Doctor Assisted Suicide Case Study

According to Paul J. van der Wal et al. in ¨Euthanasia, Physician-Assisted Suicide, and Other Medical Practices Involving the End of Life in the Netherlands, 1990–1995¨, he addresses that assisted suicide should be legal and regulated. The authors’ purpose of writing this journal article is to make reliable estimates of euthanasia; to describe patients and physicians, and to evaluate changes between 1990 and 1995. Even though assisted suicide is a growing taboo, it is being practiced more each and every day. Paul J. van der Wal et al. chose to conduct two studies to answer their hypotheses.

This is a case study that will be examined and evaluating a 68-year-old male, husband that killed his wife per her request. Allowing someone to die has always been a sociological concern. Will take into consideration the ethical values as well as providing proposed solutions on how this can benefit the husband and wife as well as the family, even though they have moved away. During this process, will look at possible treatments, suggestions that will result in a better outcome.

Since diamond is such a durable material, it can only be cut by another diamond.

Should physician-assisted suicide be legal? Physician-assisted suicide should be legalized. People should finally have the choice if they wanted to. It could relieve suffering and help whoever wants to die peacefully. It could help a lot of people in the world. 79% of people say that physician-assisted suicide be legal. However it should not be legalized.

Oregon, the first state to legalize PAS in 1997, passed the Death with Dignity Act (DWDA) which allowed patients to end their life by taking a lethal dose of a medication prescribed by a physician. In the article, “The Case for Physician Assisted Suicide: How Can It Possiblye Be Proven?,” the authors, E. Dahl and N. Levy, state that the proponents of PAS believe that there have been several reports of terminally ill patients abusing the DWDA which can be caused by mental illnesses or depression. Due to the possibility of physicians abusing the right to prescribe terminally ill patients lethal doses of a medication, many doubt whether physicians should play a large role in the process of PAS. In the article, “Should Psychiatrists Serve as

A. There is no fundamental liberty that promotes the idea of a legal right to die.

On 11/19/16 at 1156 hrs, I was dispatched to Carrollwood 4068 78th Ave Apt 5, Pinellas Park 33781. Reference the complainant’s daughter receiving text messages from her daughter’s boyfriend stating they were going to committed suicide.

Some believe that physician-assisted suicide (PAS) goes against the laws of God. The Ten Commandments command us: “Thou Shall Not Kill.” Of course, even those of faith who are suffering from an incurable, chronic or terminal illness may shake their fist at God and cry, “why me? “Given that end-of-life care is expensive, others argue that the use of PAS or euthanasia will makes pawns out of patients and create an economic boon for hospitals and health insurance companies. They believe that PAS and euthanasia serve to cut costs, therefore, “eliminating” Grandma equals a rise in profits. Others argue vehemently, that PAS and euthanasia are akin to the Nazi party practice of killing the ill and disabled as a “final solution.” These arguments are reasoned which is why state laws for administering PAS and euthanasia should be followed to the letter. Most states with legal PAS use guidelines that allow it if two physicians concur with its use and if the person has six months or less to live. If mental health or cognitive issues are involved, a psychiatrist is consulted. Gray areas persist, however, who really knows for sure if a person will die in six months or less? Does a patient’s refusal of a treatment such as chemotherapy turn hope into a death warrant? Many questions for now are left unanswered; nevertheless, it is always the patient’s voice that must speak the loudest. This war for “the right to

Two days after his return from his gulf coast adventure he was admitted to the hospital.

“Someone call 911”, I said, when I saw a girl fall down the stairs lying unconscious. The nurse at Rockdale County High School assisted with the situation. My friend Fred and I held her so she wouldn’t hurt herself any more than had already been done. The nurse notified us that this girl has epilepsy (meaning that a person has had two or more seizures, but it’s not contagious & is not caused by mental illness or mental retardation). I didn’t pay too much attention to what the nurse was saying because I was focused on the girl's breathing and her ability regain consciousness. The nurse insisted on calling her sister to be there for her when she wakes up. The nurse knew that when she would wake up, she would want to hug one of us or her sister because all she remembers is blacking out during the time it took place.

According Fink (1992), in 1939, the former London Asylum opened a Metrazol clinic. Metrazol was first used in clinical experiments by Hungarian physician, Ladislaus von Meduna in 1933 (Fink, 1992). The Hungarian physician explained that inducing epileptic convulsions with insulin may "cure" schizophrenia. His results came from his observations of individuals who had both schizophrenia and epilepsy. Meduna examined patients who had epileptic seizures that would experience a remission of their symptoms of both diseases (Fink, 1992). Metrazol is one of many drugs that can induce seizures artificially. The Asylum began to phase out its use in 1943, turning instead to electroconvulsive therapy (Fink, 1992).

People who reach the requirements of the death with dignity laws, should have the right to end their own life quickly. Right now, only six states have legalized PAS (Physician-Assisted Suicide). The other 44 states are holding back the right for people with terminal illness, or people suffering from pain to die peacefully. Not giving a legal pathway for people to die, can lead to patients into committing suicide which is a more stressful way for their family. People should have the right to end their lives if they are in pain.

According to the CNN article physician assisted suicide is legal in 5 U.S. states with each state monitoring and establishing their guidelines to follow. The guidelines help to specify rules and regulations in order to protect all parties involved. If I was in a state that did not protect physician assisted suicide then I would look to change the law by creating a case law,in which allows someone that has a terminal illness,and is obviously in a state of suffering a long agonizing death to make their wishes known and allow them to choose when they can die and no longer be sick and suffer.

The investigators used a trained research nurse to be the interviewer that did not directly treat any of the patients previously. The approach was to interview terminally ill cancer patients versus most research studies that only considered a physician’s insight and perspective. This is a unique and interesting twist on one what undoubtedly has to be one of the most difficult situations anyone could encounter. The participants ranged across various cancer diagnosis’s, however, all were terminal. Having a personal interview versus completing only a survey going to create a better opportunity to truly feel the patient’s perspective or attitude towards euthanasia.

Doctor assisted suicide is a topic that has recently become a much larger debated issue than before. A timeline put together by Michael Manning and Ian Dowbigging shows that prior to Christianity, doctor assisted suicide was something that was tolerated, and was not heavily questioned (2). Yet, in the 13th century, Thomas Aquinas had made a statement about suicide as well as doctor assisted suicide, and his words shaped the Catholic teaching on suicide into what they teach today. Beginning in the 17th century, Common Law tradition frowned upon suicide, as well as assisting in suicide, and the colonies had adopted the Common Law principles. (2) In 1828, New York passed a law completely outlawing the assistance of suicide, and made it to where whomever assisted in the suicide could be tried for murder. In 1976, California became the first state to allow patients to withdrawal themselves from life saving medicines, and this Natural Death Act was seen as a gateway to assisted suicide. (3-7) As controversy about California 's Natural Death Act increased, Pope John Paul II released a statement in 1980 which opposed to killing someone out of mercy, but allowed the increased use of painkillers (8). Although, in 1994 Oregon passed their Death with Dignity act, and with it came incredible amounts of backlash. Yet, in 2008 Washington state passed the same act to legalize doctor assisted suicide. (10-12)