...it being considered murder. There is no jail time, life in prison, or death penalty. Believe it or not, this scenario existed in real life. This scenario describes Physician-Assisted Suicide. Physician-Assisted Suicide is currently legal in a few states. There is currently an on going debate to extend its legality to more states and eventually the entire United States. Many people each year are diagnosed with a terminal illness. They are forced to suffer and live in pain until they eventually die naturally. For some people, this could be years, even decades of suffering. This is a long time of suffering that could be avoided. Physician-Assisted Suicide helps these people. People can be put out of their pain and misery. This is highly controversial. Some believe these doctors are murderers. Others call these doctors a saving grace. This is a practice with many ethical questions. Hopefully, after research, I will be able to answer these ethical questions. There are a few other questions that I hope to answer. On being, the states allow Physician-Assisted Suicide. Also, what is New Jersey’s stand on this practice? Lastly, what are the guidelines and requirements to be eligible? As defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Physician Assisted Suicide is...
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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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...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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...187 Emotional and Psychological Effects of Physician-Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia on Participating Physicians Kenneth R. Stevens, Jr., M.D., FACR* Abstract: This is a review and evaluation of medical and public literature regarding the reported emotional and psychological effects of participation in physician-assisted suicide (PAS) and euthanasia on the involved physicians. Materials and Methods: Articles in medical journals, legislative investigations and the public press were obtained and reviewed to determine what has been reported regarding the effects on physicians who have been personally involved in PAS and euthanasia. Results and Discussion: The physician is centrally involved in PAS and euthanasia, and the emotional and psychological effects on the participating physician can be substantial. The shift away from the fundamental values of medicine to heal and promote human wholeness can have significant effects on many participating physicians. Doctors describe being profoundly adversely affected, being shocked by the suddenness of the death, being caught up in the patient’s drive for assisted suicide, having a sense of powerlessness, and feeling isolated. There is evidence of pressure on and intimidation of doctors by some patients to assist in suicide. The effect of countertransference in the doctor-patient relationship may influence physician involvement in PAS and euthanasia. Conclusion: Many doctors who have participated in euthanasia and/or ...
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...Gavin Martin Period 6 Research Paper Assisted Suicide A survey of U.S. oncologists suggests that support for assisted suicide in this profession has declined dramatically in recent years. Although there are certain instances where it is justifiably considered okay, it is essentially murder. Some doctors use a machine that injects a deadly dose of poison which kills the person in less than 10 minutes. Assisted suicide is most normally awaited by the terminally ill. Terminally ill patients do suffer significantly, but is it the actual physical pain they suffer from or is it the way they are treated? Many people seem to believe it is depression that leads these patients to want suicide. What is hard for these people to understand who are terminally-ill is that depression is treatable. A person would suffer less physically if they suffered less...
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...be inconceivable to a healthy individual. The terminally ill patient is often left with no option other than to die in an impersonal medical institution. They are unable to get out of bed, feed themselves or even go to the bathroom without assistance. As reported recently in a survey issued by the National Cancer Policy Board of the Institute of Medicine and National Research Council, “Many of the 550,000 American patients who die of cancer each year spend their last days in distress, suffering from pain, nausea, fatigue and depression” (Toufexis). In such circumstances there is no means for a terminally ill patient to sustain their dignity in the dying process. Unfortunately, much of the misery suffered by the terminally ill is done so needlessly. Surveys indicate that along with the loss of a patient’s dignity and quality of life is the fear of facing death in uncontrollable pain. A recent survey by the National Cancer Policy Board of the Institute of Medicine And National Research Council indicated that, nine million Americans are now living with cancer and about 60 percent of those diagnosed with cancer will eventually die of the disease. Surveys indicate that one-third of patients in active therapy and two-thirds of patients with advanced disease have significant pain. Yet more the half of patients receive less than adequate pain control. Pain is not The only symptom, though. Patients...
