Essay On Physician Assisted Death
Physician Assisted Death
Physician assisted death is a very controversial topic today. There are many positives and negatives. Although you may think the negatives outweigh the positives, no one can really decide if it's good or bad except for those who are terminally ill. Some call “Physician Assisted
Death” a method, some call it too extreme, those who are terminally ill call it an answer to an undecided problem. This method allows those who are terminally ill to be prescribed a lethal dose of medication; allowing them to decide when is the right time to go. Terminally ill patients are diagnosed with a sickness that inevitably will kill them with in coming months. The negative thought is we are shortening the patient's life and not allowing them the …show more content…
possibility to get better and have a “miracle” happen; as well as taking them from their families. Physician assisted death should be legalized for those who are terminally ill, to decide their fate and make their last days, enjoyable and memorable for their loved ones with no gruesome images to remember them by. Denying a terminally ill patient the right to choose their “end-game” is not only selfish, it goes against everything we are taught growing up. We are the only ones who can choose our fate. There are only four states that allow assisted death. Oregon was the first to pass the
Death With Dignity Act in 1995 following was California, Washington, and Vermont. Although
Montana’s supreme court has ruled that there are no laws against this practice, there are also no laws allowing it. Many have submitted acts to ban the practice but none have been passed.
Twenty-one states are currently considering the death with dignity statute and Twenty-six states
2 Samateh have not considered the statute at all. California also requires patients who are going to end their life with this method to fill out a “Final Attestation Form” forty-eight hours before they take the actual medication.(DWD) Four countries allow euthanasia. Euthanasia is different from assisted death. Euthanasia is the doctor physically administering the drug to kill the patient. Assisted death only has the doctor prescribing the medication. The only difference between assisted suicide and other forms of euthanasia is which person performs the final act that kills the patient. If a doctor performs the final act (e.g., an injection), it is euthanasia; if the patient performs the final act himself (e.g., ingesting pills), it is assisted suicide. (MCCL)
Assisted death is not an option for everyone who is sick. There are guidelines and rules behind it. According to death with dignity website these requirements include age, residency, and mental well being. You must be 18 years of age or older, mentally competent to chose this method and you must also live with in a state that has a law in place allowing it. Two physicians must confirm the patient’s residency, diagnosis, prognosis, mental competence, and voluntariness of the request. Two waiting periods, the first between the oral requests, the second between receiving and filling the prescription, are required.(DWD) Statistically one third of those who are approved for the medications decide not to use the medication to hasten their death. (DWD) It tends to ease the patient's mind knowing that if the symptoms and conditions get too hard to handle they have a way out. “Terminally ill” is a diagnosis with an expectancy of only living 6 months or less. The states in which this act is allowed do ask that those who choose this method do not take the lethal dose in a public area such as a park, public transportation or public building. Also if you leave the state where it is legal and take the medication to end your
3 Samateh life, you may not be covered under the act and your death could be ruled as suicide. This then causes issues with your health insurance. Depending upon your insurance coverage, the company you are covered by could deny your family the money that you have been paying in.
Leaving your loved ones with the cost of the funeral. Those who wish to use the physician assisted death, should be sure to check with their insurance company. Some may not cover this method, only adding to the medical expenses. Also if you are covered by your insurance “your premiums have to be paid.” (insurance) Insurance companies do not have to tell you this but they can deny any claim if you have not paid what is due. There are three scenarios that can stop someone who was approved for the medication; your disease has progressed to coma or death, tumors in your brain or certain metabolic problems affect your brain function. If you are experiencing severe and increased confusion, and you have lost the capacity to understand and make decisions, you will no longer qualify to take the medication. On the day you take the prescribed medication, you need to be able to ask for it, and be cognizant of what it is for. You are unable to swallow the 4 ounces of liquid within 2 minutes or less. This might occur with progressive overwhelming weakness from end stage illness or from a neurologic disease like
ALS. (DWD) Frequently prescribed medicine is a large dose of a sleeping medication, most commonly a barbiturate, in powder form. It is mixed with about 4 ounces of liquid before, the person for whom it is prescribed, drinks it. The full amount needs to be ingested within two minutes. Most patients fall asleep peacefully about 10 minutes after drinking the life ending medication, and die in 1-3 hours. In about 5 percent of patients, it takes longer than 6 hours to die, but they sleep comfortably the whole time, until death ensues. (DWD)
4 Samateh
Those with terminal illnesses in the right state of mind should be allowed to chose their way of dying. If they believe they would like to bypass what could happen in their last days by taking a lethal dose of medication in their own home, why deny them that choice. The way a terminally ill patient dies is gruesome and painful. Allowing them to end the pain and suffering is what we should all want for our loved ones, we should not stand by and let them to continue to live in agonizing pain. Some will say that allowing patients to take their lives is also taking away their second chance. Similar to the cliche statements “miracles happen” or “you never know what could happen, this could turn around”. (NYLN) Terminally ill patients know what is going to happen, they are diagnosed this way with the understanding that inevitably they will die an early death.
By giving our loved ones the opportunity to choose this method, we are allowing them and ourselves the time to mentally prepare and spend as much time with them as possible. With this method it will make the grieving process a lot easier for the patient’s and their families. It also gives the family enough time to explain to small children what is happening accurately rather than lying and coming up with a quick story. When someone in the family dies and small children begin to wonder where that person has gone, most families will come up with a lie and brush over the topic. Rather than having to come back to that question every time a small child wonders where that person has gone, we will be able to explain to these children what is happening and in a way that they will understand.
Physician assisted death lets the patients that are dying, die on their own term and within their own means, when they feel it is the right time, when they feel they have can not take the pain anymore. This lets them at least leave the world with their own dignity. When someone is ill
5 Samateh the way the body reacts in a certain way with certain illnesses. Would you want the last image of your family member being them spitting up blood uncontrollably? Or looking like a shriveled vegetable while hooked to several machines? They may have things they want to do in the limited time they have and when they accomplish that then they decide. They may only be able to take so much pain and at that point they decide it is their time to go.
Some might say that physician assisted death affects the palliative care and goes against the hippocratic oath. As well as taking their loved ones away far too soon. Physician assisted death does take from palliative care but, not completely. Not everyone will choose this option so there will still be a need for the palliative care. On the other hand, are jobs more important than the well-being of a human?
Is your job, “trying” to manage my loved ones pain, more important than allowing them to leave the world in peace and without suffering? The hippocratic oath that doctors take when they finish their schooling and residency ; “The oath considers human life as sacred; therefore, commanding respect. Therefore, consent to end one’s life from the patient himself does not make killing right.”(NYLN) The doctors are not killing the patients. They are actually helping them. That is what doctors are suppose to do, help the patients in any way they can. No doctor in the united states is physically responsible for someone terminally ill taking their own life. They only prescribe the medication. Saying that doctors are killing these patients is absurd. People who are suicidal will kill themselves by any means and some will steal drugs from others and overdose on these medications. Are the doctors still at fault for this? They prescribed the medication but they did not give it to that person.
Putting yourself in the shoes of someone who is terminally ill will open your eyes and mind. Picture the pain, the depression; picture your family by your side. Now take into
account
6 Samateh your doctor just told you, you have less than six months to live. When your last few months come around your condition worsens. Your symptoms are unbearable. You have no strength to do anything. You are bedridden. Someone; if not family is washing you, toileting you, feeding you, cleaning your house, paying your bills, cooking you meals, and doing everything you were doing before. You have lost all independence. Later you you can’t move without being in agonizing pain, you can’t eat unless it's pureed like a smoothie. Now picture your own loved one, sick and going through all of these things. Do you want them to stick around for your sake?
Seeing them incapable of doing anything on their own, are you still hoping for a miracle? Sure you love them, but is the condition they are in how you want to see them go? Could you live your life knowing that you let someone you love die in those conditions? Or would you rather they had a choice? Six months isn’t a lot of time but it could be enough for you or your loved one to fulfill a few wishes or dreams. You spend 3-4 months living life like it's all you have left, you start to get sick, it becomes noticeable, you know what is around the corner. Did you waste your time hoping on a miracle or did you make the most of it?
