors take the Hippocratic Oath, which many argue is in favor of preserving life, rather than help take it. (Cite Hippocratic oath debate here)…

    • 1087 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Terminal illnesses cause great pain and suffering. For example here are some words from Andy Whelan, “...we as parents could offer no comfort - Jessica pushing us away as she rode out her searing pain in solitude...her body stiffened and her face contorted in pain.” (Zhang). Mrs. Whelan’s daughter Jessica Whelan was only four years old when she was diagnosed. Jessica had a form of cancer called neuroblastoma and had been fighting cancer for 13 months. In November she was given just a few weeks to live and later died due to cancer. Patients should be allowed to have doctor-assisted suicides because they should have the right to die and end their suffering, but some people are against the legalization because they believe they will make the…

    • 675 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Physician Assisted Suicide seems will always be an ethical issue in the medical community. People are either for it or against it. A few weeks ago during the election, the state of Massachusetts voted to allow this issue. This did not pass. Physician Assisted Suicide can come in two forms; the doctor administering medication or the doctor giving the medication to the patient. Both are considered going against the law of upholding a person’s life. Physician Assisted Suicide should not be performed; it is illegal except in one state (Oregon) and goes against the Hippocratic Oath that a doctor recites when they pass the medical boards. It is just wrong to perform this act.…

    • 884 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The process of dying can be slow, painful, and undignified when you have an untreatable disease. The ethical dilemma of legalizing physician assisted suicide has been fought over for many years. Physician assisted suicide, which is different from euthanasia, is when terminally ill patients commit suicide facilitated by means of a lethal dosage of prescribed drugs which have been provided by a physician who has talked to the patient and is aware of how them plan to use them. (Merriam-Webster, 2011) In this paper, arguments in favour of physician assisted suicide are explored, as well, some arguments against are addressed and refuted. The points which are analyzed are as follows; since the criminal code stipulates that it is a criminal offence to assist someone in committing suicide, a patient who is terminal and does not possess the ability to take their own life, this code then deprives these people of their section 7 Charter rights which states that everyone has the right to life and the right to take it away. Secondly, when patients cannot confide in their physicians, it is much more likely for their family to need to aid in their suicide. This then puts their family in grave risk of jail. Lastly, it has been quoted that many physicians already secretly assist some terminal patients in committing suicide. Physician assisted suicide should be legalized in every country.…

    • 2338 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    So it is important that we just don't ignore it and forget about it. We should actually start trying to physician assisted suicide legal in all states. But there is always two sides to an argument. And people think that if you're having a doctor or a nurse end your own life then that affects the doctor-patient trust. Family members of that person who had their life ended by a doctor might not trust that doctor any more. They might think that the doctor isn’t actually trying to help them with their problem and that they are actually trying to lean you towards ending your life. Most states don't want to make it legal because in the long run, they would be losing money. Hospitals are expensive especially if you are very ill. You pay them a lot of money for treatment that may or may not work on you. But if people just chose to end their own lives, it’s much cheaper because all you're doing it probably injecting something in your veins. Treatment for something could be a long process, that’s why it is much more expensive than ending your own life. That's why most states don’t want to make physician assisted suicide legal because they would be losing their money.…

    • 1521 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Assisted suicide is a highly controversial topic. Assisted suicide is when, upon request, a doctor prescribes a lethal dose of medication to a terminally ill patient so that the patient can kill him or herself. In other words, a doctor provides the means for a patient to commit suicide. A form of assisted suicide is euthanasia. Euthanasia is when the doctor intentionally kills the patient with the intentions of ending the patient’s suffering; mercy killing. Although there have been many Supreme Court rulings on assisted suicide and the practice of euthanasia, it is legal in some states like Oregon and Washington. The practice of assisted suicide is done under the term “terminally ill.” There is no concrete interpretation of the phrase. Therefore, the phrase terminally ill can be interrupted according to which ever definition works best for us. Assisted suicide also causes mistrust between patients and doctors, unnecessary deaths, and involuntary suicide. Assisted suicide has a profound affect on family relationships, doctor-patient relationships, and ethical standards because of the mistrust it creates and the controversy over the issue. Assisted suicide and the use of euthanasia should be outlawed everywhere in the United States, not just in some states. Because euthanasia is a form of assisted suicide, I will, for the purpose of this paper, address the terms “assisted suicide” and “euthanasia” as one practice.…

    • 2378 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Assisted Suicide-Rebuttal

    • 584 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Assisted suicide has been a controversial topic since long before this past election. Physician assisted suicide (PAS) is when a physician gives a patient, usually terminally ill, the means to end their life by self-administered lethal injection or an overdose of drugs (Marker). PAS should not be confused with euthanasia, which is when a person other than the patient causes the death. Ben Mattlin’s article, “Suicide by Choice? Not So Fast,” argues that the Massachusetts measure to make physician assisted suicide legal in cases for those who have six months or less to live, should not be supported. Mattlin contends that passing the “right to die,” will lead to abuse and coercion of patients that feel forced to end their lives (Mattlin, 2012).…

    • 584 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When you have a loved one who is dying a slow and painful death, would you want them to suffer or would you want them to be free of pain, even if that meant they had to die? If the answer is you would want them to be free of pain and you would knowingly be hurt to let them go, then you would side with many that support euthanasia. Euthanasia, or assisted suicide, is having a doctor consent to peacefully ending someone’s life.…

    • 343 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays