Euthanasia: Ethics and Challenges in Physician-assisted Suicide

Did you know, about 57% of physicians today have received some sort of request for physician-assisted suicide from a suffering terminally ill patient? These requests have been occurring since medicine has been around. This act is called Euthanasia, which is the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease or in an irreversible coma. Furthermore, there are two key principles that all organized medicine agrees upon. The first one being that physicians have a responsibility to relieve pain and suffering of dying patients in their care. The second being physicians must respect patients ' competent decisions to decline life-sustaining treatment. In other words, these principles state that the patients over the age

Terminally ill patients deserve to have the legal option of physician-assisted suicide. Terminally ill patients should have the right to control their own death. Legalizing physician-assisted suicide would relieve families of the burdens of caring for a terminally ill relative. Moreover, doctors should not be prosecuted for assisting in the suicide of a terminally ill patient. Society must protect life but must also recognize the right to a humane death. When a person is near death, and in unbearable pain, they have the right to ask a physician to assist in ending their lives. For example, there was a case of Mrs. Brittany Maynard who was told by her doctor that she only had six months to live because of glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer, so she decided to relocate to Oregon so she can take advantage of the law allowing her to legally end her suffering with the aid of a physician. Advocates point out that it is ethical for a person to keep his or her dignity by putting a stop to the sufferings brought by terminal illness. The advocates believe that sick people who will die soon because of medical conditions should not be subjected to prolonged pain and physician-assisted suicide is the ethical way to do it. Dr. Timothy E. Quill stated that "Patients with serious illness wish to have control over their own bodies, their own lives, and concern about future physical and psychosocial distress. Some view potential access to physician-assisted death as the best option to address these concerns,". According to an end-of-life survey by the Pew Research Center (2013), 57% of the two thousand surveyed chose to end their lives via physician suicide if they had an incurable disease and were suffering a great deal of pain. Physician-assisted suicide should be legalized for the sole fact that it puts an end to someone`s miserable life. Give the people what they