Argumentative Essay On Right To Die

“My dream is that every terminally ill American has access to the choice to die on their own terms with dignity. Please take an active role to make this a reality” (qtd “Brittany Maynard Fund”). Brittany Maynard Diaz, a 29-year-old woman who was diagnosed with Glioblastoma and only given six months to live, turned her tragedy into a legacy when she chose to die with dignity. She became an advocate for the “Compassion and Choices ' End of Life Consultation or EOLC” program by sharing her story and decision with everyone in America in an effort to help give everyone in her situation the same options. She believed in dying with dignity for the same basic reasons that many others do; constitutionally speaking, it is within everyone’s individual rights, it is an established medical practice used all over the world, and no one should be forced to suffer needlessly. After researching her diagnosed form of cancer and discussing her options with her family, any type of treatment given would only destroy the quality of life during the time she had left to live. What would you do?

Imagine suffering day to day with consistent hospital visits, numerous medications, and unbearable pain for the next six months of your life, then being told that dying peacefully is not a granted privilege. Then imagine not being able to die in a controlled and dignified process like you prefer to. How would that affect the way you feel about death and the rest of your life you have left? Millions of people suffering from terminal illnesses consider physician-assisted suicide, but their wishes are rejected due to state and government beliefs. In fact, only five states out of fifty have a law permitting citizens the right to participate in physician-assisted suicide. That leaves just only 10% of the United States entitling critically ill patients to die with nobility. However, many citizens are commencing to lean toward physician-assisted suicides once they ascertain they hold a terminal illness.

When death is brought into conversation, most might think of the elderly peacefully passing away in the night or the opposite with horrific accidents where an individual cannot be saved, but very little do people consider individuals who make the choice to end it all. As all should know, this act is called suicide and most have a negative perception of it. But what if it is for the greater good? In one of many cases, California native, Brittany Maynard, made the decision to end her life after suffering through the pain of debilitating headaches caused by brain cancer. Maynard received help in her departure through the use of physician-assisted suicide. The acceptance of this procedure is very limited seeing as though it is only legal in a

However, there are many checks on the system so this doesn’t happen. In Oregon, which is the basis for the Death With Dignity laws in the other four states that offer it, the restrictions are that the patient must be 18 years old, a resident of Oregon, capable of making health decisions for themselves, and diagnosed with a terminal illness that will result in death within six months (Norman-Eady). These are the regulations for people to request the lethal prescription. After all of these requirements are met, the patient must then the patient has to make two separate requests for the prescriptions with 15 days in-between, have two witnesses sign on their behalf, have a confirmation from another physician of the diagnosis as well as capability of making the medical decision, refer to a physiatrist if their capability is in question, show alternatives in treatment to the patient, and finally, a request will be made to notify immediate family of the request (Norman-Eady). This all goes to show that the process is made to weed out those who are suicidal or with psychological problems. The regulations are to make sure that everyone who gets the prescription drugs has thought thoroughly about their decision, actually has a terminal

Forcing terminally ill patients to suffer straight up to their last days is unacceptable and provisions can be made in order to allow competent patients to have a choice at the end of their lives.

Brittany Maynard who supports the right to die movement was diagnosed with brain cancer and when her matter became intolerable and untreatable she took advantage of the death with dignity law that was passed in Oregon. She made the trip to Oregon where her physician prescribed fatal drugs and died quietly surrounded by family and friends. Before her death she initiated a campaign regarding choices by the terminally ill. After the death of Brittany Maynard who became the face of the right to die debate, the controversial topic skyrocketed in coverage through

The “Right to Die” (Euthanasia) should be further looked into as an option for terminally ill patients and not considered unethical. There has been an issue concerning the topic of “Human Euthanasia” as an acceptable action in society. The research compiled in conjunction with an educated opinion will be the basis for the argument for voluntary Euthanasia in this paper. Patients suffering from an incurable illness, exhausting all medical treatments, should be given the freedom of choice to continue their path of suffering or end it at their own will. “The Right to die” is not suicide, as you are fully aware that death will be certain, as Euthanasia spares the individual of additional pain.

