Preview

Two Side to Every Story

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1410 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Two Side to Every Story
Assisted Suicide 1

Assisted Suicide: Two Sides To Every Story Stephanie Jarvis Phil 201 Critical Thinking Professor: Roxanne Carr April 1, 2008

Assisted Suicide 2 Abstract In this research paper it is going to show how hard of an ethical decision assisted suicide can be. Not only for the patient but for the doctor’s and families as well. Many terminally ill patients are questioning assisted suicide but do not know of any other alternatives. The patient just thinks they are putting a financial and emotional strain on their families and think death is the only way out. World famous Dr. Kavorkian better known as “Dr. Death” is a doctor who knows what these terminally ill patients are going through and helps with their end of life wishes. Although, assisted suicide is always going to be an ethical issue it is also a huge legal problem around the world.

Assisted Suicide 3 Assisted Suicide: Two Sides To Every Story When a person must make an ethical decision it can be a tough job. Knowing what is right and wrong does not always come easy to many people. These decisions are usually based on a persons family, friends, religion, culture and surroundings. The purpose of this paper is to research the ethical issues of assisted suicide. This



References: Assisted Suicide: Hospice Care as a Merciful Alternative. (2008). Hospice Foundation of America. Retrieved March 20, 2008, from http://hospicefoundation.org. Assisted Suicide: Laws Around the World. (March 1, 2005). Assisted Suicide. Retrieved March 20, 2008, from http://www.assistedsuicide.org. Death on Trial: the case of Dr. Kevorkian obscures critical issues. (2007). Gale. Retrieved March 13, 2008, from http://find.galegroup.com. Physician Assisted Suicide: Is Legal Always Right?. (2004). Find Law. Retrieved March 20, 2008, from http://library.findlaw.com. Rovner, J. (1998, December 5). Kevorkian arrested on charges of first-degree murder.. Lancet, 352(9143), 1838-1838. Retrieved march 25, 2008, from Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition database. Warner Bros. Pictures. (2004). Million Dollar Baby(video). Burbank, CA: Warner Home Video, Inc.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    The ending of one’s life, terminally ill or not, should not be done purposely by another man’s hands. If such procedures were considered acceptable, every ill person with no will to continue living would try to find ailments that deem assisted suicide. Jack Kevorkian, also known as “Dr. Death,” was a lifelong activist for physician-assisted suicide. Kevorkian was said to have assisted in 130 suicides of terminally ill patients during his life and is looked at as a sick and twisted killer to many, but as a brave, respected pathologist to others. To look back on his history and past activity, is extremely bizarre and unusual; there is everything from leaving pathology in the 70’s to make a movie, to advocating for the usage of medical experiments on criminals during execution. Assisted suicide violates the Fourteenth amendment, which prohibits government from depriving a person of life, liberty and property without ensuring fairness. The act is also by a general consensus, seen as morally and ethically taboo. However, if the patients asked Dr. Kevorkian to assist in their suicide, is he deserving of the criminal charges he has landed, or should he be seen as merely a doctor obeying his patients’ wishes? The facts that present themselves show that Dr. Kevorkian’s actions were arguably unjustified.…

    • 1776 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Euthanasia means “good death” but today the term is deemed as a merciful action to rid someone of suffering. In many cases we have seen terminally ill patients euthanized active or passive, yet for the sake of my essay I will discuss active euthanasia. End of life issues is a topic many families are faced with everyday more than one likes to imagine; however, imagine that you were a significant other who has a loved one in the hospital suffering from a terminal illness and their pain is unbearable that your loved one has decided to end his life and the subject of euthanasia comes up. What would you do? The…

    • 1769 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The major claim of this editorial, is that legalized doctor-assisted suicide is euthanasia. We are asking for the right to decide though the court system, if an individual’s life is valuable or not. Some may claim we are just hiding or heartless nature and corrupt moral standards to justify our actions.…

    • 676 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    References: Showalter, J. S. (2008). The law of healthcare administration (5th ed.). Chicago: Health Administration Press.…

    • 1570 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Physician-Assisted Suicide

    • 2476 Words
    • 10 Pages

    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.…

    • 2476 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Physician-Assisted Suicide

    • 1301 Words
    • 6 Pages

    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.…

    • 1301 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    From the beginning of its existence, the sole purpose of the health care industry is to increase the quality of life. However, when a patient’s life is coming to an end, healthcare professionals strive to provide a comfortable death with minimal pain. With today’s doctors having new technology, medicines, and techniques, the ethics of assisted suicide has become a great debate between the public, the government, and health professionals. Dr. David Mayo and Daniel Callahan are both professionals in the healthcare industry and have varying viewpoints in regards to the effectiveness, position, and purpose of assisted suicide.…

    • 784 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    For decades, the public, government, and physicians have been debating over the “Death with Dignity Act” or “Physician-Assisted Suicide.” It started back in the Ancient Greek and Rome time. The debate originated around the Hippocratic Oath and the condemnation of the practice. With the upsurge of Christianity, many physicians continued to condemn the practice. Within the last two centuries the public has spurned many discussions about Physician-assisted suicide and Euthanasia from many different historic perspectives (Procon.org, 2012). Although this debate has been lengthy and many of the issues discussed over the centuries are repetitive, new ideas and concerns do emerge with the current debate. What do you think when you here assisted suicide? Would you want your family member to suffer with an illness that has put them in so much pain that they cannot function? Personally, I would not want to see my family member suffer in pain while they are dying with no cure.…

    • 2028 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Best Essays

    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…

    • 2855 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Good Essays

    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…

    • 258 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The right to physician-assisted suicide is a very controversial topic that concerns many people all over the world. There has been much debate about whether a terminally ill patient has the right to die with the assistance of a physician. Physician-assisted suicide is defined as a physician providing a patient with means to kill themselves. The doctor would prescribe a lethal dose of medication to the patient to end their life. From the Utilitarian standpoint, physician-assisted suicide is morally acceptable because the patients should be allowed to end there suffering, reduce the damaging financial…

    • 1112 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The concept and practice of physician assisted suicide is a highly debated topic in today’s news. People often question the morals of the physicians who practice euthanasia and there are some who believe that they should not even be considered doctors. Euthanasia is the ending of someone's life through a doctor's help and is still illegal in most countries. One of the most well known advocates for the practice of euthanasia is Jack Kevorkian, who has also been referred to as Dr. Death. He was tried and convicted of second degree murder, however his practice gained a lot of support from the publicity of his trials. Although he is responsible for over 130 deaths, Kevorkian is a hero in today’s standards because of his involvement in the practice…

    • 1044 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    Assisted Suicide

    • 2368 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Gunderson, Martin. “A Right to Suicide Does Not Entail a Right to Assisted Death.” Journal of…

    • 2368 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Death with Dignity

    • 1814 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Imagine having a terminal form of cancer and having no response to treatment. The physicians say there are only a few months left until death. Does one choose to suffer out the last few months of life with family or end his or her life peacefully, with dignity? Physician assisted suicide should be legal because one should have the choice to end his or her own suffering.…

    • 1814 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Physician Assisted Suicide

    • 7664 Words
    • 31 Pages

    Callahan, Daniel, Ph.D. "Self Extinction: The Morality of the Helping Hand." Physician-Assisted Suicide. Ed. Robert F. Weir. Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1997. 69-85.…

    • 7664 Words
    • 31 Pages
    Powerful Essays

Related Topics