Euthanasia And Assisted Suicide: Case Study

678 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Medical ethics case

For the purpose of this discussion, by using MORAL framework for ethical decision-making I will analyze Question 4: What ethical principle does a physician face when he or she gets a request for assisted suicide? As the nurse, what are the conflicting ethical principles that you might face with this request? Many passionate discussions are done on the issues of euthanasia. On one side, people who are pro-euthanasia argue that a person has the right to choose, what is in the best interest of the patient, and some will argue from a medical resources perspective. On the other side, anti-euthanasia arguments present that life is sacred, it is against best interest, it devalues life, there is potential for pressure and abuse, professional integrity, …show more content…

The active euthanasia – also called mercy killing is the act of putting someone to death. Assisted suicide is the act of providing means to end a life but not act as a direct agent of death. Medical professionals face and ethical dilemma when a patient asks for euthanasia or assisted suicide. In the Statement of ANA Position, American Nurses Association provides clear declaration that “prohibits nurses’ participation in the assisted suicide and euthanasia because these acts are in direct violation of Code of Ethics for nurses” (ANA, 2013).
Ethics question: Given conflicting values between patient and medical professional, is ethically justifiable to assist in the assisted suicide. M = Massage the dilemma. The patient is suffering from unbearable and debilitating pain at the-end-of life stage of his/her life and asks medical professional to provide means (medications) to end his/her own life. Major stakeholders in this scenario are the patient who asks for assisted suicide, a medical professional who was asked, other medical professionals and patient’s family members who might be involved in the procedure.
O = Outline the options. Adhere to the patient’s wishes and provide the means for the patient to end his/her own life or refuse to …show more content…

In many states, without specific legislative authority or a court decision assisted suicide is considered illegal. Therefore, it would be unethical and illegal to participate in assisted suicide. Thus, when a physician or the nurse get a request from a patient to assist in assisted suicide they should not adhere to this request.

A = Affirm the decision. Considering that according to ANA position statement and that it is illegal in the state where I practice, physicians and the nurses should not participate in the patient assistant suicide.
L = Look back. Evaluating outcomes of the decision made was the right one and ethical dilemma was resolved. Other ethical dilemmas did not emerge related to this specific outcome and the action that was taken. In conclusion, according to Burkhardt & Nathaniel (2014), ethical decision-making process requires many considerations, skill, and repeated practice. It is not easy to come to a conclusion and a course of action when it comes to ethical questions in the nursing practice. A lot of emotions are involved from everyone who is involved in the ethical

Show More
Related

  • The Pros And Cons Of Physician Assisted Suicide

    1112 Words  | 3 Pages

    There are many convincing and compelling arguments for and against Physician Assisted Suicide. There are numerous different aspects of this issue, including religious, legal and ethical issues. However, for the purpose of this paper, I will examine the ethical concerns of both sides. There are strong pro and con arguments regarding this, and I will make a case for both. It is definitely an issue that has been debated for years and will continue to be debated in years to come.

    Read More

  • Physician-Assisted Suicide: A Case Study Analysis

    1833 Words  | 4 Pages

    There are many legal and ethical issues when discussing the topic of physician-assisted suicide (PAS). The legal issues are those regarding numerous court cases over the past few decades, the debate over how the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution comes into play, and the legalization vs. illegalization of this practice. The 14th Amendment states, “nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws” (U.S. Const. amend. XIV, §1). PAS in the past has been upheld as illegal due to the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th amendment of the constitution, but in recent years this same 14th amendment is also part of the reasoning for legalizing PAS, “nor shall any State deprive any person of…liberty” (U.S. Const. amend. XIV, §1). The ethical issues surrounding this topic include a patient’s autonomy and dignity and if PAS should be legalized everywhere. This paper is an analysis of the PAS debate and explores these different issues using a specific case that went to the supreme courts called Washington et al. v. Glucksberg et al.

    Read More

  • Death with Dignity or Sanctity of Life: Who Gets to Choose?

    978 Words  | 2 Pages

    Starting with the argument of it not being ethical, Martin Levin a practicing attorney states; that when he first began his paper and research he believed people should have the right to an assisted suicide. After doing extensive research he changed his mind. Just some of these reasons include sanctity of human life. It is stated that God created the human life and therefore our lives and bodies are the property of God. It is also stated that no one has the right to destroy Gods’ property (Levin M. 2002). In many churches ho...

    Read More

  • Treating or Terminating: The Dilemma of Impaired Infants and the Right to Be Human

    1420 Words  | 3 Pages

    Braddock and Tonelli. “Physician-Assisted Suicide.” Ethics in Medicine University of Washington Medical School. 2008. .

    Read More

  • Ethical Issues In The Documentary, The Suicide Tourist, And Physician Assisted Suicide

    1636 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the medical field, there has always been the question raised, “What is ethical?” There is a growing conflict between two important principles: autonomy and death being considered a medical treatment. Physician assisted suicide is defined as help from a medical professional,

    Read More

  • Physician Assisted Suicide: A Compassionate Mean to End Suffering

    1116 Words  | 3 Pages

    ... middle of paper ... ... Although people may resort to physician assisted suicide out of a seemingly compassionate attempt to end another person’s suffering, or to respect another person’s autonomy or wishes, it is contradictory to violate human life. Those who resort to physician assisted suicide should instead turn to others in assisting themselves to have as supportive, positive, comforting, loving, and peaceful an experience as possible at the end of life.

    Read More

  • Physician Assisted Suicide Essay

    2048 Words  | 5 Pages

    Legalize physician assisted suicide - Those that believe that physician assisted suicide should be legal primarily argue on the basis of patient autonomy and family considerations. The first argument, patient autonomy, states that terminally ill patients should have the right to control the circumstances of their death and to determine when t...