Physician assisted death is a very controversial topic today. There are many positives and negatives. Although you may think the negatives outweigh the positives, no one can really decide if it's good or bad except for those who are terminally ill. Some call “Physician Assisted
Death” a method, some call it too extreme, those who are terminally ill call it an answer to an undecided problem. This method allows those who are terminally ill to be prescribed a lethal dose of medication; allowing them to decide when is the right time to go. Terminally ill patients are diagnosed with a sickness that inevitably will kill them with in coming months. The negative thought is we are shortening the patient's life and not allowing them the …show more content…
possibility to get better and have a “miracle” happen; as well as taking them from their families. Physician assisted death should be legalized for those who are terminally ill, to decide their fate and make their last days, enjoyable and memorable for their loved ones with no gruesome images to remember them by. Denying a terminally ill patient the right to choose their “end-game” is not only selfish, it goes against everything we are taught growing up. We are the only ones who can choose our fate. There are only four states that allow assisted death. Oregon was the first to pass the
Death With Dignity Act in 1995 following was California, Washington, and Vermont. Although
Montana’s supreme court has ruled that there are no laws against this practice, there are also no laws allowing it. Many have submitted acts to ban the practice but none have been passed.
Twenty-one states are currently considering the death with dignity statute and Twenty-six states
2 Samateh have not considered the statute at all. California also requires patients who are going to end their life with this method to fill out a “Final Attestation Form” forty-eight hours before they take the actual medication.(DWD) Four countries allow euthanasia. Euthanasia is different from assisted death. Euthanasia is the doctor physically administering the drug to kill the patient. Assisted death only has the doctor prescribing the medication. The only difference between assisted suicide and other forms of euthanasia is which person performs the final act that kills the patient. If a doctor performs the final act (e.g., an injection), it is euthanasia; if the patient performs the final act himself (e.g., ingesting pills), it is assisted suicide. (MCCL)
Assisted death is not an option for everyone who is sick. There are guidelines and rules behind it. According to death with dignity website these requirements include age, residency, and mental well being. You must be 18 years of age or older, mentally competent to chose this method and you must also live with in a state that has a law in place allowing it. Two physicians must confirm the patient’s residency, diagnosis, prognosis, mental competence, and voluntariness of the request. Two waiting periods, the first between the oral requests, the second between receiving and filling the prescription, are required.(DWD) Statistically one third of those who are approved for the medications decide not to use the medication to hasten their death. (DWD) It tends to ease the patient's mind knowing that if the symptoms and conditions get too hard to handle they have a way out. “Terminally ill” is a diagnosis with an expectancy of only living 6 months or less. The states in which this act is allowed do ask that those who choose this method do not take the lethal dose in a public area such as a park, public transportation or public building. Also if you leave the state where it is legal and take the medication to end your
3 Samateh life, you may not be covered under the act and your death could be ruled as suicide. This then causes issues with your health insurance. Depending upon your insurance coverage, the company you are covered by could deny your family the money that you have been paying in.
Leaving your loved ones with the cost of the funeral. Those who wish to use the physician assisted death, should be sure to check with their insurance company. Some may not cover this method, only adding to the medical expenses. Also if you are covered by your insurance “your premiums have to be paid.” (insurance) Insurance companies do not have to tell you this but they can deny any claim if you have not paid what is due. There are three scenarios that can stop someone who was approved for the medication; your disease has progressed to coma or death, tumors in your brain or certain metabolic problems affect your brain function. If you are experiencing severe and increased confusion, and you have lost the capacity to understand and make decisions, you will no longer qualify to take the medication. On the day you take the prescribed medication, you need to be able to ask for it, and be cognizant of what it is for. You are unable to swallow the 4 ounces of liquid within 2 minutes or less. This might occur with progressive overwhelming weakness from end stage illness or from a neurologic disease like
ALS. (DWD) Frequently prescribed medicine is a large dose of a sleeping medication, most commonly a barbiturate, in powder form. It is mixed with about 4 ounces of liquid before, the person for whom it is prescribed, drinks it. The full amount needs to be ingested within two minutes. Most patients fall asleep peacefully about 10 minutes after drinking the life ending medication, and die in 1-3 hours. In about 5 percent of patients, it takes longer than 6 hours to die, but they sleep comfortably the whole time, until death ensues. (DWD)
4 Samateh
Those with terminal illnesses in the right state of mind should be allowed to chose their way of dying. If they believe they would like to bypass what could happen in their last days by taking a lethal dose of medication in their own home, why deny them that choice. The way a terminally ill patient dies is gruesome and painful. Allowing them to end the pain and suffering is what we should all want for our loved ones, we should not stand by and let them to continue to live in agonizing pain. Some will say that allowing patients to take their lives is also taking away their second chance. Similar to the cliche statements “miracles happen” or “you never know what could happen, this could turn around”. (NYLN) Terminally ill patients know what is going to happen, they are diagnosed this way with the understanding that inevitably they will die an early death.
