Argumentative Essay On Terminal Cancer

Brittany Maynard was a 29 year old woman who was suffering from stage four Glioblastoma Multiforme. This illness is serious form of brain cancer, that eventually determined her life (Shoichet). Throughout her struggle and

In 2014, the American public was captivated by the story of a young woman who decided to end her life after being diagnosed with brain cancer. Brittany Maynard, a 29-year-old woman who had just been married, had been having splitting headaches. She went to the doctor and was diagnosed with a tumor. Her life became a blur of hospital visits, treatment plans, and research into what she could do. Her doctors came to the conclusion that there was no treatment that could save Maynard’s life. According to an opinion piece that Maynard wrote for CNN, she “quickly decided that death with dignity was the best option for [her] and [her] family” (Maynard). Since she lived in Oregon, the idea of dying on an individual’s terms was acceptable and legal, because of the Oregon Death with Dignity Act. Maynard died on Saturday, November 1, 2014.

Kurt Donald Cobain, born February 20th in 1967, was an American musician who helped to launch the 90’s grunge movement. As the lead singer of the rock band Nirvana, Kurt wrote many hits like “Smells like Teen Spirit.” On April 5th, 1994 Kurt’s body was found in his Lake Washington home in Seattle along with a suicide note and a box of drug paraphernalia. Of course with famous deaths, comes personal conspiracy theories. Many Kurt Cobain fans have sought to believe that Cobain’s death was not a suicide but a murder.

Brittany Maynard was a 29 year old woman who was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor and given six months left to live. The doctors gave her the option of full brain radiation, but that would make her hair fall out and cause burns on her scalp. Her next option was to take medicine to help her relax in a hospice setting, but her pain could become resistant to the drugs. Her quality of life would go downhill fast, and she didn’t want to die in pain. She was supportive of physician assisted suicide and the “death with dignity” act.

Discussion Previous studies suggested that the ED is highly utilized by patients with terminal cancer in Saudi Arabia.12,13 This mandated research to identify the pattern and causes of EDVs by patients with terminal cancer in our setting. The current study is probably the first from our region to address this issue. Themajority (77%) of patients with terminal cancer who died at the KAMC-HC visited the ED at least once during the last 3 months of life.

Sitting in the doctor’s office awaiting the results, the results no one wanting to hear. After thirty minutes of silence the doctor comes in sits down and breaks the hard news. The verdict is stage 4 lung cancer and suddenly the patient is told that they have six months left to live. That’s 6 months of pain and suffering and treatments, a life no one wants to live. On top of all that pain, suffering, appointments, and sick days how can someone possibly make time for the people and the moments in life that truly count. Mind starts boggling and there is no way that they want their family to see and remember them like that, in that condition. They want to be remembered for the fun loving, crazy person they were before this awful diagnosis but how does one avoid that! This is where the Death with Dignity act comes in. If a patient had 6 short months left on this earth, and they could choose a day to end the suffering and have a plan and be able to spend the last of their days with family and friends the way they wanted to, would they do it or would they sit and wait not knowing when their last day really may be? Brittany Maynard did and she says “Right now it’s a choice that’s only available to some Americans, which is really unethical.” (Maynard 2014).

The term “euthanasia," in the context of animals, reminds most of a traumatizing trip to the vet, to end the suffering of their beloved pet in the most “humane” way. But, euthanasia, within the connection of a human becomes a sin, taboo, and a one-way plummet to any quality physician's career, ill-intentions or not. The problem with all of this includes issues that most avoid, but politicians thrive on. The argument of the religions involved and human rights always seem to form a slippery slope that most promptly falls into a fight over ethicality. The people of the United States pride themselves on their freedom, and their rights to live. If they have the right to life, does that not also include the right to choose what they want to do with that life, and how they want to end it? If people are allowed to choose who they marry and whichever career they desire to follow, how can they not be obliged to additionally choose a peaceful death? A possible solution to this issue includes the legalization of PAS, to completely allow any patient- suffering from a terminal disease- to choose if they want to euthanize themselves as a pleasant alternative, versus the suffering of a slow, painful death. How can it be so obtuse to think that euthanizing a human- ending a person’s suffering mercifully- when it should be the patient's last respected request? Not only would legalizing physician-assisted suicide provide patients with a positive alternative to pain, but it

