...Assisted Suicide Letithia Terry PHI103: Informal Logic Kurt Mosser June 6, 2011 Assisted Suicide Assisted Suicide is when the physician provides the necessary means or information and the patient performs the act. Euthanasia is where the physician performs the intervention defined as the “act of bringing about the death of a hopelessly ill and suffering person in a relatively quick and painless way for reason of mercy (as cited in Mosser 2010). Physician Assisted Suicide has grown to be a controversial issue and one of the major disputes is; can an incurable ill patient be able to choose Physician assisted suicide? This phenomenal dilemma has risen debates on rather to legalize PAS or keep it illegal because of the different issues concerning the different religion, moral and ethical views people have on the topic. In this essay I will discuss issues of why many people and I believe assisted suicide should be legalized. There are different laws around the world concerning physician assisted suicide and only a few states that has legalized the procedure. In 2005, there were only four places in the world that open and legally authorize assistance in dying patients: “Oregon (since l997, physician-assisted suicide only); Switzerland (1941, physician and non-physician assisted suicide only); Belgium (2002, permits 'euthanasia' but does not define the method and the Netherlands (voluntary euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide...
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...Assisted suicide Assisted suicide generally refers to a practice in which the physician provides a patient with a lethal dose of medication, upon the patient's request, which the patient intends to use to end his or her own life (Somerville 47). Assisted suicide has been a highly controversial issue nowadays. In some countries it is legalized. Some people hold the opinion that assisted suicide is not considerable due to the fact that life is valuable than any substances, but I think assisted suicide should be legalized and put into practice because it will benefits all people involved. In the next paragraphs, I will talk about what are the advantages about assisted suicide. First, assisted suicide can release the pain of the dying patient who suffers terribly from the incurable disease. The most well-known method of assisted suicide is Euthanasia. The word “Euthanasia” comes from Greek words, means dying with happiness. In China, Euthanasia means, when the incurable patient nearly dying, suffering with extremely pain for both spiritual and physical, if the patient and his or her families ask for Euthanasia and the doctors allowed, the patient could get Euthanasia in a humanistic way. So we can safely conclude that Euthanasia or assisted suicide is not killing people, but helping them getting rid of the intolerable suffering. Second, assisted suicide will also reduce the great financial pressure for the families on living, because a great deal of money has...
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...Assisted Suicide by Jordan Froce A Project Presented to Professor Demosthenes Long in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for CRJ 150: Introduction to Criminal Justice Pace University Dyson College of Arts and Sciences February 3, 2012 Table of Contents Introduction……….................................................................................... 3 Background…………………………..……………………...................... 3 Literature Review……………………………….……………………….. 5 Conclusion………………………………………….……......................... 7 References........………………………………………….…..................... 9 Introduction Imagine being in such a great deal of pain, and suffering that you make the decision to end your own life. We often have people there in our lives to help us along the way. Parents are there to love us, teachers are there to teach us, and doctors are there to help us when we are sick. But what happens when you are terminally ill, who is there to help you then? Doctors can only do so much. Many people believe that they should have the right to end their lives, while others disagree. If people do decide to end their lives, why shouldn’t they get the best care possible? Dr. Jack Kevorkian is a very well known physician who offered these possibilities to his patients with grim futures. In this paper I will be covering different aspects of the very controversial subject...
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...Legal and Ethical aspects of Assisted Suicide Paula Nehrling Grand Canyon University Introduction to Nursing Research NRS-433V Angie Lawson May 01, 2016 Legal and Ethical aspects of Assisted Suicide Only five states in the US have legalized physician assisted death. California is the latest to legalize this and it will be available here in less than a month. There are many legal and ethical questions that nurses have. Some feel like this is murder or against their religious beliefs and others feel like people should have the right to die with dignity. The Oregon death with dignity act was passed more than 20 years ago in 1994, though legal challenges delayed enactment until 1997. Washington followed in 2008, since this time, Montana and Vermont has passed laws supporting physician assisted death. California has passed legislation and will begin next month (Ganzini, L., 2016). The process is very similar in each of these states. They allow a competent adult resident of that state to obtain a prescription from a physician for a lethal dose of medication, for the purposes of causing death through self administration. The law does not allow lethal injection or allow individuals to acquire a lethal prescription through advanced directive to be used when mentally incapable in the future. There are also limits as to when the prescription can be written. Two physicians, one of whom writes the prescription, must confirm that the...