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...Physician-assisted suicide is; suicide by a patient facilitated by means or information (as a drug prescription or indications of the lethal dosage) provided by a physician who is aware of how the patient intends to use such means or information (Merriam-Webster, n.d). For over ten years, there has been much controversy about the ethics and legality of physician-assisted suicide (PAS) not only in the United States but also worldwide. In 1997, the Supreme Court had a unanimous ruling that there was not a constitutional right or a constitutional ban to PAS. Since then almost every other state have opposed legalization of PAS. There are many terminally ill people that feel assisted suicide should be their choice, not something left to the government for debate. Assisted suicide should be legal in all states because those who suffer with a terminal illness that want to die should be able to end their life peacefully instead of living in agony. Almost everyone that lives in the United States has rights; the right to free speech, the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, but those that are dying from a terminal disease do not have many rights. They do not have a right to seek help to end their pain and suffering. They lose the right to be in charge of their own life. The pursuit of happiness seems to not exist for those that wish to end their life. For some having their pain and suffering ended would make them “happy” because they no longer have to live with pain...
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...can be for or against today’s issues issues. One major issue in today’s world is physician assisted suicide. When people think about physician assisted suicide, they think primarily about five things; they ask what is it, what are the facts, who’s choice is it, what are the development in health care, and where can this lead? What is physician assisted suicide? Physician assisted suicide, also known as PAS, is when a physician provides the necessary means or information to a patient to kill himself/herself. However, the patient is the one who actually performs the act. People often get physician assisted suicide confused with euthanasia. Euthanasia is when the physician does both actions for the patient; the physician provides the means and performs the means. After people realize what physician assisted...
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...Should Physicians Be Allowed to Assist in Patient Suicide Ethical Issues in the Biomedical Science Jennifer Ricardo PHI 352- PK Barry University Introduction The issue of physician-assisted suicide has come to be one of the most controversial legal issues in recent history. In my opinion I think that the law is designed to lay out guidelines for the social conduct of individuals in society. Yet, within this definition there are extremes on both ends of the spectrum in which the law encompasses. The question of whether or not physicians can legally prescribe and administer lethal doses of medication to mentally competent patients who suffer from the issue of physician-assisted suicide has become a heated topic. Whether or not physicians can legally prescribe and administer lethal doses of medication to mentally competent patients who suffer from untreatable pain is not an easily conclusive issue. Rather, the question of the ethics is the pressing legal matter. Some may argue that life should be ended in its due time and not tampered with, yet I cannot agree with this. I strongly feel that mentally competent adults who are in a constant state of suffering and who know, and have been told that death is inevitable have the right to commit suicide with the aid of a physician. If the person so wishes to end their life it should not lay blame on the physician who assisted in the matter. Medically Ethical Behavior Ethical behavior is defined my moral principals or value...
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...Assisted suicide is a very controversial issue with numbers of pros and cons that can affect both national and international codes of ethics. Assisted suicide is emotional and controversial which ranks up there with abortion. The main thing we need to come up with is that is it morally ethical to kill someone even if the person is in pain. And there is way we can answer that without stating all the pros and cons it comes with. Let's start by saying that it goes against religious views and also against medical ethics if it is the doctor or nurse doing the assisted suicide. If the patient is suffering at the end of his life people have the right not to suffer. It should be considered as much of a crime to make someone live who with justification does not wish to continue as it is to take life without consent. Activists often claim that the laws against assisted suicide are government mandated suffering. But this claim would be similar to saying that laws against selling contaminated food are government mandated starvation. Laws against assisted suicide are in place to prevent abuse and to protect people from dishonest doctors and others. They are not, and never have been, intended to make anyone suffer. The legal right to die some people refer to the liberty interest implicated in right to die cases as a liberty interest in committing suicide we described it as the right to die and determining the time and the manner of one's death and hastening ones death for an important...
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...Similar to its violation of ancient teachings of the Bible, the assistance of a physician in medical suicide directly violates the ancient Hippocratic oath, and it is for this reason that many physicians refuse to support legalization of the practice. The Hippocratic oath is a promise, regarding the ethical standards of medicine, that all physicians swear to uphold. The classical oath asserts that “[the physician] will neither give a deadly drug to anybody who asked for it, nor will [the physician] make a suggestion to this effect]” (Ruggles). On these grounds the oath, developed in the late fifth century BC, directly prohibits the practice of physician-assisted suicide. It is for this reason that some physicians so vehemently oppose...
