...over our own death? Is this right? No. Physician assisted suicide should be legal. There are many people suffering right now wanting to have the option to end their lives safely with the help of their doctor. This option will give patients more control over their death and end patient suffering and here are a few reasons why. Firstly, this option is less costly than medication that will only prolong the patient’s life for a few days. It costs $55,000 for terminally ill cancer patients to receive chemotherapy in the last 2 months of their lives and researchers found that 20 to 30 percent of these treatments have had no impact on the patients’ health. (Meyer, 2010). These...
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...intolerable and incurable suffering. Physician-assisted suicide occurs when a physician facilitates a patient's death by providing the necessary means and/or information to enable the patient to perform the life-ending act (AMA Policy on End-of-Life). Due to the fact that this is a controversial subject, it is not widely accepted by many. As of right now, euthanasia is only legal in the Netherlands, Belgium, Colombia and Luxembourg, and assisted suicide is only legal in Switzerland, Germany, Japan, Albania and in the American states of Oregon, Vermont, New Mexico Washington, and Montana. We control the course of our own...
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...A Final Wish of Death A final wish of death should be granted when life has come to its last chapter and all that is sought is a peaceful passing. The decision between a physician and terminally ill patient to hasten their death should be accepted and granted. A terminal illness can be described as an incurable disease which will end the life of the sufferer. If death is inevitable, why must we wait for natural causes to occur? Physician-assisted deaths should be legalized in all states so that the terminally ill can request a final act of dignity. “Physician-assisted death is defined as the physician providing the means for death, most often with a prescription. The patient not the physician will ultimately administer the lethal medication” (Braddock & Tonelli, 1998). If a patient can come to a decision when it is time to stop treatment for their terminal illness, they should also be allowed to choose when to bring death. End of life care has become an equally important issue to physicians as well as the patients. If physician-assisted deaths were permitted in all 50 states, physicians could openly discuss end of life wishes with their patients. With all the advances in modern medicine, people are living much longer which allows for a higher risk in developing a terminal illness. A few examples of terminal illnesses are cancer, strokes, Alzheimer’s disease, renal failure, and heart failure. With increasing numbers in terminal illnesses...
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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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...Poetry Essay Snowy Woods: a Peaceful Moment or Crucial Crossroads? An essay on Robert Frost's "Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening". "Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening", when read casually, presents the reader with a quiet moment, a respite, a short break from a journey. Peaceful and sleepy it almost comforts the reader with its imagery and sense of calm. Yet under that calm is a lot of emotional undercurrent, similar to the surface of a frozen river. Its what's under the ice that is more interesting. Our main character, tells us in the first stanza that he has paused a moment (line 3). He has paused to take in a peaceful scene. The visual imagery of the woods filling "up with snow" (line 4) is rich. The snow is falling fast enough that it seems to be filling as he watches. How long does he pause? That depends on how fast the snow is falling. Long enough to see the "woods fill up" is what he says. The second stanza tells us that he has paused long enough that he's contemplating his horse's thoughts wondering what he thinks of standing there between the woods he is describing and a frozen lake (line 7) on an very dark evening. The darkest. (line 8) The third stanza makes us listen and asks the question, "Are we really supposed to be here?" (Line 10) We hear the horse shaking or tossing his head and correspondingly the harness bells jingle (line 9) and fade into the sound of a light wind and tiny pats of snowflakes landing. (Line 12) The fourth stanza tells...
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...afterlife as a better place to be. By committing suicide, they cease the consciousness, succeed in brining changes and freedom from struggling in pains. Due to the fact that suicide is not only a philosophical but also a public health issue, it is important to explore the ultimate motivations of suicide and suicide attempts. I therefore determine to investigate the issue to gain an in-depth understanding, by using the case of series of suicides committed by a multinational enterprise, Foxconn’s employees in its Chinese manufacturing plant. I wish to argue based on research evidences that the motives to cease pains, to bring changes and to pursue a taken for granted better afterlife constitute to suicides. The outline of my essay is shown as follow: Introduction In 2012, Foxconn, a renowned multinational enterprise, has seen a series of suicides committed by its young workers in China, which shocked the society. The perceptions about life and death depend on individuals’ unique situations. However, suicide and suicide attempts persist as a predominant public health problem (McClure, 1984; Weissman, 1974), and therefore it is important and significant to specifically look into the ultimate motivations of suicide. This essay highlights three motivations. It is arguable in the first place that suicide can be seen as a common means of ending the intolerable psychological or physical pains, in which case, the motivation of suicide is considered as a solution to end miserable, unsolvable...
