Is The Greatest Human Freedom?

Death with Dignity is the use of medical practices to end the life of someone who is suffering from severe illness. It was reported on November 2, 2014, by People and various other media sources that Maynard had ended her life on November 1 surrounded by her loved ones. In accordance to Oregon state law regarding death with dignity, a brain tumor is recorded as the official cause of death on her death certificate.The problem with this is that many people believe that it should not be legal for one to chose whether or not they should die. Individuals throughout the U.S. and many other countries believe we should not have the choice of when we die, and that it should all come naturally. In addition to that, many people were conflicted between the idea of suicide and a person dying. The reason for this opposition is because it goes against many religions. For example, Christians believe that it is a denial of God’s power and presence. Even though there is much controversy about this topic, I believe that Brittany made the right choice. Although I do not think the ending of a life is vigorous, I think in certain situations it is justified. She decided to get this treatment in Oregon, where “ Death with Dignity” is legal. As a human being, she has the right to take this option since it is a law. On top of that, it is a right that was afforded to her. Furthermore, she was going through a pain that a normal human being couldn’t even imagine bearing. She was only given six months to live due to her terminal illness, and would only get worse over time. This was the right course of action because she died on her own terms, peacefully, legally, and around those that she loved. This issue (Death with Dignity - Euthanasia) has sparked all across the globe, making many others individually think, is Death with Dignity right or wrong. Is there a difference between someone

Physician- assisted suicide was first popularized in 1997 by the Oregon Death with Dignity Act (ODDA) . This act states that a physician has the power to prescribe a lethal amount of medication to terminally ill patients. However, the patients must have the knowledge of upcoming death. In order to receive the medication the patient must, be over eighteen years of age, a resident of Oregon, and must orally ask for the prescription twice. The oral requests must be fifteen days apart. The patient's physician and a consulting physician must agree that the patient is mentally capable of making such a

Brittany Maynard is a women who recommend to people to take assisted suicide because she does not want to see people suffer from pain. However, the author do not agree with her idea. She said that Maynard’s reasoning has a huge flaw. She suggested that people do not choose suicide lack dignity in order to people even take palliative medication but they still suffer pain, personality changes, and verbal, cognitive loss.

Brittany Maynard was a woman terminally ill with cancer and made a decision to end her life with dignity. Topics include her family views, her struggles with a cancerous tumor, mention of her plan to die, and the controversy surrounding her right to die. Maynard had great influence surrounding the right-to-die movement. This essay will also include the topic of state laws that have signed the bill for patients that are terminally ill that choose to end their lives. This article includes the views of those who perceive this right as assisted suicide.

The patient must be at least 18 years of age, a legal resident of Oregon, capable of making and effectively communicating health care decisions, and diagnosed with an illness deemed terminal that will result in death within six months. In order to receive the prescribed medication, the patient must make two oral request to a physician for a lethal medication dose, at least 15 days apart, and provide a written request – signed in front of two witnesses – to an attending physician, the primary doctor responsible for the patient's care and treatment of the terminal illness (Fass, 846). When Oregon's DWDA first became effective in 1997, physicians were not required to inform pharmacists of the purpose of a lethal medication dose. The statute was amended in 1999 to require a pharmacist be informed of the lethal dose of medication's intended use in advance. (Fass, 848)

Brittany Maynard was one of the people to use the Death with Dignity Act in Organ and once said,“To have control of my own mind…to go with dignity is less terrifying. When I look at both options I have to die, I feel this is far more humane” (Sandeen, 2014). No matter what, we will all eventually die, but we should have the right to die as humanely as possible. The Death with Dignity Act is an end-of-life choice possibility for terminally ill patients to be given the freedom to decide for themselves what it means to die with dignity. This act allows them to die with dignity by providing them with lethal medications prescribed by a physician (The Oregon Department of Human Services, 2006). The Death with Dignity Act started to allow people with six months or less to live, the right to die in a manner and at the time of their own choosing. Also, even though modern medicine has benefited humanity greatly, it cannot completely resolve the suffering and distress that comes with the dying process, so Death with Dignity can provide a painless end-of-life choice for suffering individuals (Humphry, 2009). Although Death with Dignity is a controversial topic I feel it can be very beneficial especially since people go through a long process just to try to get the medication and the ones that get it really need it. I chose this topic because death always has been interesting to me and I one day hope to have a career

Hospice does not focus on curing, but instead reducing the pain and symptoms of the patient. The difference is that death with dignity gives the patient an option to end their life before any of their symptoms affect them in life-altering ways. In Maynard’s case, she knew that this was definitely an option, one she even considered, but the reality is that she could develop a tolerance to the morphine and other medications used to diminish her side effects, which then could cause her to still feel pain. In addition, her personality could dramatically change. There is also a possibility of losing the ability to speak, think clearly, and many other normal functions. Being that Maynard was only 29 and the rest of her body was generally healthy, it was very possible that her body could fight for a long while her mind began to slip. If she chose to do hospice care, her stay would most likely have been longer than the two to three week period that most patients are in. She also knew that the decision to do hospice care would drag out the enviable which was something she did not want to have to put her loved ones through (Maynard, 2015, para.