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...of End of Life There are many questions that can be asked on the very controversial topic of assisted euthanasia. The most common views or beliefs of this medical dilemma can be said to be extremely for or against the process of euthanasia. Opposition can argue that assisted suicide devalues human life, is ethically and religiously immoral, and can lead to purification of society or performing euthanasia for financial reasons. Although these are valid political and religious arguments to consider, a much more personal view must be argued. The quality versus the quantity of the patient’s life, the patient’s personal wants and feelings, and the family must be taken into consideration. “There is no single, objectively correct answer for everyone as to when, if at all, one’s life becomes all things considered a burden and unwanted. If self-determination is a fundamental value, then the great variability among people on this question makes it especially important that individuals control the manner, circumstances, and timing of their death and dying.” (Cassle and Meier, 1990) The patient’s specific illnesses, the treatment that has already been endured, and the projected outcome of the disease should also be looked at when asking if assisted euthanasia/suicide should be morally and legally accepted by society. Although there are many religious and political points of view on assisted euthanasia, the patient’s individual circumstances and own personal wants or beliefs should...
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...of “Definitions of Euthanasia,” physician-assisted suicide is when a, “Medical doctor helping patient to die by prescribing a lethal overdose.” Although there are many guidelines that have to be followed for a patient to be considered for physician-assisted suicide, it still should not be legal. Kayla Asbury argues in her article “The Right to Die: Benefits of Physician-Assisted Suicide” that, “dying with dignity is a right everyone should be afforded.” However, many people argue that physician-assisted suicide is not moral and should not be preformed under any circumstance. In Asbury’s article she time and time again explains why she believes physician-assisted suicide should be legal. Asbury’s main argument...
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...THE LAW ON ASSISTED SUICIDE On July 26, 1997, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously upheld decisions in New York and Washington state that criminalized assisted suicide. These decisions overturned rulings in the 2nd and 9th Circuit Courts of Appeal which struck down state statutes banning physician-assisted suicide. Those courts had found that the statutes, which prohibited doctors from prescribing lethal medication to competent, terminally ill adults, violated the 14th Amendment. In striking the appellate decisions, the U.S. Supreme Court found that there was no constitutional "right to die," but left it to individual states to enact legislation permitting or prohibiting physician-assisted suicide. (The full text of these decisions, plus reports and commentary, can be found at the Washinton Post web site.) As of April 1999, physician-assisted suicide is illegal in all but a handful of states. Over thirty states have enacted statutes prohibiting assisted suicide, and of those that do not have statutes, a number of them arguably prohibit it through common law. In Michigan, Jack Kevorkian was initially charged with violating the state statute, in addition to first-degree murder and delivering a controlled substance without a license. The assisted suicide charge was dropped, however, and he was eventually convicted of second degree murder and delivering a controlled substance without a license. Only one state, Oregon, has legalized assisted suicide. The Oregon statute...
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...Dylan Thomas "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night" by Dylan Thomas is a plea from a dying man's son to steel his reserve and fight against imminent death. Thomas describes different types of men who are not ready to go gently into the state of death. Wise men fight off death. Good men deny the reaper his spoils, wild men do not relinquish life to the dark. Grave men are unwilling to let go of their lives also. Thomas would think people are crazy this day and time with assisted suicide and euthanasia. Dylan Thomas would have a fit about assisted suicide and euthanasia. Assisted suicide should be a lawful medical procedure for competent, terminally ill adults, because it is a compassionate response to relieve the suffering of dying patients. Controversy about this stems from fear that vulnerable populations may be coerced into premature death, on the one hand, and from fear that dying and helpless patients may be either abandoned or subjected to unwanted and unnecessary medical treatments, on the other hand. In a workable system, the option of physician-assisted suicide would arise only after all treatment options are exhausted, the best of hospice and palliative care has failed to relieve unbearable suffering, and if a mentally competent patient continues to request assistance in dying. Then, with outside opinion concurring, a physician would be permitted to prescribe medication that the patient could use to hasten death at a time of the patient's...