Pertaining to Ms. Benchetrit first point, Euthanasia is clearly superior to palliative care or Hospice care: As my colleague already stated, Using Ontario physician fees, they calculated that euthanasia could cost between $269 to $756(check these numbers). This also depends on the doctors or drugs involved in the process. However, Palliative care or hospices cost around $1100 per day in an acute care hospital bed, $630-$770 per day in a bed at a palliative care unit and $460 per day in a residential hospice bed. By using euthanasia, it saves the patient an enormous amount of money. Also, sadly, palliative care is not a cure and just prolongs someone's life for no reason. In addition, Palliative care can be difficult for families because they have to watch their loved one in a terrible state when they are slowly dying. Palliative care is still an acceptable option for some people, although euthanasia is a preferable alternative that should be authorized in Canada.

When imagining assisted suicide, people often envision blood, knives, overdosing, or depression. Nonetheless, suicide is not always expressed through goriness. In fact, it raises awareness towards one of the biggest debates of our generation, the legalism of euthanasia. Euthanasia, the Greek word for “good death,” is the permitting of suicide when experiencing physical suffering. As the definition indicates, this course of death is peaceful and by choice. If desired, affected patients should be able to use euthanasia, for it can relieve pain, prevent overcrowding in hospitals, and support religion and beliefs.

Dealing with the loss of a loved one is difficult, to say the least. Most individuals have lost someone important in their life, whether it be a pet, friend, or family member. My mom lost her father to leukemia when she was 37. In this essay I will discuss the journey my mom and her family went through with my grandfather while he had cancer.

The constitution is the most influential document that has affected our everyday life. With the constitution comes protected natural rights that is the framework that guides and limits the power obtained by our government. In the constitution, there have been 27 amendments. In amendment 9, it issues the right of people, but how much if it do we actually have?

“Primum non nocere”, a phrase that all doctors must recite, modernly translates to “first, do no harm”. When students graduate from medical school they must recite the Hippocratic Oath. Taking this oath is a historical tradition that requires the physician to swear to preserve certain ethical standards. Although the text states that a doctor must never take a life, it also states that a doctor must help a person to the fullest extent. A difficult ethical question arises when the only way to help a person is by ending their suffering. Is euthanasia then the ethical solution? The ability for doctors to perform assisted suicides for the terminally ill is very controversial. Many people oppose the idea on the belief that all life is sacred. In reality, however, the real question is whether a patient can make that determination for themselves and decide whether a life of constant and permanent suffering is worth living. Euthanasia allows a patient to die with dignity; it frees up funds and equipment that can be put towards other patients in dire need of attention; and it ends the suffering of patients and their families. If the goal is to reduce pain and suffering then we need to seriously consider legalising euthanasia.

Euthanasia is “the deliberate act undertaken by means of putting one person with the intention of ending the life of another person, to relieve that person’s suffering where that act is the cause of death”. On June 17th 2016 the Canadian government passed a new federal legislation “creating a regulatory framework for the purpose of medical assistance in dying in Canada”. The euthanasia procedure is new to the medical industry although it is widely recognized in the veterinary industry. Unfortunately, it is unpredictable how death will personally play its part on our lives, as everyone, wishes to die a peaceful and dignified death that is not at all times the case. This is shown in individuals living with a terminal illness, or that are in an irreversible coma. What is often forgotten is that death is a normal part of life as it is inevitable. Therefore, if an individual personally wishes to be euthanized at the end of their life due to the unbearable pain and suffrage they are enduring it is more than acceptable. Whereas to force a person to suffer while await the moment their life will end is in fact a punishment and a truly inhumane act.

Before I go into depth about James Rachels’ position on euthanasia I will discuss what is euthanasia. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, euthanasia is defined as “the act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals (such as persons or domestic animals) in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy” and of which in most cases can only be done by a doctor. Euthanasia has been practiced and debated for its ethics since as early as the 15th century among ancient Greeks and Romans who had tended to support its practices but not always administered in the most ethical standards.

Kathleen Carter was eighty-nine years old when she traveled to Switzerland in order to end her suffering. Kathleen suffered from spinal stenosis, a paralyzing disease that causes severe pain, weakness and numbness. Euthanasia is legal in Switzerland which is where she traveled with her family to stay in an apartment like room; she spent her final day saying goodbye them. She first was given a sedative to settle her nervousness 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 as to 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.