There are many ethical dilemmas/cases throughout history, today I would like to address two issues/dilemmas that I believe have impacted and helped reshape our stances upon medical ethics. The first issue in which I would like to address to Physician Assisted Suicide or sometimes referred to as PAS.…
In this article, William Toffler, a professor at Oregon Health & Science University and licensed physician, claims that legalizing assisted suicide in his state has had a negative effect on the medical profession. The author presents the reader with accounts of patients considering assisted suicide, as well as statistics surrounding the practice and legality. He supports his thesis by presenting the fears patients have when seeking medical care in a pro-suicide state. He also cites the laws put into effect that allows a doctor not to disclose how a patient died and the unreliability in knowing exactly how long a patient is expected to live; therefore the state is not giving the public access to certain data surrounding the issue. He goes on…
The current ‘First Past the Post (FPTP)’ system within Canada has many benefits, as it allows the government to pass bills with ease, if they have a majority government (majority of seats); however, a majority of Canadian citizens each election are disappointed with the result, and/or feel like their vote did not matter. The reason behind all the concern within Canada post election is that the seats needed to make a majority, can be acquired without having a majority of the populace within the riding. Am example of this is in the 2011 election, Stephen Harper of the Conservatives, won the General election with only 39% of the total votes cast . The FPTP system has favored the Conservatives, and the Liberals, allowing them to have monopolized the Canadian elections in the past hundred years . There are numerous alternatives to FPTP, including: ranked ballots, and proportional representation (PR). Canada is quite possibly overdue for a reform of the political election system; however, jumping to proportional representation isn’t necessarily the best choice. Changes can be made to the current political system, while they research electoral reform alternatives, such as: mandatory…
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.…
Physician-assisted suicide (PAS) and euthanasia is a widely debated and controversial topic in our society. It is believed that the principle of PAS and euthanasia portrays, “merciful acts that deliver terminally ill patients from painful and protracted death” (page 477, column 2). In the paper, “Physician-Assisted Suicide: A Tragic View,” John D. Arras discusses the subject and states that while he agrees with patients making decisions, implementing laws supporting PAS and euthanasia is a huge threat to our social order. However, John D. Arras also concludes that he does not disapprove with the possibility of having a legislative policy in favor of PAS/euthanasia, only if there is “sufficient evidence of reliability of various safeguards” (page 477, column 2).…
How is physician-assisted suicide any different than regular suicide? Does the fact that a person is terminally ill make it right? Who gets to decide if it is right? These are questions people may ask themselves when deciding whether or not they think physician-assisted suicide is ethical. Whether it is requested or not, many would say it is unethical for a physician to deliberately cause death to a person. Physicians take an oath to first do no harm. Others may say that a person has the right to make his or her own decisions about his or her life. In this paper, I will explore each side of physician-assisted suicide and how it relates to virtue ethics, along with how I feel relativist would see the issue.…
Why it is unjust and unmoral to approve of medical assistants in the pursuit of death, such as suicide if the patients ask for such help? There are two side to every argument, there are some people that believe that is is morally ethical to receive PAS (Physician-Assisted Suicide). Then, of course there’s the opposing side to the debate in which this paper will cover and that side is :The medical practice is PAS is unjust, unmoral and shouldn’t be legalized for the fact the the will of life out powers a moment of misery.…
Physician assisted suicide is a highly controversial ethical dilemma that is receiving a lot of press in society recently. The issue is an emotional debate whether a terminally ill or disabled person has the right to end their existence with the support of their physician, which affects not just the patient, but their families and health care providers. Physician assisted suicide has legal ramifications as well. One argument in favor of Physician assisted suicide alludes to that the patient has the right to end their life with dignity. An opposing argument is if a physician participates in assisted suicide this goes against the “American Medical Association (AMA) Code of Ethics”. A physician and nurse are respected within the community to…
Physician assisted suicide is a widely spread controversial ethical issue. This paper is written in an effort to highlight some important points discussing whether assisted suicide should be legalized or not under certain circumstances. Various ethical and social factors that play key role in prohibiting and permitting the legalization of assisted suicide…
Many different organizations like the World Health Organization or WHO, are concerned that the nature of the physician - patient relationship will be irrevocably altered for the worse if physicians are given a license to “kill”. (Young). However, advocates for physician assisted suicide like Margaret Battin will argue that physicians whom alone society has entrusted custody of the means of ensuring a good death, have a positive duty to help terminally ill patients in intractable pain who wish to die, which is a duty grounded in the bioethical principles of beneficence and non-malfeasance (Young).…
Physician-assisted suicide is one topic that many countries have yet to tackle. Considering the many complex issues and underlying controversies, there is no doubt that the idea of taking one's life with medical collaboration is one of many criterias. There are many benefits for those individuals affected by terminal illnesses and irreversible damages to their health (i.e. AIDS or Parkinson’s Disease), such as removing the pain from their lives and allowing their families to be at peace knowing that they are no longer in harm’s way, but suicide in and of itself is a difficult challenge to defend. The act of taking one’s life is one that has been fought against for years, and…
If a family member was terminally ill, would you want them to suffer in physical and emotional pain everyday, or would you want their suffering to end? Physician assisted suicide (or PAS) is the process where a doctor is allowed to aid in a terminally ill patient’s decision to die. Physician assisted suicide should be legal in all fifty states. Three statements that support PAS being legalized are it will end the patient’s and family’s suffering, patients will have the option to die in dignity, and the choice to live or die should be legal. Although some physicians argue it is in direct violation to the Hippocratic Oath and it is unethical to kill a patient, the Hippocratic Oath is outdated and it is more unethical to leave a patient in pain when all other pain management options fail.…
Medical professionals already have many burdens throughout their medical path, adding the guilt of killing someone to the list is not fair for the healthcare professionals and the family members. Euthanasia is ethically and morally wrong because the doctors have to continue to find possible ways to treat the patient not to give the patient the option of choosing to die. The incident in “Britain with the nurses technically killing the patient could have been avoided” (Fenigsen, “Other People’s Lives: Reflections On Medicine, Ethics, And Euthanasia”). Although, some people might believe that ending the patient’s pain is ending their suffering, but many fail to realize the actual outcome if euthanasia were to be practiced. For instance, “If terminating life is a benefit, the reasoning goes, why should euthanasia be limited only to those who can give consent? Why need we ask for consent” (ProCon.org, “Top Ten Pros and Cons)”, the slippery slope a reality to…
Reyna experienced both positive and negative effects from growing up with papi. Papi always encouraged his kids, (Mago, Carlos, Reyna) to thrive academically, which made them succeed at school, but sometimes it doesn’t always have a great outcome when you encourage you kids with fear. What happened with Reyna that she always wanted papi to proud of her in school, even though multiple times he shunned her, she had that idea in mind that she need to make her father proud, and I think that papi was the reason that Reyna was successful at college, although in a very wrong way . its never okay to put the fear of god in you kids soul to be good at school.…
While the large corporations prefer to maintain the status quo, the blue collar manufacturing workers need to engage in mass mobilization efforts sot that their concerns would not be ignored in the political process. We need educate the auto industry workers and arouse grassroots campaign, for grassroots lobbying involves “… the identification recruitment, and mobilization of constituent-based political strength capable of influencing political decisions.” (Walker 45) The key is to aim the ordinary citizens rather than government decision makers, because the government decision maker, in this case, congresswoman Miller would respond to citizen demand on the decision of TPP agreement.…