End Of Life Argumentative Essay

Imagine laying in a hospital bed living everyday in extreme pain with no hope of getting better. This scenario explains what many people go through everyday, which is a living with a terminal illness. M. Lee, a science historian, and Alexander Stingl a sociologist, define terminal illness as “an illness from which the patient is not expected to recover even with treatment. As the illness progresses death is inevitable” (1). There are not many options for the terminally ill besides dying a slow and painful death, but assisted suicide could be best option for these patients. Assisted suicide is “any case in which a doctor gives a patient (usually someone with a terminal illness) the means to carry out their own suicide by using a lethal dose of medication” (Lee and Stingl 1). Some feel that assisted suicide is unnecessary because it is too great of a controversy and will only cause problems in society. However, assisted suicide should be legal in the United States as long as there are strict regulations to accompany it.

It should be legal for patients suffering painful, incurable diseases to choose to have a physician assisted death. People die every day in the United States of long term illness, often while suffering massive amounts of pain and with extended hospital stays. According to the American Cancer Society in 2015 approximately sixteen hundred people died every day from cancer. Of those sixteen hundred people dying from cancer eighty percent died in the hospital, which can cost up to $10,000.00 to maintain a person in the Intensive Care Unit. Everyone may not opt to have a physician assisted death, but the choice should be there. Basic human rights are reason enough to legalize physician assisted death, however, by far not the only reason.

In recent years, there has been an organized push for the legalization of Physician Aid-in-Dying (P.A.D.). This is a method of “care” where the patient has some untreatable, incurable pain and suffering, and asks the doctor to prescribe a lethal dose of medication. This method allows the patient the control to take their own life if they wish to do so. This is different from euthanasia, where the doctor administers the drug to kill his or her patient, and involves much less patient control. P.A.D. is currently legal in Switzerland and the U.S. States of Oregon, Washington, and Vermont.

People of the United States of America have basic human rights. Among them are the rights to education and democracy, freedoms of speech, thought, and expression, and the right to life. However, currently, there is no right to die present in the U.S. The right to die is defined as the right of persons to choose natural death and refuse any medical measures to prolong their lives under the circumstances of terminal illnesses and the unlikeliness of them getting well (“Right-to-die”). “Death with Dignity” laws are present in a few states such as Oregon, Washington, Vermont, California, and Montana via court decision, but these laws are still not recognized on the federal level. For a terminally ill person, it is often not an option to move to one of these states to execute the right to die since the law has strict residency requirements, including state Driver License, filed state tax returns, lease or property ownership documentation (“Public Health’s Role”). Thus, the persons, being weak physically and mentally are forced medical care to prolong their lives by reducing the quality of them without any hope for recovery. Unmanageable health care costs become a burden on the family members and loved ones of the patients. Terminally ill patients should have a choice to die on their own terms to avoid further unbearable pain, to prevent the demolition of the quality of their lives, and to stop the sufferings of their loved ones.

The topic of physician assisted suicide provokes a significant amount of discussion and controversy. Patients with terminal diseases, such as cancer, that can often lead to a prolonged painful death should have the option to end their lives in a way that will relieve themselves and their families from long term suffering. Patients with degenerative and progressive diseases such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), should also be allowed the option to choose physician assisted suicide before the disease deprives them of their mental and physical capacity. By failing to offer patients the alternative of physician assisted suicide society is essentially showing a lack of compassion and humanity. Several countries and states have passed legislation over the last few years that

When caring for a terminally ill patient, each member of the health care team contributes in providing end-of-life (EOL) care. In order to know our role in the care, it is important to understand the legal rights of the patient. In 1991, the United States legislated the Patient Self-Determination Act (PSDA) in regards to EOL decision-making. According to our textbook, the PDSA “relies on state laws related to EOL care and was designed to encourage communication about end of life issues” (Grace, 2013, p. 123). This act helps ensure that patients receive adequate information regarding advanced directives and offers protection of their right to self-determination in health care decisions (K, 1992).

No one chooses to have an illness that leaves them at a state of life that is no type of great caliber. A select few know what it is like to relate to someone who is diagnosed as terminally ill. As a society we must learn to sympathize and relate to the people who suffer more than we would in a given life time. We need to provide comforting care to these people and help them make a decision they and their family will ultimately be comfortable and relieved with. The debate of who chooses when a terminally ill patient should be allowed to die, should be in no question other than the terminally ill. The fourteenth amendment provides the rights of equal opportunity and quality of life. A person should be allowed to decide when they want to die. Only five out of the 50 states in the United States allow for a terminally ill patient to decide when it is okay to relieve their pain and suffering. California being one of the five states provides this option of choices to continue treatments and trials or end life in peace and harmony. A person who is terminally ill experiences more than one type of demon, they not only have an illness but also suffer with the changes that occur during ones ending stages of life. When it comes to death, doctors and people of the medical staff often try to keep their terminal condition at bay. That is no longer good enough. Our care should be to provide comfort not a cure for a condition that is not

About a century ago, when new technologies such as the artificial respirator and morphine spiked, the right to die law came up. The right to die law gives terminally ill patients the ability to end their life. Today, in the United States only five states have passed the right to die law. All terminally ill patients, should have the option open to them in all fifty states. With the right to die law comes a variety of opinions, along with uprising questions, and stories of people who did or should have been able to chose their death.