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...main goal has always been to prevent abortion, infanticide, assisted suicide and euthanasia. The goal is accomplished through legislation and through providing education to the people who may be lacking knowledge of all that previously mentioned. What is abortion, infanticide, assisted suicide and euthanasia? An abortion is the termination of a pregnancy before the 'fetus' or unborn being can fully survive on its own being outside of its mother.[ii] It is commonly induced and therefore can no longer be called a miscarriage. In 1959, abortions were made legal so long as the reasons for it fell within regulations. Abortions are considered legal if done for the sake of the mother's mental or physical state/health, pregnancy has resulted due to rape or incest, and if there is a risk of fetal deformities. Infanticide[iii] is the purposeful death of a young child. More than usually the death is caused under the age of one year. This practice was very common in the past and although now it may be considered an immoral crime, it can still be seen in various cultures. Assisted suicide[iv] is classified as the voluntary termination of one's own life but it is an assisted death. Usually done by a lethal substance prescribed by a physician. The competent patient is administered/prescribed a medication to use with the full intention of ending his/her own life. Euthanasia[v] can also be classified as assisted suicide. The only difference between the two is that euthanasia is more commonly...
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...“Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.” This quote is by Confucius an author who is explaining on your journey to revenge you need two graves because it usually ends up with more than one death, which could include yourself. In the story Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare, Hamlet seems to struggle with the fact that his dad was killed without his sins being forgiven so he never got to go to heaven. Throughout the whole story Hamlet seeks revenge on his uncle, who killed his dad. He goes about this plan by pretending to be crazy and along the way hurts people physically and mentally. He begins to overthink everything and that leads to his death at the end of the play. He had opportunities to get revenge on his uncle...
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...Should euthanasia be an option for people in need? Known as the practice of assisted suicide by intentionally ending a life, euthanasia is a controversial and disputed subject, meaning easy or good death. Euthanasia’s medical definition is defined as the act or practice of killing terribly sick or injured people in a painless way or allowing them to take less than the medically approved procedures necessary to lengthen their life, for reasons of mercy. (Death Talk, pg. 101-102) Considered by many to be a form of murder being morally and ethically wrong by devaluing one’s life, euthanasia can serve a purpose. When there are no other alternatives to relieve suffering patients, they should then be allowed to have opportunity to choose euthanasia as an option. There are different variations of euthanasia known as passive, active, physician assisted and non-voluntary. Passive euthanasia is withdrawing life-sustaining treatments or withholding them with the slow intention of causing the patient’s death. In other words, a doctor can disconnect feeding tubes; turn off life support machines, not performing life-prolonging procedures, or not giving drugs to the patient. (Euthanasia: A Reference Handbook, pg. 2) Active euthanasia is the act of taking particular measures to cause the patient’s death, achieved by the request of the patient. Often times when it comes to active euthanasia, it is done by request. (Euthanasia: A reference Handbook, pg. 2) The difference between passive and...
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...First I would explain the difference between active euthanasia and then I would explain patient assisted suicide their similarities as well as the distinctions between the two. Active euthanasia, also known as mercy killing, is defined as ending one’s life in a deliberate and peaceful manner. It occurs when a doctor is the one that gives his/her patient lethal medication to purposely end their life and to relieve the unstoppable pain and suffering that their patient is enduring. There is also another form of euthanasia, and that is passive euthanasia. Passive euthanasia occurs when medical professionals either don’t do something necessary to keep the patient alive or stop doing something that is necessary to keep the patient alive. Morally...
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...Summary / Opinion: Physician-assisted suicide is a bad idea In the article “Physician-assisted suicide is a bad idea”, James Avery states that since medicine has been created, physicians should not help patients kill themselves anymore. Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide were rejected by the medical profession and almost all cultures for long time ago. The author believes that to reduce anxieties in patients who have terminal illness for their peaceful death, doctors have to tell patients about their suffering and reassure them about their future. One of the reasons why Mr. Avery opposes physician-assisted suicide is that doctors’ duties are healing and comforting, not killing. Although assisted-suicide is the easy way out for doctors,...