    Read More

  • Physician Assisted Suicide

    986 Words  | 2 Pages

    In conclusion, all should firmly believe that physician assisted suicide should not be legalized in any state. Although it is legalized in Oregon it is not wise for any other state to follow that example. By now, all should strongly believe the growing public support for PAS still remains a very dangerous trend. The role of our physician is that of a healer, not a killer. It must be understood that in some cases the only way to relieve someone from their pain is to let them go. On the contrary, each human life has an

    Read More

  • The Right to Physician Assisted Suicide

    1874 Words  | 4 Pages

    The right to assisted suicide is a significant topic that concerns people all over the United States. The debates go back and forth about whether a dying patient has the right to die with the assistance of a physician. Some are against it because of religious and moral reasons. Others are for it because of their compassion and respect for the dying. Physicians are also divided on the issue. They differ where they place the line that separates relief from dying--and killing. For many the main concern with assisted suicide lies with the competence of the terminally ill. Many terminally ill patients who are in the final stages of their lives have requested doctors to aid them in exercising active euthanasia. It is sad to realize that these people are in great agony and that to them the only hope of bringing that agony to a halt is through assisted suicide.When people see the word euthanasia, they see the meaning of the word in two different lights. Euthanasia for some carries a negative connotation; it is the same as murder. For others, however, euthanasia is the act of putting someone to death painlessly, or allowing a person suffering from an incurable and painful disease or condition to die by withholding extreme medical measures. But after studying both sides of the issue, a compassionate individual must conclude that competent terminal patients should be given the right to assisted suicide in order to end their suffering, reduce the damaging financial effects of hospital care on their families, and preserve the individual right of people to determine their own fate.

    Read More

  • The Ethical Dilemma of Assisted Suicide for Nurses

    863 Words  | 2 Pages

    Since ethical dilemmas are not always easily answered through the use of The Code of Ethics, ethical decision-making models are effective tools that can assist nurses in dealing with ethical issues. Ethical decision-making models provide a framework for working through difficult choices. They seek to define the limits of what is morally acceptable and help clarify the guidelines for making those difficult decisions. Ethical decision making models assist nurses in analyzing situations by focusing on understanding the patient needs, need for responsiveness to circumstantial considerations, and recognizing the uniqueness of each situation.

    Read More

  • Medical Ethics

    776 Words  | 2 Pages

    Physician-assisted suicide refers to the physician acting indirectly in the death of the patient -- providing the means for death. The ethics of PAS is a continually debated topic. The range of arguments in support and opposition of PAS are vast. Justice, compassion, the moral irrelevance of the difference between killing and letting die, individual liberty are many arguments for PAS. The distinction between killing and letting die, sanctity of life, "do no harm" principle of medicine, and the potential for abuse are some of the arguments in favor of making PAS illegal. However, self-determination, and ultimately respect for autonomy are relied on heavily as principle arguments in the PAS issue.

    Read More

  • Should Physcian-Assisted Suicide be Legal

    826 Words  | 2 Pages

    The approach of physician-assisted suicide respects an individual’s need for personal dignity. It does not force the terminally ill patient to linger hopelessly, and helplessly, often at great cost to their psyche. It drive’s people mad knowing they are going to die in a short period of time, suffering while they wait in a hospital bed.

    Read More

  • Euthanasia: An Ethical Dilemma

    1817 Words  | 4 Pages

    The ethical debate regarding euthanasia dates back to ancient Greece and Rome. It was the Hippocratic School (c. 400B.C.) that eliminated the practice of euthanasia and assisted suicide from medical practice. Euthanasia in itself raises many ethical dilemmas – such as, is it ethical for a doctor to assist a terminally ill patient in ending his life? Under what circumstances, if any, is euthanasia considered ethically appropriate for a doctor? More so, euthanasia raises the argument of the different ideas that people have about the value of the human experience.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Physician Assisted Suicide

    1130 Words  | 3 Pages

    Critics to the idea of providing dying patients with lethal doses, fear that people will use this type those and kill others, “lack of supervision over the use of lethal drugs…risk that the drugs might be used for some other purpose”(Young 45). Young explains that another debate that has been going on within this issue is the distinction between killings patients and allowing them die. What people don’t understand is that it is not considered killing a patient if it’s the option they wished for. “If a dying patient requests help with dying because… he is … in intolerable burden, he should be benefited by a physician assisting him to die”(Young 119). Patients who are suffering from diseases that have no cure should be given the option to decide the timing and manner of their own death. Young explains that patients who are unlikely to benefit from the discovery of a cure, or with incurable medical conditions are individuals who should have access to either euthanasia or assisted suicide. Advocates agreeing to this method do understand that choosing death is a very serious matter, which is why it should not be settled in a moment. Therefore, if a patient and physician agree that a life must end and it has been discussed, and agreed, young concludes, “ if a patient asks his physician to end his life, that constitutes a request for

    Read More

  • Ethical Issues With Physician Assisted Suicide

    824 Words  | 2 Pages

    The discussion of physician-assisted suicide is frequently focused around the ethical implications. The confusion commonly surfaces from the simple question, what is physician-assisted suicide? Physician-assisted suicide can be defined as a circumstance in which a medical physician provides a lethal dose of medication to a patient with a fatal illness. In this case, the patient has given consent, as well as direction, to the physician to ethically aid in their death (Introduction to Physician-Assisted Suicide: At Issue,

    Read More

More about Euthanasia And Assisted Suicide: Case Study

Open Document