By giving our loved ones the opportunity to choose this method, we are allowing them and ourselves the time to mentally prepare and spend as much time with them as possible. With this method it will make the grieving process a lot easier for the patient’s and their families. It also gives the family enough time to explain to small children what is happening accurately rather than lying and coming up with a quick story. When someone in the family dies and small children begin to wonder where that person has gone, most families will come up with a lie and brush over the topic. Rather than having to come back to that question every time a small child wonders where that person has gone, we will be able to explain to these children what is happening and in a way that they will understand.
Physician assisted death lets the patients that are dying, die on their own term and within their own means, when they feel it is the right time, when they feel they have can not take the pain anymore. This lets them at least leave the world with their own dignity. When someone is ill
5 Samateh the way the body reacts in a certain way with certain illnesses. Would you want the last image of your family member being them spitting up blood uncontrollably? Or looking like a shriveled vegetable while hooked to several machines? They may have things they want to do in the limited time they have and when they accomplish that then they decide. They may only be able to take so much pain and at that point they decide it is their time to go.
Some might say that physician assisted death affects the palliative care and goes against the hippocratic oath. As well as taking their loved ones away far too soon. Physician assisted death does take from palliative care but, not completely. Not everyone will choose this option so there will still be a need for the palliative care. On the other hand, are jobs more important than the well-being of a human?
Is your job, “trying” to manage my loved ones pain, more important than allowing them to leave the world in peace and without suffering? The hippocratic oath that doctors take when they finish their schooling and residency ; “The oath considers human life as sacred; therefore, commanding respect. Therefore, consent to end one’s life from the patient himself does not make killing right.”(NYLN) The doctors are not killing the patients. They are actually helping them. That is what doctors are suppose to do, help the patients in any way they can. No doctor in the united states is physically responsible for someone terminally ill taking their own life. They only prescribe the medication. Saying that doctors are killing these patients is absurd. People who are suicidal will kill themselves by any means and some will steal drugs from others and overdose on these medications. Are the doctors still at fault for this? They prescribed the medication but they did not give it to that person.
Putting yourself in the shoes of someone who is terminally ill will open your eyes and mind. Picture the pain, the depression; picture your family by your side. Now take into
account
6 Samateh your doctor just told you, you have less than six months to live. When your last few months come around your condition worsens. Your symptoms are unbearable. You have no strength to do anything. You are bedridden. Someone; if not family is washing you, toileting you, feeding you, cleaning your house, paying your bills, cooking you meals, and doing everything you were doing before. You have lost all independence. Later you you can’t move without being in agonizing pain, you can’t eat unless it's pureed like a smoothie. Now picture your own loved one, sick and going through all of these things. Do you want them to stick around for your sake?
Seeing them incapable of doing anything on their own, are you still hoping for a miracle? Sure you love them, but is the condition they are in how you want to see them go? Could you live your life knowing that you let someone you love die in those conditions? Or would you rather they had a choice? Six months isn’t a lot of time but it could be enough for you or your loved one to fulfill a few wishes or dreams. You spend 3-4 months living life like it's all you have left, you start to get sick, it becomes noticeable, you know what is around the corner. Did you waste your time hoping on a miracle or did you make the most of it?