Preview

Terminal Illness Decision

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
297 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Terminal Illness Decision
Terminal illness decision
In this essay I have the subject of deciding whether or not people with a terminal illness should have the option to commit doctor assisted suicide. In my opinion yes and I will explain my reasoning in this essay.

On CNN.com doctor assisted suicide is suicide only performed on a person with a terminal illness with 6 months or less to live. It is only legal in 5 states including Oragan, Vermont, Washington, California, and only in Montana via court decision.

From Pbs.org a man named Andrew Soloman said, “I feel there should be notice boards reminding people that the right to physician aid in dying does not affect the people who deplore it.” I do agree with this statement because just like a gay married couples relationship


You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    The question is should incurable patients be able to commit physician assisted suicide, and depending on which group you talk to the pros or cons they both have well developed arguments as to which is right and which one is wrong. Even though physician assisted suicide may help patients with debilitating conditions that medicine cannot manage, I am against it because suicide even for the terminally ill is wrong and with the appropriate care like palliative treatment it is an unnecessary act. The theory that I believe to be the foundation of my beliefs is the deontological and the argument for the sanctity of life. It is the simplest moral outlook on suicide. The sanctity of life holds that it is wrong because human life is sacred. Though this position is mainly associated with the church or religious realm, Ronald Darrkin (1993) points out that atheists may also find appeal to this claim as well. According to the “sanctity of life” the human life is very precious and valuable and demanding respect from others and reverence for oneself. Suicide is so wrong because it violates our moral duty in honoring the value of life. The position of physician assisted suicide is a view of the deontological theory and the sanctity of life.…

    • 2380 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    When we think about the idea of physician- assisted suicide, we most likely feel as though that the act itself should be considered murder. During 1997, The President at the time Bill Clinton signed into regulations “The assisted suicide funding restriction act”. The regulation omitted the use of federal monies to pay for physician assisted suicide, as well as euthanasia, and also mercy killings in the United States. According to the New England Journal of Medicine Physician assisted suicide is now currently legal in three states, they are Oregon, Washington,…

    • 631 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    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…

    • 575 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Physician-assisted suicide is the intentional end of one's own life by the organization of a deadly substance with the immediate or backhanded help of a doctor. Some people support Physician Assisted suicide while others do not. In order, to develop a better understanding of this trending issue, we must first look at different perspectives and viewpoints while approaching the topic. These viewpoints are moral, practical, and legal.…

    • 697 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    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,…

    • 136 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    When a person is given the option to choice whether or not they live or die, it gives them the chance to die with a sense of dignity and pride. There has been many different opinions and discussions when it comes to the topic of whether or not assisted suicide should be legal, and there continues to be more efforts put into researching more about this topic. Physician assisted suicide may not be currently legal in every state, but the topic continues to create new ways for law to be implemented in order to service the people who truly may need it.…

    • 1342 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    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…

    • 1407 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    According to this article, physician-assisted suicide is also known as the Death with Dignity act. Only five states support this act and they are: Montana, Washington, Vermont, New Mexico, and Oregon. Physician-assisted suicide is not euthanasia because talking the lethal pill is solely up to the patient. There are many pros to physician-assisted suicide. It allows people to reserve their right to die with dignity, the patient can choose their treatment type, it talks away guilt and burden on families, and some struggling people lose their right to live and they should be supported. Some cons are that terminally ill patients…

    • 2223 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The topic of Physician Assisted Suicide has become a well-known issue. But the fact is, for terminally ill and for those that cannot recover, Physician assisted suicide is not completely misguided. It gives those who are in a lot of pain a chance to save their loved ones the torment of seeing them so feeble. It also strengthens the possibility of saving those who can still be saved.…

    • 523 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Physician assisted suicide is when a doctor helps a patient take his own life. This is…

    • 282 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    End of life medical issues are a very sensitive subject for doctors, patients, and family members. Some support the patients’ right to terminate their own life. Euthanasia loosely called physician assisted suicide is when one takes deliberate action to end life when faced with persistent suffering and certain death (Medical News Today, 2012).Many feel that patients should not have to suffer unjustly when faced with serious pain and debilitating illness. Often times it is just as difficult for family members to stand by and watch loved ones suffer. As someone that has witnessed both my grandmothers die on hospice care in the last six months, I know that watching someone die can be more painful than losing them all together. With as much compassion as I have for people in pain, I do not believe people have the right to end their lives whenever they chose. I oppose euthanasia and physician assisted suicide (PAS) because I believe that it is a doctor’s duty to keep patients alive, it may create financial and ethical issues when it comes to patients and insurance companies, and God should be the only one who decides when ones journey has been completed.…

    • 844 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Physician assisted suicide is the practice that a doctor offers a terminally sick patient with a prescription of a fatal medication dose, upon the patient‘s request with the intention of ending his or her life. In addition,…

    • 882 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    According to the organization Death with Dignity, the states who have passed and legalized, as of December 19, 2016, PAS are California, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and Colorado. These five states have the statues named the Death with Dignity Act. Montana is also a state which allows physician assisted suicide and it was passed by the State Supreme Court. According to the Death with Dignity organization, the Death with Dignity Act serves as purpose to helping terminally ill patients without the interruption of several opposing forces such as religious groups, politicians the government etc. In the Death with Dignity Act, “Death with Dignity statutes allow mentally competent adult state residents who have a terminal illness with a confirmed…

    • 1284 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Physician Assisted Suicide

    • 1581 Words
    • 7 Pages

    In physician-assisted suicide, a physician gives a terminally ill patient a prescription for a lethal dose of narcotics to be self administered when the times comes that the effects of his disease are no longer controllable or tolerable. As of now, it is legal only in the state of Oregon. It has long been disputed for many reasons. Among them are religion, public opinion, and how to govern and restrict the process. As there is supposed to be a division of Church and State, religion should play no part in making this decision. According to a poll, “61% of people answered ‘yes’ to the question ‘Shall…

    • 1581 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Physician Assisted Suicide

    • 7664 Words
    • 31 Pages

    In today's society, one of the most controversial issues is physician-assisted suicide for the terminally ill. Many people feel that it is wrong for people, regardless of their health condition, to ask their health care provider to end their life; while others feel it is their right to be able to choose how and when they die. When a physician is asked to help a patient into death, they have many responsibilities that come along with that single question. Among those responsibilities are: providing valid information as to the terminal illness the patient is suffering, educating the patient as to what their final options may be, making the decision of whether or not to help the patient into death, and also if they do decide to help, providing the lethal dose of medication that will end the patient's life. For those who believe physician-assisted suicide should be their choice, they feel it should be legalized because: they don't want to go through the suffering caused by the terminal illness; they fear the loss of their autonomy (independence); becoming a burden to their family or friends, and also the fear of dying alone. One the other hand those opposed to assisted suicide feel it goes against religious beliefs and medical ethics. They also believe that there is always the possibility that a miracle will occur and the patient will overcome the illness and also that the doctor could have provided the wrong prognosis/diagnosis to the patient. The strongest reason against physician-assisted suicide has been the idea that if assisted suicide becomes legal, it will get out of hand and target certain people in society, such as those with disabilities, or certain races.…

    • 7664 Words
    • 31 Pages
    Powerful Essays