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...Nuela, Jayson G. BSBA-II CAUSES OF EUTHANASIA The causes of euthanasia are usually advanced illness and a person's desire to end the suffering. The effects vary. Those who assist suicides can face criminal charges. They also have to live with ending a life, especially the life of a loved one. What is the difference between euthanasia and assisted suicide? Euthanasia and assisted suicide can be distinguished by considering the act without which the death would not occur. If a third party or a person performs the last act that intentionally leads to patient’s death, then it is called euthanasia. For example, giving a patient a lethal injection or putting a plastic bag over her head to suffocate her would be considered euthanasia. On the other hand, it is an assisted suicide when the patient himself performs an act that leads to death, but has been assisted by a doctor or some other person. Thus it would be assisted suicide if the patient dies after swallows the overdose of drug provided by his doctor for the purpose of causing death. METHODS OF EUTHANASIA When, however, an action or medication is withheld from a patient for the primary purpose of causing or hastening death, this is passive, or indirect, euthanasia. These measures may include the with-holding or withdrawal of ordinary measures such as food, water (hydration) and oxygen. Examples of passive euthanasia are: when food and water is withheld from sick or disabled newborn babies who might...
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...Even though people have the right to live and die at their own rate. Is it okay to kill Someone because they are ill or sick? People should live out their final days without The help of killing them. It gives people the option to kill people without merit or Notion. It is considered murder by most if a person help kills someone with their Permission. Helping the terminally ill At what point does a person with cancer or HIV have the right to end their lives with The assistance of euthanasia from a doctor or nurse. It is often the someone have the The right to tell someone to kill them. The pain and suffering will be great on both Ends of the spectrum with any family member. It can be so much suffering on the Person wanting to end their life to prevent anymore pain. The pain from the actually Act of killing someone can be a great issue for all involved. The quality of life in the End stages of cancer and other diseases can be awfully bad. When you are dying from An illness such as cancer, end stage kidney disease, end stage heart failure, and so on, Ending your life in a painless manner with professional assistance is a very dignified Way to die. Is there a way for someone to past away peacefully in their sleep without Someone helping to go to the other side? Everyone should have the right to die in a Fashionably way with complete respect. Respect and dignity should be a honorable Reflection of a person’s wishes...
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...Goatee 1 Mary Goatee Professor Maroney English 101 8 June 2011 Euthanasia And Assisted Suicide Is Not Murder! My personal opinion is that euthanasia or assisted suicide is not murder when a person is already suffering and dying. Euthanasia is translated from Greek as “good death” or “easy death.” Euthanasia occurs when one person ends the life of another person for the purpose of ending the killed person's pain or suffering. Assisted suicide is closely related to euthanasia. An assisted suicide occurs when one person gives another person the instructions and means to commit the suicide themselves. A few proposals to legalize euthanasia were made in the United States and Germany during the latter portion of the nineteenth century. Now, Oregon, Washington, Montana, Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg are the only jurisdictions in the world where laws specifically permit euthanasia or assisted suicide. The strongest argument made on behalf of legalizing euthanasia or assisted suicide is that it, like abortion, is a “choice issue.” It is a persons ultimate civil right. The possibility of a predictable escape from suffering if it becomes overwhelming is important to many patients. To deprive a mentally competent, terminally ill person who wants to end their suffering in a peaceful way is disrespecting their civil rights. Over 90% of people with terminal illness will endure their situation, but between 5 and 10% find it intolerable...
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...Like Maynard, many terminally ill patients experience immense pain, spend a prolonged amount of time in hospitals, lose the enjoyment of life, and lose control over their lives. To combat these dehumanizing experiences, some patients choose to end their lives with physician-assisted suicide, which can help give them a sense of peace and self-autonomy at the end of their lives. With the option to die with dignity, terminally ill patients can regain control over their lives. In many cases, battling a terminal illness can be too painful and time-consuming that patients would rather hasten their death than live another day in such a terrible condition. For many of us, it is difficult to imagine having a condition in which we would rather die than spend time with loved ones. However, thousands of Americans live in this state of pain and fear for months until their respective illnesses take their lives. In extreme cases, some terminally...
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