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Euthanasia and ethical issues
Euthanasia in healthcare
Euthanasia in healthcare
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Title In the article “Euthanasia, Physician-Assisted Suicide, and Other Medical Practices Involving the End of Life in the Netherlands, 1990–1995” written by Paul J. van der Maas, M.D., Ph.D., et al in The New England Journal of Medicine, all the research toward assisted suicide and Euthanasia is made known. The purpose of this paper was to have shown the changes in both statistics and percentiles of Euthanasia, and also in physician assisted suicide between the years 1990-1995. Not only does this document include the patients that independently make their own decisions, but also the patients who are unable to make sensible independent decisions due to their illness. The study consisted of about a year’s worth of interviews, about 410 took place in this jurisdiction. In this study, criteria were involved to be eligible. The criteria is to be a working MD in this facility for more than a year. The conclusion of this study, presented that Physician assisted suicide grew between 1990-1995 weather the patient used the prescribed …show more content…
Not only does the terminal illness affect the patient, but it also affects the patient's family. The writer of Changing the law to end life, Dave Boucher translates words from Marian Ziebell's who is a terminally ill woman from Tennessee. Dave says “She doesn't want to see the late stages of the disease”(Boucher). This coming from Ziebell is a very understandable thing. Ziebell has three very close relatives who were diagnosed with the progressive disease of alzheimer's. This being said she knows very well what these diseases have in store for her. When you get diagnosed with a terminal disease this means you have less than 6 months to live(Boucher). Due to many terminally ill diseases, suffering is evident throughout the course of the illness( Paul J. van der Maas, M.D., Ph.D., et
The word Euthanasia comes from the Greek and means “good death” (http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/hp.asp) and in the range of this paper, it will be called physician assisted suicide or “active” euthanasia. The definition of “active” euthanasia is ending one’s life yourself or with aid of a doctor. It can be done in various different ways; however, the most common form is with a combination of drugs, usually given by a physician. ( http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/hp.asp) The reason Physician Assisted Suicide (or PAS) is an important issue in this country and around the world is that there are many people out there suffering from debilitating, incurable and intensely painful diseases that would like to end their lives with dignity and without suffering. (Leo & Lein, 2010, The Value of a Planned Death)
The decision to end a life is a difficult one no matter the situation presented. It stirs a great deal of emotions when thinking about a loved one choosing to die in situations where they are terminally ill. Death is a scary thought for most people, but we need to remember that it is just a fact of life, no matter how morbid it sounds. There is some dignity in ending a life for a patient is who terminally ill and suffering, although it may be a tough decision, it can sometimes be the right one.
When faced with a terminal illness a person has to go through a process of thinking. What will happen to me? How long will I suffer? What kind of financial burden am I going to leave with my family when I am gone? What are my options? For many years the only legal options were to try a treatment plan, palliative care, hospice, and eventually death. For residents of Washington State, Oregon, and Vermont there is another option. They have the option to end their own life with a prescription from their physicians.
gotten to the point where they feel as if there is no point in living.
distant cousin of euthanasia, in which a person wishes to commit suicide. feels unable to perform the act alone because of a physical disability or lack of knowledge about the most effective means. An individual who assists a suicide victim in accomplishing that goal may or may not be held responsible for. the death, depending on local laws. There is a distinct difference between euthanasia and assisted suicide. This paper targets euthanasia; pros and cons. not to be assisted in suicide. & nbsp; Thesis Argument That Euthanasia Should Be Accepted & nbsp;
Physician-assisted suicide has been brought into light in recent years due to the increase in life prolonging me...