As an added precaution, we would self-administer it. This type of euthanasia is called assisted dying." In some states in this country, assisted suicide is legal for terminally ill patients who wish to no longer endure their suffering brought on by their disease and their approaching to death. Every patient, who is of sound mind, should be able to decide their own fate and play out their final days how they see fit and not where the disease will take them otherwise. In California, on October 5, 2015 a bill was passed called "the End of Life Act". According to Ruchika Mishra, in her article "Implementing California's Law on Assisted Dying" states that "…Governor Jerry Brown approved bill ABX2 15, the End of Life Act, making California the fifth state in the country to allow physician-assisted dying." Too many people in California this was exactly what they hoped for. A young woman was able to play out her final days with a two-day party with all her family and friends. According to an article written by Lindsey Bever titled, "A terminally ill woman had one rule at her end-of-life-party: No crying", stated that Betsy Davis was diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) a terminal "illness that renders muscles unusable and speech unrecognizable." Her sister, Kelly Davis stated "My sister is an example of exactly what the law intended to do: allow a dying young woman the ability to assert control over the chaos and uncertainty of terminal illness. She turned death into a reason to celebrate, and she was there to enjoy the party." Bever also noted that the gathering was, of course, emotionally challenging for all who attended, however, Davis was happy. All her family and friends were able to say their goodbyes and she was able to take control of her disease and

With major advancement in medical treatments, it is now possible to keep a patient alive, which would not have been possible in former times. This has made end of life issue one of the most controversial issues in healthcare. Medical improvements have set the stage for ethical and legal controversies about not only the patient’s rights but also the family’s rights and the medical profession’s proper role. It is critical that any decision made in such situation is ethical and legal to preserve the rights of the patient and also protect the healthcare institution involved. It is very important when making decisions to discontinue treatments to make sure all other alternatives have been explored.

When someone is diagnosed with a terminal disease, they might like to have the decision to end their life. Many states, including most recently California, have passed the law to allow patients to die with the assistance of a doctor. The terminally ill patient must only have six month or less to live. Allowing people the right to end their life when they are suffering, is the right thing to

In 1997, Oregon passed the right-to-die bill. This allowed doctors to provide medication to their patient, that if taken would kill the patient. In the article from the Time Magazine, California’s governor has to decide if he will allow this bill to pass. Since this article has been written California’s governor made the decision to pass to the bill. Caplan, a NYU bioethicist, says, “If California passes it, that’ll be huge

It is a shared understanding that human life must be valued under any circumstance, and it should not be terminated for whatever reasons unless it is a natural occurrence. The value and respect for human life were behind the debate against death row in many states and countries around the world. In addition, religion places high value in human life, basing on the claim that it is a sin to end one’s life. However, there have been instances where ending the life of another person is the best alternative, especially in medical cases. The idea that brought the emergence of euthanasia is a Greek word that means “good death.” The purpose of good death is to assist a patient who will eventually die regardless of the treatment provided. In most cases, such patients experience pain and suffering as a result of them being alive, hence, the only alternative would be to assist them to die. Many scholars support this notion basing on the fact that it could be the best alternative, while others maintain the value of human life and reject the concept entirely. An analysis of both arguments will present a clear understanding of euthanasia and its role in contemporary healthcare.

Looking at the criteria to be able to be presented euthanasia, only the terminally ill are able to complete this action. One inspects the positives and negatives of this. People argue that other illnesses, yet are not terminally ill, are still experiencing the amount of pain and low quality of life of someone who is terminally ill is experiencing. Depression and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder are examples of the illness that can ruin all meaning of life, but are not diagnosed terminally ill. People with these problems state that their illnesses are just as horrible and miserable as those of a terminally ill patient. Therefore, some people disagree that it is not fair to give this option only to the terminally ill. On the other hand, if anyone said to have a problem is allowed to choose assisted suicide, this will lead to a slippery slope (Goodman 1). People will begin to think it is okay to end a life just for the sake of someone not living the regular life they are used to living. Suicide should never be an option for a way out of this precious life (ProCon 1). The only reason for assisted suicide is to end the pain and suffering that is unbearable for these terminally ill patients. They experience pain in which no one else has to deal with, which is why the criteria for assisted suicide should stay as strict as it is to prevent others from taking this path considering they want a way out. Human life is to precious to take it for a non-terminal illness.

This quote gets to me all the time in the way that it gets me thinking. We do so much to get what we want and what we think is the best for us but we don’t want to put in all the effort and time it takes to succeed. We want it all to come easily and handed to us but in reality, it doesn’t and sometimes some of us don’t quite understand, because we want everything the easy way. Doing drugs, failing classes, and getting in trouble is a lot easier than staying clear of drugs, passing a class, and obeying the laws or rules to stay out of trouble; however, it’s the wrong path you could take because you don’t go on with life with all that. In the end it makes it harder for you to catch up once you’re already an adult. I know that sometimes there are days for all of us where we just want to lay in bed and not hear from anyone about anything anymore because we’re done with everything, but no one told us that life itself was going to be easy. Making an effort to stay alive is the path we should take even though it’s not the easiest one, it can be tough and the people around us can be a little too rough, yet we manage to keep our heads up and keep going with our lives. Although some of us feel like it’s easier to give up and leave it all so we won’t deal with it, yes, it is easier but the way I see it why give up something that can be beautiful at the end everything takes time and that time is unknown. It could take a year, 5 years, maybe even 30 years, but it comes if we let and if