Argumentative Essay On Physician Assisted Suicide

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Imagine being diagnosed with a disease that is going to kill you, but then you learn that you cannot do anything to avoid the pain it will cause you. The palliative care you will receive will only be able to provide slight comfort. You look at the options and consult with your physician, and decide physician-assisted suicide, or PAS, is what you want. Within the last two decades, the argument regarding physician-assisted suicide has grown. While some believe that death should be "natural", physician-assisted suicide helps the terminally ill maintain their dignity while dying. Physician assisted suicide should be a viable option for those diagnosed with a terminal illness. It provides a permanent relief to the pain and suffering that is involved …show more content…

Patients are scared of what the disease will do to them and how they will feel. Advocates say that the name physician assisted suicide is misleading, in part because people associated suicide with being a horrid thing. Psychological factors are a major reason, mainly including depression, feeling like a burden, fearing loss of control or dignity, or being dependent. Many patients do not want palliative care because they feel they will be mistreated, harmed, or just not cared for by their caretaker. If this is the case, it can make things worse because it can cause more suffering through secondary illness 's and other complications due to neglect.(Lachman 3) The patient can develop bedsores and atrophy if not properly moved, they can lose the ability to feed themselves and use the facility. Patients that are utilizing PAS often remain in the care of family and hospice during the time of their death, but before then most utilize a limited amount of palliative care to help control their pain. (Lachman 4) Depending on what the patient is utilizing to aid in their dying the body itself may often help with pain management. If the patient is utilizing the VSED, the body will produce a strong Opiate, which is known to have an anesthetic effect on the body, reducing the pain and thirst felt. Chewing in ice and mouth washes often help with the feeling of thirst, and artificial saliva help when patients choose terminal dehydration. (Pickert

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