Physician assisted suicide (PAS) is a very important issue. It is also important tounderstand the terms and distinction between the varying degrees to which a person can be involved in hastening the death of a terminally ill individual. Euthanasia, a word that is often associated with physician assisted suicide, means the act or practice of killing for reasons of mercy. Assisted suicide takes place when a dying person who wishes to precipitate death, requests help in carrying out the act. In euthanasia, the dying patients may or may not be aware of what is happening to them and may or may not have requested to die. In an assisted suicide, the terminally ill person wants to die and has specifically asked for help. Physician-assisted suicide occurs when the individual assisting in the suicide is a doctor rather than a friend or family member. Because doctors are the people most familiar with their patients’ medical condition and have knowledge of and access to the necessary means to cause certain death, terminally ill patients who have made
Nolan, Jenny. "Legalized Euthanasia in the Netherlands Raises Serious Ethical Concerns." The Ethics of Euthanasia. Ed. Nancy Harris. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2005. 56-59. Print. Rpt. of "Dutch Legalize Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide." National Right to Life News 28 (2001): n. pag.
Euthanasia is divided into two separate classifications consisting of passive euthanasia and active euthanasia. Traditionally, “euthanasia is passive when a physician allows her patient to die, by withholding or withdrawing vital treatment from him…euthanasia is active when a patient's death results from his physician's killing the patient, typically by administering lethal medication” (Varelius, 2016). While active euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide share many of the same characteristics, they differ in the role for committing the final act, resulting in the death of the patient. A third party, consisting of either a family member or the physician, is responsible for “pulling-the-plug” in active euthanasia. On the other hand, in physician-assisted suicide, it is ultimately up to the patient to commit the final death-inducing act. Varelius suggests that the separation of passive and active euthanasia can be explained by the involvement that the physician partakes in their patients’ death
Even though the council on Ethical and judicial affairs of medicine has long standing policies going against the need for euthanasia. However, these policies do not address the issue of assisted suicide fully. This was not until there was a report on the issue in June 1991 regarding the "Decisions of near the End of Life." This report clearly illustrates that assisted physician suicide is not in the professional role of the physician. Therefore, the report concludes that the physicians should not participate in assisting the patients commit suicide. There before the council had given out a report rebuffing the use euthanasia. In this report the council had stated in June 1997 that euthanasia or mercy killings is not in line with the policies of the medical tradition. Additionally they said that it was not in line with the measure of human worth and value. Later on in 1988, the council also strongly reaffirmed its decision of not supporting euthanasia or mercy killing (Colbert, Schulte, & Adler, 2013).
Paul, P 2002, Euthanasia and assisted suicide, American Demographics, vol. 24, no. 10, pp. 20-21, viewed 30 April 2014, .
Diane: A Case of Physician Assisted Suicide. Diane was a patient of Dr. Timothy Quill, who was diagnosed with acute myelomonocytic leukemia. Diane overcame alcoholism and had vaginal cancer in her youth. She had been under his care for a period of 8 years, during which an intimate doctor-patient bond had been established.
As most countries abstain from the right to euthanasia, the Lower House of Parliament on November 28, 2000 passed a bill, legalizing euthanasia in the Netherlands. Will this law impact the beliefs and ideals of other countries and cause them to re-evaluate their medical procedures? In “Why Physicians? Reflections on the Netherlands’ New Euthanasia Law,” Jos V. M. Welie provides a descriptive overview of the history of the Dutch penal code on euthanasia in the Netherlands. In “Euthanizing Life,” John F. Kavanaugh discusses an anorexic patient who was illegally euthanized and presents Judge Miner’s offered opinion based on equal protection of the law.
Issue: Should Physician assisted suicide (PAS) or euthanasia be legalized for patients who suffer from terminal illnesses?
First, there are those who agree with assisted suicide, arguing that a person should have the choice to end one’s own life, to end one’s prolonged pain and suffering. According to Soo Borson, terminally ill diseases like dementia and Alzheimer 's kill, but very slowly and rob a person of their mind long before their body is physically ready to die. Once that happens to the patient, the path is filled with great anguish for the one’s around the patient as well. Personally, I have lived with two grandparents suffering from dementia, and one who suffered with both lung cancer and dementia. It is a sad sight to see how their minds faded and how the disease caused both grandparents to change into people I couldn’t even recognize anymore. According to Andre and Velasquez, medicine and technology have allowed people to live longer lives, but have also allowed people