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...Student Name: David Mc Namara. Title: Are we moving towards Assisted Suicide? “Those who have exhausted the end seek the right to die with dignity, this is a choice to die, which allows the body to speak its end rather than have that end dictated by the voice of an expert, legal or medical” (Hannifin. 2009, p.84) The person who seeks to die is, to paraphrase Foucault, ‘the Passenger par excellence: that is, the prisoner of the passage’ (Foucault. 1967, p.11) The European Convention on Human Rights sets out a number of fundamental rights and freedoms, right to life, prohibition of torture, prohibition of slavery and forced labour, right to liberty and security, right to a fair trial, no punishment without law, right to respect and family life, freedoms of thought, conscience and religion, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and association, right to marry, right to effective remedy, and prohibition of discrimination The Council of Europe produced the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms in 1950. This body was formed in the aftermath of the Second World War to achieve unity among its members in such matters as the protection of fundamental rights. The Convention was drafted after the atrocities of the Second World War. The Convention was signed by the High Contracting Parties in 1950, and came into force in1953. It was ratified by the United Kingdom in 1957. Article 2 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental...
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...Euthanasia/Assisted Suicide Debate Marissa Burton HCA 322 Mark Metzger April 29, 2013 Dying has become a dilemma. The act of dying has transformed in recent technological advances by making it possible not only to lessen pain but also to extend life. However, when treatment fails and modern medicine has nothing more to present to patients, they may demand for a life ending act. When patients and their family become aware of the quality of life and a great deal of unbearable pain, conflict often introduces itself between health care professionals who are trained to save lives, and patients and their families, who desire to end all suffering. According to Pozgar (2013), the focal point of this conflict is on the concept of euthanasia and its position in the modern world. The issue has been at the middle of some very heated debates for many years (p.123). Euthanasia can be defined as the act or practice of terminating a person’s life in order to relieve them of their suffering from incurable conditions or diseases. Euthanasia is also known as “the mercy killing of the hopelessly ill, injured, or incapacitated”. The dividing of euthanasia into two categories, active and passive, is for many the most controversial aspect of this topic (Pozgar, 2013). Active euthanasia takes place when the medical professional, or another person, intentionally do something that causes the patient to die. Passive euthanasia takes place when the patient dies because the medical professional either...
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...Advantages and Disadvantages of Euthanasia Discursive Essay Diara Utebay ID 20140542 Academic Reading and Writing 1 Yelena Zhacheva SEPTEMBER 23, 2014 Discursive Essay Outline Essay question: Should the whole world recognize physician-assisted suicide? I. Introduction Thesis statement: Euthanasia would be recognized by the entire world because physician-assisted suicide leads to easily leaving our world without any pain and suffering and it is another case of freedom of choice. However, mercy-killing is contrary to the Hippocratic Oath. II. Body A. Main idea 1: Euthanasia changes view of life, thereby helps not to be afraid of pain before death 1. It improves quality of life. 2. The best way to relieve the pains. 3. Death is the opposite of life, but the process of dying is part of life. B. Main idea 2: Physician-assisted suicide is another case of freedom of choice 1. If the dying process is unpleasant, people should have the right to shorten it. 2. Countries which protect rights of their citizens. C. Main idea: Mercy-killing is contrary to the Hippocratic Oath. 1. Doctor’s job is to protect and save life. 2. Providing deadly drugs is contrary to the oath. III. Conclusion Everything goes to the fact that euthanasia will be recognized by the entire world, however, medical professionals are not in hurry to make the most important decision, which is related to euthanasia. It has been argued that euthanasia is one of the most...
