Dr. Death, Death machine, and murderer. These terms surround Dr. Jack Kevorkian and make his story menacing. Dr. Kevorkian, a physician in the 1990’s, used and advocated Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS). PAS describes a physician knowledgeably giving a person medication to induce death with the person’s consent. Dr. Kevorkian would provide a device which attached to a person, allowing them to flip a switch that caused death.…
Jim is a donkey. He has this urge to create new levels of madness “on the daily”. Jim sits his lazy bum in his La-Z-Boy and pretends he has a job by staring at a computer all day. And the breathing. Oh my heavens the man breaths like Big Foot having an asthma attack. The car rides with Jim are the worst. He always brings an apple, but then doesn't eat it until you're in the car and can't escape the chewing sounds. You'd think a grown man in his fifties would have learned to chew with his mouth closed. Between the unholy chewing of the apples and the human ventilator, the side of the road starts looking real friendly.…
Imagine a patient in a hospital suffering from the AIDS disease. And since his diagnosis he has suffered from two bouts of pneumonia, chronic, severe sinus and skin infections, severe seizures, and extreme fatigue. Seventy percent of his vision is already lost, and the disease has gone terminal. He has requested that his doctor prescribe him medicine that would kill him thus ending his suffering. This is exactly what Dr. Jack Kevorkian has been fighting for his entire life. To shed positive light upon the controversial subject of Physician-Assisted Suicide.…
The national institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) End of Life Care Quality Standard, emphasises these expectations. The key points are:…
ncreasingly, in the courts and the media and in conversation, we are hearing about euthanasia and the so-called "right to die."…
The definition of leader a person who leads or commands a group, organization, or country. The verb to lead can mean to set a process in motion. I think that both of these definitions can be seen in Jim Casy. As a main character in John Steinbeck’s novel The Grapes of Wrath, Jim constantly makes light of major themes, specifically that human life is as sacred as any divinity and that a single life has little purpose unless it takes part in, and contributes to, a greater community. These ruminations play a huge role in the transformation of Tom Joad into a social activist. Tom’s newfound commitment to a better future indicates that Casy was truly a leader and teacher even though he questioned his calling. Jim Casy shows his belief in the power of selfless devotion to others by joining the cause to help the people, and even in death, leads Tom and others to join as well…
Instead of embracing this act of death, we should respond to suffering with compassion and solidarity. (Anderson, Screen 1) Many of the patients seeking to end their lives in this way usually suffer from depression or other mental illnesses, but also from loneliness. Instead of us giving them pills to kill them, the doctors should provide the suitable medical care they need. As for the patients in physical pain, pain management drugs can be administered to improve their quality of life. The terminally ill patients are provided with hospice care and fellowship to accompany them on their last days of life. Doctors should help their patients die a dignified death of natural causes, not assist in killing them. (Anderson, Screen 1) Physicians take the oath to always heal and care, never to kill intentionally. Palliative care focuses on the patient’s quality of life and improving it by alleviating pain and other distressing symptoms of a serious illness. At any age or stage in illness, palliative care is available to help improve the patient’s life as a whole. It does not matter if the illness is curable, chronic, or even life-threatening, medicine can improve your symptoms dramatically, helping you live with your…
You stumble across a cemetery and impulsively decide to take look around. Once you step inside, you immediately notice hundreds of tombstones scattered around. You take a long breath and move tentatively around knowing you have walked into the valley of death surrounded by silent souls. You look around and see the hollow eyes of death, smell the coldness of death, and hear the silent whispers of death. Tombstone after tombstone you wonder if that woman had a sister, what that young boy died from, what the old man did for a living, or why that young girl deserved to die. Tombstone after tombstone you suffocate in sorrow. Tombstone after tombstone you decide to maneuver your way out of the cemetery, but the smell of death sticks to your skin…
One aspect of a good death that has not changed over the years is the idea of acceptance, more specifically, personal acceptance of death. In the 19th century a good death required an acceptance of death because death stared…
Death is an event, dying is a process. Modern medicine today works very hard to help people live longer and avoid that dreaded day when death comes. The healthcare system is prolonging life, but is it always the answer, forcing someone to continue a suffering life. Doctors sometimes unintentionally instill false hope in patients by offering treatment that most likely will not work or benefit the patient. Prolonging life has ethical and moral issues. Death is also a very taboo topic in our culture and should not be discussed or accepted. The doctors and pharmaceutical companies that are prolonging life do not fully understand the damage they are causing to society surrounding death.…
In at least some cases, active euthanasia promotes the best interest of everyone concerned and violates no one’s rights, therefore, at least in some cases, active euthanasia is morally permissible.” (RSL/Rachels, EL 249) This is the strongest argument for active euthanasia in my opinion. Those who oppose this argument may claim that euthanasia is not in the best interests of all parties involved. The parties referenced are usually the friends/family/doctors and their grief over the situation or even the hospital and its shareholders losing money from the patient. First off, any person who wants to keep a family member alive who is in extreme pain for the sole reason of wanting to prolong being able to interact with them or to offset their own period of suffering following the family member’s death is incredibly selfish. The logical conclusion would be that family and friends of the patient would be relieved by their quick and early passing because of the avoidance of a month of suffering. Yes, of course the family and friends of the patient will experience emotional trauma from the passing of their loved one, but in due time the loved one you will pass whether they like it or not. Second, when it comes to financial losses to the hospital and its shareholders, those who would put monetary gain over the wellbeing of another human being have…
The documentary “A Death of One’s Own,” was about three individuals that became terminally ill and when it came time they wanted to use physician assisted suicide. All of them died and I believe that two of them would have been considered a “good death,” which is when a person dies in a way that they would wish to and in a comfortable state and place.…
To many, death may seem like a daunting topic, but it is a topic, which affects everyone and should be discussed. Every person deserves to have some autonomy when it comes to end-of-life care decisions. There are ethical and legal disputes that arise because of disagreements between patients, families, and medical professionals. Unfortunately, there is not always a clear right answer to what extent or how something should be done. How to care for a dying individual also presents a plethora of issues, especially for nurses. This is mostly due to lack of support in the work place and community settings for that patient and their family. Analyzing these issues can only aid in more open discussions and the progressive evolution of better care for terminal patients. Ultimately, better care and education can assist these patients in dying with the dignity they rightfully deserve.…
According to Holly Smith Goldman, "death is not always an evil to the person who dies. If the continuation of that person's life would have been a good to her, then dead is indeed an evil. But if the continuation of her life would have been an evil, then death for her is a good." With that said, this falls in the category of people who are in excruciating pain due to illness. For example, my grandmother from the Philippines, recently passed away from bone cancer. Throughout her fight with the cancer, she suffered through pain I can't even imagine. Although everyone did their possible best to give her the best care, eventually even with medications, she still suffered greatly. Eventually, the best decision for her was to stop giving her medications. In my opinion, she's been through hell with cancer and I feel that by stopping her medications, this still prolonged her life but also doubled the amount of pain she was in. In this sense, was letting her die better than killing? These two things are not much different in a moral sense. As I mentioned, in some cases where killing will actually set and free the patient, it may be necessary. Most of us will never kill a human being, because that's just against our human nature. I still do believe that most of us will seek the best care for others. Although we may not kill people, we can't always provide the necessary needs for others. Lawrence Becker said, " we allow people to die, when we fail to…
“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).…