Kara Tippets, a thirty-eight year old married Christian woman with four children suffered from metastatic breast cancer. Tippets strongly did not believe in assisted dying for many reasons. She slowly started accepting her condition over time and knew that her day of death was coming soon. Since her husband was a pastor, they strongly believed in the Christian way to fully live their lives to the best of their abilities. However, a twenty- nine year old woman named Brittany Maynard did not believe in assisted dying. She was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor and decided to end her life before the tumor progressed and before her suffering worsened. Maynard strongly believed in the phrase “death with dignity” and was forced to move to Oregon from California to make physician-assisted dying legal. Only five states made physician-dying legal and California did not make it legal until after Maynard had passed away. Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and California were the other four states that made the procedure legal to any individual. Brittany Maynard had chosen to inject herself with lethal prescription with the assistance of a physician on November 1, 2014 to take her life away, but Kara Tippetts did not agree with her decision.

Death With Dignity also called assisted suicide, right to die, and physician assisted suicide (PAS) allows physicians to prescribe lethal drugs to patients with a long term illness. In order for them to get a hold of such medications they must have six months or less to live and willingly request this.

Death With Dignity also called assisted suicide, right to die, and physician assisted suicide (PAS) allows physicians to prescribe lethal drugs to patients with a long term illness. In order for them to get a hold of such medications they must have six months or less to live and willingly request this.

A woman suffering from cancer became the first person known to die under the law on physician-assisted suicide in the state of Oregon when she took a lethal dose of drugs in March, 1998. The Oregon Death with Dignity Act passed a referendum in November, 1997, and it has been the United States ' only law legalizing assisted suicide since then. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, more than 4,000 doctors have approved of the assisted suicide law (cited in "The Anguish of Doctors,” 1996). The law allows terminally ill patients who have been given six months or less to live and wish to hasten their deaths to obtain medication prescribed by two doctors. The most important thing to notice is that this law does not include those who have been on a life support system nor does it include those who have not voluntarily asked physicians to help them commit suicide. The issue of doctor-assisted suicide has been the subject of the heated dispute in recent years. Many people worry that legalizing doctor assisted suicide is irrational and violates the life-saving tradition of medicine. However, physician-assisted suicide should be legalized because it offers terminally ill people an opportunity for a peaceful death and recognized the inadequacy of current medical practice to deal with death.

There are very strict guidelines to the Death with Dignity Act that must be followed before the request for physician-assisted deaths is granted. The patient must be at least 18 years old, reside in a state the it is legalized in, and be mentally competent. The individual’s diagnosis must be terminal with a prognosis of 6 months or less. Two oral and at least one written request for a prescription are required; the oral request must be separated by a minimum of 15 days and the written request must be signed by the patient in the present of two witnesses. Having these strict guidelines in place assures only the terminally ill patients are granted permission. (Pulliam, 2009)

The choice for the patient to choose should be left up to their decision, and some states have embraced this practice. Oregon instituted the Death with Dignity Act in 1994 which gave adult patients with a terminally ill diagnosis a choice to obtain a prescription to end their life (Death with Dignity, 2017). Since the onset of this ground breaking law, the concept of physician assisted suicide has soften and the general consensus has slowly began to shift.

Brittany Maynard, a young newlywed, was diagnosed with aggressive and fatal brain cancer. She moved to Oregon with her husband so she could have control at the end of her life under Oregon’s death with dignity law.

Do people have the right to die? Is there, in fact, a right to die? Assisted suicide is a controversial topic in the public eye today. Individuals choose their side of the controversy based on a number of variables ranging from their religious views and moral standings to political factors. Several aspects of this issue have been examined in books, TV shows, movies, magazine articles, and other means of bringing the subject to the attention of the public. However, perhaps the best way to look at this issue in the hopes of understanding the motives behind those involved is from the perspective of those concerned: the terminally ill and the disabled.