As long as man has existed death has also existed and with that an uncertainty about one’s own death and how and when it will occur. Many of us from an early age understand that death comes and that it can come to those we love and we wish we could change the timing or the circumstance that precedes those deaths. Over time people have developed ways to make the act of death easier for the one dying, at least in the context of physical comfort. This has led to the fact that certain medications when used for physical comfort can also hasten the timing of that death. In these times of great lawsuits and great debates that can involve people and their opinions from all over the world, I want to look at the “Right to Die” movement and their practices

Imagine yourself with a terminal illness. It has been confirmed that you will die in a few months, and there is nothing that can be done to change that. You have two options- you can wait to die a natural but terrifyingly painful death where you lose your eyesight, burn the hair off your scalp and become paralyzed without the ability to walk, or you can die peacefully in the company of your friends and family. Which would you choose? “I am not suicidal. I do not want to die. But I am dying. And I want to die on my own terms.” These were the words of Brittany Maynard, a 29 year old from California. About an year after getting married, she was diagnosed with a fatal brain tumor called Glioblastoma multiforme.

According Eyder Peralta, an author of NPR, 29 year old Brittany Maynard was diagnosed with an incurable brain tumor. She had favored a peaceful death over living for a few months longer because she did not want to deteriorate in hospital care for the rest of those months and have her family watch. So she traveled from California to Oregon to get a prescription from a physician to end her life since it was illegal back in 2014. Before her death, Maynard was a huge advocate and believed that “The freedom is in the choice. If the DWD is unappealing to anyone for any reason, they can simply choose not to avail themselves of it”. It gives patients like Brittany Maynard to have autonomy from their illnesses and a way to leave peacefully. I hope that one day all states in the United States would be considerate enough of the ill like Brittany Maynard to pass the “die with dignity”

Would you be for or against suicide if a loved one were to ask for it? Well, according to the Gallup polls, about sixty-eight percent of the U.S. population agreed that they would allow their loved ones to get a dose of Euthanasia if it were ever brought up as a last solution. The right to assisted suicide is a very significant topic that is discussed endlessly, back and forth. With that said, one thing that does generally concern me is how the procedure takes place, like, from the physicians perspective. I imagine that they are the one’s helping with the procedure because it’s not an easy task, they’re basically helping end a life. Along with that, I also believe that people who are in constant pain, whether it be mentally or physically, should

Brittany Maynard was 29 when she was diagnosed with a glioblastoma brain tumor. “I can’t even tell you the amount of relief that it provides me to know that I don’t have to die the way that it has been described to me that my brain tumor would take me on its own.” She was told that she had roughly 6 months to live, as the cancer had developed to stage 4 rapidly. Upon hearing how much suffering the cancer would cause her as it took over her body, she decided to move to Portland, Oregon and receive a prescription through the Death with Dignity act. Brittany had recently married and was looking forward to starting a family. She also had the intention of becoming a teacher. Since discovering her cancer, she has been living out the remainder of

As Americans we have the right to choose what we want because of our democracy. If someone commits a serious crime it is punishable by death. Living in the United States people have the right to choose where they would want to live, what to do for a living, who to vote for, where to attend school, to have children or terminate pregnancy. As a terminally ill patient you do not have the right to die. It is not necessary or people to have to sit and suffer while their body deteriorate. It should be the patient’s choice of how he or she dies. There are many patients suffering from what may seem a little time to us a long painful death from being terminally ill. We need to fix this problem by education and educating the patient’s family.

Kathleen Carter was eighty-nine years old when she traveled to Switzerland in order to end her suffering. Spinal stenosis, a paralyzing disease that causes severe pain, weakness and numbness made Kathleen suffer. The Right to Die movement has been embraced by some in Switzerland which is where she traveled with her family to stay in an apartment like room; she spent her final day saying goodbye to them. She first was given a sedative to settle her nerves then shortly after, while sitting on the couch with family, she drank a sodium pentobarbital solution, which ended her pain and suffering. Kathleen is a prime example about why euthanasia should be legalized. The word euthanasia comes from the Greek for “the good death” and refers to ending one’s life on compassionate grounds. The term today comes with its controversies such as, people should have the right to choose their own death, but also throughout history it has been morally incorrect to kill, or assist in killing, another human being.

While doing my research, I found many who have strong opinions on the Right to Die. Regardless if they are for or against the cause, most everyone has an opinion on the subject. I personally think it should be the patient’s choice as long as they are under doctor’s care and supervision with no chance of survival. And while there are only six states that currently have a Right to Die Act, medical companies are taking a neutral position. I would expect to see more states adopting this Act in the near future, if it does not become a federal law first.