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...The Right to Choose Your Fate Physician assisted suicide, also referred to as (PAS), according to medicine.net is the “the practice of providing a competent patient with a prescription for medication for the patient to use with the primary intention of ending his or her own life.” This controversial topic challenges America to question the ethical, religious, and cultural values and beliefs that have been around for centuries. Many argue that it is not up to the patient to choose how or when they die while others argue that, in fact, it could prevent years of pain and suffering. It may be easy to hear the definition of physician assisted suicide and assume it is not morally acceptable, however, there are several educated arguments defending a patients right to choose. According to Dr. Quill, in most surveys, approximately two-thirds of the United States approves of (PAS) as as option for the terminally ill yet when the time comes to legalize (PAS), the vote splits at 50/50. The controversy of (PAS) erupted in 1990 when Dr. Jack Kevorkian, a pathologist, assisted his first patient into death (Landau 80). His first client was Janet Adkins who was a sufferer of Alzheimers. Kevorkian reported the death to police but no prosecution followed (BBC News). Before the story of his assisted suicides hit national news, these issues were not a topic of public discussion. According to the judge that sentenced Kevorkian to twenty five years behind bars, “He brought to the forefront end-of-life...
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...thousands of years, most Christians and Jews have always opposed suicide. With this being said, one may think that most of my biases could be a result of my religious background. However, in reality, I have actually become very open-minded about the overall concept of euthanasia. While doing my topic proposal, my religious beliefs were overriding my conscious. In order to continue my research, I overcame my biases but trying to imagine myself in the place of a terminally ill person facing death, or envisioning a family member trying to come to terms with there on death. This was not easy for me as it was difficult to not say “No, you shouldn’t attempt any form of suicide, which is a one-way ticket to hell.” But, I have come to the realization that some don’t have the strength to suffer any longer than they already have or continue to feel as if they are a burden to their loved ones. I feel that in physician assisted suicide, to completely understand why someone would want to commit such an act, you have to put yourself in that person’s shoes. This can be difficult when dealing with such a controversial subject. In almost any situation it is true that if you have never personally been in the same type of situation, it may be easy to disagree with them. However, I feel like suicide is a heavier topic because it is literally life or death. I am choosing to write about the legalization of physician assisted suicide because this topic intrigues me in a way that I almost cannot understand...
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...hospital due to medical complications, bad health, or many other circumstances. Some peoples time living comes to an end suddenly or even within a date the doctors have predicted based on the health of a particular patient. Recently, many patients have took the route of asking a doctor to “Pull the Plug”, otherwise known as “Assisted Suicide”. Assisted Suicide is the process in which a doctor or physician will help a patient decide on the circumstance and time of their death, while still being considered ethical. Assisted suicide is an exceptional decision a person can make to end their life, as harsh as it may seem, but still being humane. A person should not have to suffer and go through the complications of medical procedures and medicines, when in the end their chances of living are very slim. There is much controversy that surrounds the procedure of physicians assisting people on their death. Some of the arguments that are mainly found are the points of Rojas 2 “Euthanasia” and the “Hippocratic Oath” doctors and physicians sware to when...
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...for reasons of mercy". Assisted suicide is one of the forms of euthanasia. However, generally, assisted suicide and euthanasia are taken for one and the same thing. According to Boylan (2000) in classic Greek, euthanasia means “good death” (p. 195). It is also, generally, known as mercy killing, which involves taking an action that will end the life of a patient that is afflicted with a terminal disease characterized by intense suffering which will surely result in the patient’s death. Richardson (2002) explains euthanasia as being divided into two different categories: active and passive. Active, also referred to as commission, is the act of bringing about one’s death; passive, or omission, is intentionally withholding a life-saving medical procedure, therefore allowing them to die. All of these are done with merciful intentions, and intentions to help the suffering person, it raises profound issues of importance for society, the medical profession and nursing. Physicians are frequently faced with the question of whether or not assisted suicide is ethical or immoral. There is an ongoing legal battle; the theoretical and practical parameters of euthanasia and assisted suicide are still debatable in society today. Although assisted suicide is currently illegal in almost all states in America, few states like Montana, Washington and Oregon legally support this idea (Derek Humphry, 2005). The group that is fighting against the physician assisted suicide (PAS) argue, that there...
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