In today 's society one of the most controversial issues is physician-assisted suicide for the terminally ill. Many feel as though it is wrong, regardless of their health condition to ask their health care provider to end their life. Others feel it is their right to be able to choose how and when they die. For those who believe physician-assisted suicide should be their choice, they feel it should be legal because: they don 't want to go through the suffering caused by the life-threatening illness, they fear the loss of their independence, becoming a burden to their family and friends, and the fear of dying alone.…
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…
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,…
Not all terminally ill patients will choose this option, but it should be available for those who want it. Coping with the diagnosis of a terminal illness is difficult for both the patient and the patient’s loved ones and it only becomes more difficult as the disease progresses. Being given the ability to decide when to die allows the patient to feel a sense of dignity and control during a time when he or she may not have control over anything else in life. Not only does physician-assisted suicide provide a sense of relief to the patient, it provides relief to family and friends. Watching a loved one die is one of the most challenging things to endure in life. It only becomes more challenging when forced to watch a loved one die a slow and painful death. Physician-assisted suicide can provide closure to everyone involved in a situation dealing with a terminal illness; therefore, it must become legal in all fifty…
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.…
In 1997, the Supreme Court ruled that patients do not have the right to Physician- Assisted Suicide under the constitution. However, the Supreme Court did not ban PAS (US Legal, Inc., n.d.). Later, in 2006 the Supreme Court ruled that laws related to Physician- Assisted suicide would be voted upon within each state. Currently, Physician- Assisted suicide is legal in five states in the U.S. including Oregon, Vermont, Washington and California where it is mandated by state law. Montana is mandated by court ruling. The first state to legalize physician assisted suicide was Oregon in 1994, followed by Washington in 2009. Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Nevada, Kansas, Minnesota, Idaho, Michigan, Tennessee, North Carolina, Maryland, New Jersey, New York,…
Most people would agree that the right of a competent, terminally ill person to avoid any unnecessary excruciating pain seems as though it should be a basic human right. To have someone go through more suffering than absolutely necessary seems as though it would fall under the description of an inhumane act, and frankly an injustice against the basic human right of bodily autonomy and integrity. Due to these almost undeniable arguments, physician assisted suicide, in many cases, is seen as a basic human right that we need to be granted access to. Activists argue that it is simply an additional choice that we will be able to make, and that it will surely never be pushed onto anybody or used sinisterly (Maynard 2014). Although this claim is something that we cannot be entirely sure of, as I have continued to research the pros and cons behind physician assisted suicide, I have come to the conclusion that in many cases it truly does seem that the legalization of physician assisted suicide is the best option for everyone involved. It is a means to cease any unnecessary suffering that a person may be going though, and provides a sense of comfort for them during a time in their lives where they are not given many choices besides to deal with what they are going through and try to survive. Additionally, with many of the extreme medical advancements of the 20t century, our goals have been clouded by the quest to…
A state’s prohibition on assisted suicide, like all homicide laws, advances this interest. The Supreme Court concluded that the state of Washington had the right to decline to make judgments about the quality of life that a particular individual may enjoy, and the state could certainly conclude that all persons’ lives, from beginning to end, regardless of physical or mental condition, deserve full protection of the law.…
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…
It is important for all of us to understand why it is necessary to nationally legalize physician-assisted suicide. Our rights as citizens are being denied. In the United States Constitution, the 9th Amendment states, “The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be constructed to deny or disparage others retained by the people (1).” This Amendment basically means that even though certain rights are identified in the United States Constitution, those that are not mentioned should not be disregarded. This text, limits the government’s power over the citizens’ rights. It is…
Imagine being terminally ill and being told by a doctor that there is only have six months left to live and that those next six months will wither the body down to nothing through pain and suffering. Physician-assisted suicide could save many Americans from this nightmarish reality that terminally ill patients face today. If physician-assisted suicide or euthanasia was legal in the United States, months of suffering and a loss of dignity and autonomy could be spared. Therefore, physician-assisted suicide, in the style Oregon employs, should be legalized and available to suffering patients across the United…
Physician-assisted suicide is currently a hotly debate issue within the United States government. Physician-assisted suicide is defined as when “a physician assists a patient in dying by writing a prescription for a legal dose of a drug that the patient self-administers.” (Behuniak & Svenson, 2003). Physician-assisted suicide is illegal on a federal level, however; the practice has been legalized within 6 states: California, Colorado, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and Montana (Author, 2017). The practice of physician-assisted suicide is flawed in several aspects. Firstly, it places people of a lower socioeconomic class and people that suffer from mental illnesses at a greater risk. Secondly, physician-assisted suicide degrades the sanctity of life. Lastly, physician-assisted suicide is exploited by insurance companies as a way to cut costs, because medication for a lethal-dose prescription costs less money than the care of a patient over several months or years. Physician-assisted suicide is a…
Dr. Ann Marie Chiasson believes that Physician Assisted Suicide is inhumane, because it goes against the Hippocratic oath. David Orentlicher created a documentary covering the dark side of Physician Assisted Suicide, and it also showed the lack of responsibility some doctors have over their patients. Finally, Ben Mattlin a terminally ill patient himself claimed that any barriers eliminated would make life scary for him, because they could have easily terminated his life, because of his condition. Physician-Assisted Suicide needs to be criminalized, because it blurs the lines between the doctor and patient relationship, not all patients are mentally competent to make their own decisions, and it violates the Hippocratic oath. The American Medical Association’s morals are where they need to be, but the government needs to remove the state’s right to decide if Physician Assisted Suicide should be allowed. The government needs to outlaw it once and for all. Physician Assisted Suicide is not right, or will it ever…
The main reasons why physician-assisted suicide should be legalized in every state is outlined in great detail with real life examples to back up each reason. Physician-assisted suicide is legal in six states in the US and is an ongoing debate amongst other states. Physician-assisted suicide gives a terminally ill patient with six months or less to live the ability to voluntarily control his or her own death. The physician prescribes a lethal dose of medication and the patient chooses when, where and how to end his or her own life. The cost of physician-assisted suicide is substantially lower than receiving end of life care such as palliative or hospice care. Many terminally ill patients fear that medical expenses will leave a burden on their…