Death with Dignity
Death with Dignity, Is it possible?
Nora BlakeBohecker College- Westerville English 241
Abstract
Death with dignity, is it possible?
It is a common belief that people should take control of their lives, therefore, should be also allowed to take control of our death? Can one have quality of life while dying? Who determines if we shall live or die and under what circumstances? Is the doctor’s only duty to keep you alive at all cost, or is it also assisting you in a death with dignity? Death with Dignity, Is it possible?
It is a common belief that people should take control of their lives. Therefore, should we also be allowed to take control of our death? “Strong family ties and powerful religious beliefs enforce conformity and discourage diversity and change. But modernization promotes a more rational scientific view that encourages diverse beliefs and behaviors” (J. Macionis, 2005).
“Can one have quality of life while dying? If you asked the general population, many would certainly say no. Many fear that their dying will be marred by pain, suffering, and a limited quality of life” (Cohen, 1995). “The guiding principle at the heart of the palliative care intervention is the notion of quality of life” (Cohen, 1995). But when does death occur? Typically, one would say when the heart stops beating, or any health care worker will say ‘when vital signs no longer can be obtained’. However, ask a terminally ill patient when death occurs, and the answer might be “when my quality of life ended” (patient A, personal communication, April 27, 2008).
Quality of life or Quantity of life, do we have the right to choose? A person who is in a vegetative state, are they living or do they just exist? Is it quality or quantity? People with incurable, debilitating diseases, suffering from great pain.... Again, is it quality or quantity? Who decides whether a life is worth
Nora BlakeBohecker College- Westerville English 241
Abstract
Death with dignity, is it possible?
It is a common belief that people should take control of their lives, therefore, should be also allowed to take control of our death? Can one have quality of life while dying? Who determines if we shall live or die and under what circumstances? Is the doctor’s only duty to keep you alive at all cost, or is it also assisting you in a death with dignity? Death with Dignity, Is it possible?
It is a common belief that people should take control of their lives. Therefore, should we also be allowed to take control of our death? “Strong family ties and powerful religious beliefs enforce conformity and discourage diversity and change. But modernization promotes a more rational scientific view that encourages diverse beliefs and behaviors” (J. Macionis, 2005).
“Can one have quality of life while dying? If you asked the general population, many would certainly say no. Many fear that their dying will be marred by pain, suffering, and a limited quality of life” (Cohen, 1995). “The guiding principle at the heart of the palliative care intervention is the notion of quality of life” (Cohen, 1995). But when does death occur? Typically, one would say when the heart stops beating, or any health care worker will say ‘when vital signs no longer can be obtained’. However, ask a terminally ill patient when death occurs, and the answer might be “when my quality of life ended” (patient A, personal communication, April 27, 2008).
Quality of life or Quantity of life, do we have the right to choose? A person who is in a vegetative state, are they living or do they just exist? Is it quality or quantity? People with incurable, debilitating diseases, suffering from great pain.... Again, is it quality or quantity? Who decides whether a life is worth
References: World Federation of Right to Die Societies, Retrieved April 25, 2008 from http://www.worldrtd.net/resources. Death with Dignity National Center (2005) Oregon Death with Dignity Law, Retrieved April 25, 2008, from http://www.deathwithdignity.org World Health Organization, retrieved April 22, 2008 from http://www.who.int/entity/mental_health/media/en/56.pdf Macionis, J.J. (2006). Society the basics.8th edition, Kenyon College Prentice Hall Inc. Retrieved May 8, 2008, from http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080505/ap_on_he_me/pandemic_rationing_care & Death with Dignity: Past, present and future. Retrieved May 15, 2008, from http://www.internationaltaskforce.org/rpt2005_I.htm Smith, W.J. (June 2006). Discovery Institute. Bioethics. Testimony of Wesley J. Smith in Opposition to Legislation of Physician-Assisted Suicide in California (AB 651) Before the Senate Judiciary Committee “Informational Hearing," June 20, 2006. Retrieved May 15, 2008 from http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&id=3619 Cohen, (1995)