There are times when life takes an unforeseen route, and one is faced with an obstacle or situation that was not expected. Many people are diagnosed with terminal diseases, have accidents and are left with severe impairments, and suffer horrendous complications from medical issues. One has the right, according to law, to make medical decisions about their care and treatment options. But should one have the right to end their life? Assisted, or voluntary euthanasia, is the direct administration of a lethal agent to end one’s life at the request of…
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,…
Rapid and dramatic developments in medicine and technology have given us the power to save more lives than was ever possible in the past. Medicine has put at our disposal the means to cure or to reduce the suffering of people afflicted with diseases that were once fatal or painful. At the same time, however, medical technology has given us the power to sustain the lives (or, some would say, prolong the deaths) of patients whose physical and mental capabilities cannot be restored, whose degenerating conditions cannot be reversed, and whose pain cannot be eliminated. As medicine struggles to pull more and more people away from the edge of death, the plea that tortured, deteriorated lives be mercifully ended grows louder and more frequent. Californians are now being asked to support an initiative, entitled the Humane and Dignified Death Act, that would allow a physician to end the life of a terminally ill patient upon the request of the patient, pursuant to properly executed legal documents. Under present law, suicide is not a crime, but assisting in suicide is. Whether or not we as a society should pass laws sanctioning "assisted suicide" has generated intense moral controversy.…
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.…
The debate on assisted suicide in Canada is very controversial among groups who believe that these laws are taking away patient’s right to make a decision about their life while suffering from severe pain or a “right to die”. An example of assisted suicide is the case of Sue Rodriguez, where she was suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis that was leading to total loss of physical control and dependence on a respirator. She wanted to maintain as much control over her own dying and death as possible and this is why she applied in Supreme Court to get permission for assisted suicide (Sneddon, 2006). But the Supreme Court rejected her request and ignored the fact that this prohibition discriminates against those who can not commit suicide without assistance and they are prevented by law from doing something that physically able are permitted to do. These laws might serve the goal of equality of autonomy but on the other side comes at the rate of being unfair. Such regulations prohibit the rights of competent vulnerable, disabled, and terminally ill people who are well aware of their situation that they will never get back to their healthy life and request to end life. From moral perspective, they face injustice by not getting the right to control their life. Making assisted suicide legalized will provide them justice and they will…
As a part of a medical field with economic and social implications, the idea of physician-assisted death will come in direct contact with forces such as costs reduction, personal prejudices, and limited access to care. For example, people with disabilities are often seen as individuals unable to live good, happy lives, and their impairment can be misdiagnosed as a terminal illness. Put simply, we all must be able to consult our physicians without the fear that their recommendations will be affected by quality-of-life…
Euthanasia is a social issue in today’s world because not only does it affect the lives of those who are terminally ill and/or comatose, and the physicians who have been entrusted with their care, but it also affects the patient’s ability to have control over their own life, whether they are aware of this decision or not, which is one of the reasons why euthanasia has become such a controversial issue around the globe. Caddell and Newton (1995) define euthanasia as “any treatment initiated by a physician with the intent of hastening the death of another human being who is terminally ill and in severe pain or distress with the motive of relieving that person from great suffering” (p. 1,672). Even though the concept of great…
A hotly debated issue regarding the quality of life for terminally ill patients revolves around the morality and legal implications of euthanasia, or physician assisted suicide which is defined as the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease, or in an irreversible coma. There are already a multitude of laws in place regulating physician assisted suicide in some states and countries, as well as laws preventing the practice. But despite these preventative laws physician assisted suicide remains an underground practice to relieve patient suffering. In lieu of the supposed moral issues associated with physician assisted suicide,…
One of the most controversial topics in society is physician-assisted suicide. The debate is endless in regards to human suffering. There is a solid argument in favor of physician-assisted suicide in terminally ill patients, who are experiencing unbearable pain and have little time left. Research shows that one who is terminally ill and going through excruciating pain has the right to make decisions regarding free choice and human dignity to end one’s life in a merciful way. Research on opposing arguments will show that physician-assisted suicide has negative psychological effects on the doctor along with being morally wrong to take the precious gift of life. Public attitude, education, perception, religious beliefs, family values, and freedom of choice all combine to make the decision of whether physician-assisted suicide is right or wrong, is murder or not murder, one that will truly never be clearly defined. This writer believes that all human beings have the right to be safe and free of pain when one is suffering from a terminal illness.…
Dementia is the term used to describe a group of symptoms that occur when the brain is affected by…
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…
For an unaffected, healthy individual, with death painted as a villain by his subconscious, it is easy to raise a gavel against the legalization of assisted suicide. It is easy for this individual to deny the right to end one’s suffering by citing a variety of aged, insignificant arguments like ancient oaths and biased religious teachings, all in defense of the instinct of his subconscious. However, the debate over assisted suicide is greater than this, and must be considered much more deliberately and meticulously. When one considers justice, autonomy, compassion, and all other necessary factors in the modern assisted suicide debate, it is clear that the practice of physician-assisted suicide is merciful and necessary, and must be a provided right to suffering individuals near the…
In one of the recent happenings, a judge slammed a woman for the sole reason of spending sick mother’s money on junk food items. The elderly woman has been reported to be suffering from Dementia and the amount spent by her daughter has amounted to approximately £250 a month on "unnecessary food". According to Judge Denzil Lush, the divorcee often used to turn up at a nursing home with different types of junk food items such as pork pies, biscuits and mini sausage rolls.…
Today there are millions of people who are living with a terminal illness. Many of these people are basically waiting to die. Modern medicine can either do nothing more to help them or they have enacted their right to refuse treatments. Whichever the case may be the question arises: should we have the right to choose to die? This paper will be examining euthanasia and assisted suicide. It will begin by first defining what euthanasia; it will also be looking into the different types of euthanasia; there is passive and active. Next I will share my own personal feeling on the issue of euthanasia. I do believe in certain circumstances that euthanasia should be allowed; after all the law does support a human beings right to determine what will be done their own body. Each person is going to have their own view of the issue; my opinion on it is not going to be the same as someone else’s. Then this paper will define and describe the special populations that are presented on the Pro/Con website as well as how this population might be adversely affected by euthanasia. I will discuss my own beliefs regarding euthanasia and these special populations. And finally this paper will look at the laws concerning physician assisted suicide in Texas. It will compare and contrast theses laws against Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act.…
Control. It is a part of human nature to yearn for control. From the moment we are born we try to manipulate the environment in our favor. From a medical standpoint, when a patient can’t control the level of pain the quality of life is lowered partly due to the uncertainty. Assisted suicide offers an outlet for that uncertainty and pain. Assisted suicide should be legalized and employed under certain circumstances to help prevent suffering and to allow the patient to die with dignity; however, assisted suicide should only be considered as a last possible resource to avoid discrimination.…