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...comprehends fully. * Dignity - every individual should be given the ability to die with dignity. Prolongation of dying - if the dying process is unpleasant, the patient should have the right to reduce this unpleasantness. In medicine, the prolongation of living may sometimes turn into the prolongation of dying. Put simply - why should be patient be forced to experience a slow death? Most physicians have received one or more requests to help a patient end his or her life prematurely. This module focuses on the skills that the physician can use to respond both compassionately and with confidence to a request, not on the merits of arguments for or against legalizing physician-assisted suicide (PAS) or euthanasia, but using solid clinical skills. To respond effectively, physicians must know the reasons why patients ask for assistance. Depression, psychosocial factors, and anticipated distress are common reasons, but current physical suffering can also be a factor. Physicians need to be able to assess the root causes of the specific request, make a commitment to the patient’s care, address each of the patient’s sources of suffering, educate the patient about legal alternatives, and seek counsel from colleagues. The vast majority of requests for PAS or euthanasia should abate when approached in this way. Oregon The state of Oregon has had a physician-assisted suicide law since 1994 which was implemented in 1998. Since then more than 341 terminally ill people have taken...
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...Canada (2013) was another case tried in the Supreme Court concerning physician-assisted suicide in which, Kay Carter and Gloria Taylor who suffered from progressive and intractable diseases, and are now diseased, challenged the constitutionality of the Criminal Code provisions against euthanasia and assisted suicide. Although they succeeded in court they were unsuccessful in changing the Court’s decision from that in the Rodriguez v. British Columbia (Attorney General). However, in a retrial for the case of Carter v. Canada (in 2015), the trial judge found that prohibition against physician-assisted dying violated the s. 7 rights of “competent adults who are suffering intolerably as a result of a grievous and irremediable medical condition and concluded that this infringement [was] not just justified under s. 1 of the Charter,” (Carter v. Canada, 333). The judge subsequently declared the prohibition of physician-assisted dying unconstitutional, granting a one-year suspension of invalidity and gave Gloria Taylor a constitutional exemption. Special costs were given in favour of the plaintiffs on the grounds that public interest resolved the legal issues raised by this case. Ten percent of the costs were then allocated to the Attorney General of...
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...Dara Hughes A. Kopriva English 1001 30 November 2011 Life Affecting Physician-Assisted Suicide Thousands of people in the United States alone die every year from terminal illnesses. Medical technology is responsible for keeping many people alive; however some people are alive against their will. This paper recognizes the various events and people that are affected by physician-assisted suicide. While some terminally ill patients feel there is no reason for them to live and cause pain for not only themselves but also others, there are still people out there who disagree because they find that physician-assisted suicide degrades life. Since ancient times, many people have come up with the concept of a merciful and acceptable death. From the Greek and Roman times till today, physician-assisted suicide has been long debated throughout history (Boyd). However, individual choice in dying did not become a United States social and legal issue until recently. Jack Kevorkian, Dr. Death, is well known in history for being the first American doctor to perform physician-assisted suicide (“Jack Kevorkian Biography”). "Kevorkian created, "the suicide machine", a device that distributed first a muscle relaxer, then a drug that would stop the heart from beating" (Kastenbaum). Dr. Jack Kevorkian is perhaps the biggest advocate of assisted suicide after "he aired a videotape, on 60 Minutes, of him injecting Thomas Youk. He was charged with first degree murder, in 1998, for killing Thomas...
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...rather than curative treatment. It directs acceptance of death as a natural part of life and addresses the psychological and spiritual needs of the patient and family. This paper will outline the history of hospice, the effect it has on healthcare today, why it is important to nursing, how nursing is impacted by the availability of hospice services, and finally, what nursing has done to affect change related to hospice. History of Hospice Hospice was first applied to specialized care for dying patients by Dr. Dame Cicely Saunders, who started working with the terminally ill in 1948 (NHCPO, 2015). Dr. Saunders later created the first modern hospice – St. Christopher’s Hospice in a residential suburb in London. Her approach was later introduced to healthcare professionals and chaplains in the U.S in 1963 during a lecture at Yale University. In 1969 Elizabeth Kubler-Ross contributed to the idea of hospice centered care in her book: On Death and Dying which highlighted the five stages of dying and a plea for home care as opposed to treatment in an institutional setting. In 1978, the United States’ Department of Health, Education and Welfare Task Force acknowledged the hospice concept as a means of providing more humane care for America’s terminally ill, while asking for federal support and reducing cost. By 1993 hospice became a nationally guaranteed benefit under President Clinton’s healthcare reform proposal and it is now an accepted part of the healthcare continuum of services...
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