More handpicked essays just for you.
Common medicine Ethical issues Euthanasia
Physician assisted suicide abuse of power
Physician assisted suicide research paper
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Common medicine Ethical issues Euthanasia
In the article “Right to Die” published by Infobase Learning, it basically discusses the autonomy in medical ethics and explains if a terminally ill patient has the right to die or not. In November 2016, voters in Colorado approved a law that would allow a physician to prescribe medication that would help end a patient’s life, if that is truly want the patient desired and had two physicians agreed to it. It made it a crime to force or influence someone into an assisted suicide. This debate has been fumed for several decades, whether ill people can end their own lives because it’s their respect for autonomy and their right and whether the physicians should be able to help them or not. This is known as physician-assisted suicide, where a physician provides the patient with the means to end his or her life (“Right to Die” ¶1-3). Supports argue that patients who are terminally ill and in extreme pain should be able to ask for help from their physicians to seek relief; because it’s their duty to respect the patient’s autonomy. They rather seek a dignified death than live with pain and dependency. Even courts have found that just like how people have the right to refuse a medical treatment, there is a similar right to ask for …show more content…
The reason is because it is the physician’s duty to respect the autonomy of a patient. It allows them to escape from the pain and suffering and be in a comfort state. As Jacob Appel said, “For many human beings, the value of their lives is inextricably linked to the quality of their lives, and life below a subjective threshold for quality is no longer worth living,”. Appel argued this in the New York Times in April 2012, “The option of assisted suicide also benefits many severely ill and elderly patients, offering them the solace of potential escape from suffering if they ever desire it” (“Right to Die”
A divergent set of issues and opinions involving medical care for the very seriously ill patient have dogged the bioethics community for decades. While sophisticated medical technology has allowed people to live longer, it has also caused protracted death, most often to the severe detriment of individuals and their families. Ira Byock, director of palliative medicine at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, believes too many Americans are “dying badly.” In discussing this issue, he stated, “Families cannot imagine there could be anything worse than their loved one dying, but in fact, there are things worse.” “It’s having someone you love…suffering, dying connected to machines” (CBS News, 2014). In the not distant past, the knowledge, skills, and technology were simply not available to cure, much less prolong the deaths of gravely ill people. In addition to the ethical and moral dilemmas this presents, the costs of intensive treatment often do not realize appreciable benefits. However, cost alone should not determine when care becomes “futile” as this veers medicine into an even more dangerous ethical quagmire. While preserving life with the best possible care is always good medicine, the suffering and protracted deaths caused from the continued use of futile measures benefits no one. For this reason, the determination of futility should be a joint decision between the physician, the patient, and his or her surrogate.
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,
Terminally ill patients deserve the right to have a dignified death. These patients should not be forced to suffer and be in agony their lasting days. The terminally ill should have this choice, because it is the only way to end their excruciating pain. These patients don’t have
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.
Watt, Bob. “TO EVERY THING THERE IS A SEASON AND A TIME TO EVERY PURPOSE UNDER THE HEAVEN – A TIME TO BE BORN AND A TIME TO DIE.1 NATURAL LAW, EMOTION AND THE RIGHT TO DIE.” Denning Law Journal 1.24 (2012): 89-115. University of Buckingham
Terminally ill patients should have the legal option of physician-assisted suicide. Terminally ill patients deserve the right to control their own death. Legalizing assisted suicide would relive families of the burdens of caring for a terminally ill relative. Doctors should not be prosecuted for assisting in the suicide of a terminally ill patient. We as a society must protect life, but we must also recognize the right to a humane death. When a person is near death, in unbearable pain, they have the right to ask a physician to assist in ending their lives.
Oftentimes when one hears the term Physician Assisted Suicide (hereafter PAS) the words cruel and unethical come to mind. On October 27, 1997 Oregon passed the Death with Dignity Act, this act would allow terminally ill Oregon residents to end their lives through a voluntary self-administered dose of lethal medications that are prescribed by a physician (Death with Dignity Act) . This has become a vital, medical and social movement. Having a choice should mean that a terminally ill patient is entitled to the choice to pursue PAS. If people have the right to refuse lifesaving treatments, such as chemo and palliative care, then the choice of ending life with PAS should be a choice that is allowed.
“If you don't get what you want, you suffer; if you get what you don't want, you suffer; even when you get exactly what you want, you still suffer because you can't hold on to it forever. Your mind is your predicament. It wants to be free of change. Free of pain, free of the obligations of life and death. But change is law and no amount of pretending will alter that reality” (Socrates ). Death. The means to an end. Game over. Do we as humans have a choice in the matter of choosing life or death, or is that all left up to a higher power? Which is a highly debatable question that has no exact answer. Where should we draw the line in deciding who has that right, the patients, after all it is their life, the family or should it be up to the doctors, the ones who have to partake in ending one’s life? When searching for the solution a person must contemplate their beliefs and the many perspectives of people who could possibility sway his/her choice. In doing so, patients religion, values, and traditions come into play. The main reason behind the argument is , what is suicide? "suicide is death caused by self-directed injurious behavior with any intent to die as a result of the behavior"(CDC). Conversely the option of death should be granted to a patient who is suffering from severe injuries or a situation involving a predicted death, unless otherwise stated in their wishes beforehand.
As patients come closer to the end of their lives, certain organs stop performing as well as they use to. People are unable to do simple tasks like putting on clothes, going to the restroom without assistance, eat on our own, and sometimes even breathe without the help of a machine. Needing to depend on someone for everything suddenly brings feelings of helplessness much like an infant feels. It is easy to see why some patients with terminal illnesses would seek any type of relief from this hardship, even if that relief is suicide. Euthanasia or assisted suicide is where a physician would give a patient an aid in dying. “Assisted suicide is a controversial medical and ethical issue based on the question of whether, in certain situations, Medical practioners should be allowed to help patients actively determine the time and circumstances of their death” (Lee). “Arguments for and against assisted suicide (sometimes called the “right to die” debate) are complicated by the fact that they come from very many different points of view: medical issues, ethical issues, legal issues, religious issues, and social issues all play a part in shaping people’s opinions on the subject” (Lee). Euthanasia should not be legalized because it is considered murder, it goes against physicians’ Hippocratic Oath, violates the Controlled
Because euthanasia and physician assisted death is free of pain. It is also better coping with the family members and friends of the person wanting to commit suicide. Meanwhile, it is simply better to say goodbye to family if that person is planning on dying. Imagine not knowing the next day you would never be able to see anything. They couldn't even talk nor see one of their family members ever again. That will be horrifying. Physician assisted death allows people to say goodbye to their family and friends. However, it's free of pain. This type of death is free of pain. People don't need to be obligated to go through anything to die. It is simply better than them doing it
Doctors prefer to never have to euthanize a patient. It is a contradiction of everything they have been taught for a doctor to euthanize someone, because a doctor’s job is to do everything in their power to keep the patient alive, not assist them in suicide. The majority of doctors who specialize in palliative care, a field focused on quality of life for patients with severe and terminal illnesses, think legalizing assisted suicide is very unnecessary. This is due to the fact that if patients do not kill themselves, they will end up dying on a ventilator in the hospital under the best possible care available, with people around them trying to keep them as comfortable as possible. Legalized euthanasia everywhere has been compared to going down a slippery slope. Officials believe that it could be done over excessively and the fear of assisted suicide numbers rising greatly is a great fear. This is why euthanasia is such a controversial subject worldwide. But, even though it is a very controversial subject, euthanasia is humane. Every doctor also has a say in whether or not they choose to euthanize a patient or not, leaving only the doctors who are willing to do this type of practice, for euthanizing patients. Medicine and drugs prescribed by a doctor for pain or suffering can not always help a person to the extent they desire, even with the help of doctors
Both doctors and physicians take oaths to commit to the patients best interest then they should have the option rather than the unsettling alternative. It’s their duty to help and heal, shoving tubes and poking them with needles, to keep them alive when they can’t LIVE contradicts the whole purpose of a doctor. In another sense, physician assisted suicide also promotes dignity. Choosing to end your already decided fate, should be up to the patient. According to Diane in an excerpt from “Assisted Suicide”, “her dad shot himself in the head which she found unexpectedly one evening. He had been suffering from after being in combat and couldn't handle the pain anymore. She wishes no one go through that horrific experience" (Friedman). Euthanasia wasn’t an option for her dad, he did what he knew would end his suffering, and that lead to unbearable grief and so many questions asking “why?” Stumbling across a loved one who committed suicide, because it was their only way of escaping their unbearable pain, is something no one forgets. Not having the chance to say good-bye to your loved one, having to rely on a single sheet of paper (if you’re lucky) to explain how or why they did what they did. Euthanasia gives the family time to mourn when the decision has been made, it gives them time to ask questions so they're not left guessing why.
The right to die is defined as a person should be able to refuse treatment and die naturally. There are some patients that refuse treatment and just want to end the suffering by taking lethal drugs provided by a doctor which is called assisted suicide. In the US it's currently legal in 5 states: Oregon, Washington, Vermont, Colorado, and California. In Idaho it’s not talked about that much but has been a big issue in the US. The supreme court has decided to let each state to decide if it should be allowed. Assisted suicide is an easy way out and shouldn’t be an option offered to patients.
Throughout history, there have been many disagreements on certain issues ranging from war, to the Constitution, to slavery. Currently, one of the biggest disagreements in society is that of euthanasia. The Oxford English Dictionary defines euthanasia as the, “act of inducing a gentle and easy death, especially with reference to a proposal that the law should sanction the putting painlessly to death of those suffering from incurable and extremely painful diseases.” (“Euthanasia”) Some believe that assisted suicide is morally and ethically wrong, while others state that it is helping the patient’s pain cease to exist. Ultimately, if a terminally ill patient wishes to end his or her suffering, the government should allow a physician to respect his or her request.
People believe physicians should be able to aid in this process because they have valuable knowledge on how the body works, “… knowledge that can be used to kill or to cure” (Callahan 74). This argument contradicts the moral meaning of medicine. Indeed, the word "medical" comes from the Latin word “mederi,” which means "to heal." Medicine is understood to heal, cure, or comfort people, not kill. As a matter of fact, in the International Medical Code of Ethics and the American Nurses Association’s Code of Ethics fully states that the act of euthanasia violates their role and shall not be performed. Just because of the mere fact that physicians have the knowledge and medical equipment to kill does not indicate a physician should be permitted to perform euthanasia. Dan Brock states, “… permitting physicians to perform euthanasia, it is said, would be incompatible with their fundamental moral and professional commitment as healers to care for patients and to protect life” (77). Dan Brock also raises the question, if euthanasia became a common practice that was performed by physicians, would we eventually fear or lose trust in our physicians?