Physician Assisted Suicide Case Study

Abstract: This paper discusses the medical ethics of Physician Assisted Suicide (PAS). Focusing on the ideas of legal vs illegal, the different views of PAS will both be addressed. While active euthanasia is illegal, passive euthanasia, or allowing natural death, is completely legal everywhere. PAS will help patients end suffering for themselves at the end of their lives, as well as the family's. The price of the drug may be expensive but the price of medical treatments continues to rise. The Hippocratic Oath does not support the aid in ending a life, however it has been changed in the past. Many citizens are afraid that is PAS was considered legal, it would grow into something even more illegal being debated. Also, the religious aspect of the end of life had conflicting views as some believe PAS is ending suffering, a good deed, and other believe PAS is not respecting a human life. PAS is only legal in seven states but has gained the attention of many others and other places around the world.

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.

1. (problem – PAS): In today’s society, Physician Assisted Suicide is one of the most questionable and debatable issues. Many people feel that it is wrong for people to ask their doctor to help them end their life; while others feel it is their right to choose between the right to life and the right to death. “Suffering has always been a part of human existence.” (PAS) “Physicians have no similar duty to provide actions, such as assistance in suicide, simply because they have been requested by patients. In deciding how to respond to patients ' requests, physicians should use their judgment about the medical appropriateness of the request.” (Bernat, JL) Physician Assisted Suicide differs from withholding or discontinuing medical treatment, it consists of doctors providing a competent patient with a prescription for medication to aid in the use to end their life.

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.

Imagine yourself lying in bed at the hospital hooked up to all sorts of machines that are just barely keeping you alive. Imagine the pain and suffering you are in on a daily bass and the medication being given to you isn’t cutting it any longer and all the doctors and nurses can do for you is just keep you comfortable. The doctors have literally given you no chance of survival and death is imminent. You have taken the time you have left to say your good-byes, came to terms with dying, and you are ready to leave this world. If you could choose to end your life instead of wasting away, would you take advantage of it?

Physician-assisted suicide better known as (PAS), is the willing intentional termination of a person’s life with the assistance of a physician. There has been much controversy over moral and ethical concerns regarding physician assisted suicide and whether or not it’s use in medical practice is considered ethical and right. This type of medical practice is becoming a great concern to hundreds of people. The question being asked is: should we allow and provide people the right of physician-assisted suicide?

In 1981, in San Francisco, Chris Gardner (Will Smith) invests the family savings in medical scanners, which eventually financially breaks the family financially, bringing troubles to his relationship with his wife Linda (Thandie Newton). Their son Christopher (Jaden Smith) stays with Chris because he and his wife both know that he will be able to take better care of him. The misspelling of the word ‘happiness’ is obviously intentional. The mural outside of Christopher’s day care spelled it wrong everyday. Gardner pitched a fit about how he wanted it changed because it was just teaching the kids the wrong way of spelling it. The owner of the day care told him that it is not important to the kids how it is spelled. It is only important that

People who die of a prolonged illness or had a predictable steady decline due to a condition like heart disease, diabetes, or Alzheimer’s disease account for ninety percent of deaths each year (Girsh 45). Most of the people who died suffered greatly because of their disease. However, if euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide was legal, the suffering could have been severely lessened. People who oppose both options have many reasons why euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide should not be legal. The Hippocratic Oath, the fear they could be abused by the poor, Nazi-styled teachings might return, or people may feel coerced, and the right to die is not an actual right are a few examples of what the people who oppose euthanasia or physician-assisted

Just imagine…the invitation arriving in the mail, it was no ordinary invite. The days of physical misery and suffering that lead up to this final celebration of life were unbearable to watch. Having a terminally ill family member is hard because you know the days, weeks and months are numbered. Quality of life, what is that anyway? Each passing hour has the quality of life diminishing to unimaginable physical pain and anguish. Watching someone you love slip away and turn into a shell of who they once were is unbearable. This invitation is special. This special day and every precious hour will give the loved ones a time to say goodbye just before they die with dignity in physician assisted suicide. Terminally ill patients have the right to end their own lives using physician assisted suicide (PAS) without repercussions of laws and people with opposing opinions.

Although voluntary euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide should be legalized, there needs to be though and a process, legally, medically, psychologically. Asking permission to die is legally illegal in most states, there are mixed views between physicians that do and do not agree with legalizing or participating in performing physician-assisted suicide. Psychologically, a therapist is an educated and knowledgeable source that will likely be able to determine if a patient is in their right state of mind, based on their drastic request. According to, “The Right to Physician-Assisted Suicide on Demand,” points out that the conflict appears to be between the high value placed on self-determination, autonomy, and the high regard for the sanctity of life” (Grosswald, 2002). It goes more in depth specifying additional issues that make legalizing physician-assisted suicide difficult to agree upon. Other issues include, “a well-founded fear in the United States that is providing assisted suicide, which might

life by physician-assisted suicide or euthanasia. One of the reasons why states have concerns and interests in these two forms of suicide is because, “the state has an interest in the preservation of human life, and that far too many lives are lost prematurely” (Wellman, 2003). A great number of people that are elderly and dying will go to hospice. Hospice is where people go to die. It involves not giving food, fluids, or medicine to their patients. However, if their patients are starving and dehydrated then that is a form of suicide by not giving them the proper nutrition. Individuals would have closure with families, friends, and be able to make proper arrangements for their assets, if physician-assisted suicide and voluntary euthanasia were

Michele M. Mathes presents the topic of physician-assisted suicide in health care and expands on the views of professional health organizations and the opposing views of others. Health organizations such as the American Nurses Association have a specific code for nurses which goes against assisting in the suicide of a patient while other qualified individuals believe assisted suicide should be practiced but with a few modifications to the process currently in place. Though there are opposing views, a single nurse has the ability to decide whether or not they are willing to participate in assisted suicide if they find themselves in that situation. The author of this source is qualified both in her degree and in advocacy, and the article was

Admitted through the Emergency Room at 4 PM to a semi-private room is Maggie P., a 78-year-old retired Registered Nurse with end-stage Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Her temperature is 98.7, B/P 130/92, heart rate 124 and respirations are labored and irregular at 37 per minute. She appears frail and weighs 89 pounds. She is pale with a bluish hue to her lips and nail beds. Oxygen at 3 liters per minute is applied via nasal cannula. She is alert and oriented to time, place, and person. She coughs intermittently, expectorating copious amount of thick gray, blood-tinged sputum. She complains of back and rib pain and 5mg of Morphine Sulfate in administered intramuscularly. On assessment the nurse lists, between

“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.

Physician assisted suicide (PAS) is a situation in which a physician gives a patient medications that the patient can then self-administer in order to bring about death. The patient is a competent adult in these situations and has requested this service of the physician. The doctor does not cause the death of the patient; he/she only supplies the means. (American Nurses Association [ANA], 2013; Pasterfield, Lewis, Carter, Hodgson & Wilkinson, 2013). Nurses are not allowed to participate in PAS according to the position statement released by the American Nurses Association (ANA, 2013). This is the case even though studies, such as the one carried out by Smith, Goy, Harvath, and Ganzini (2011), show that the quality of death for patients receiving PAS are no worse than those who do not participate in PAS and family members actually rate the physician assisted deaths as better. According to Walker (2011), six ethical principles guide health care. Two of these principles, autonomy and beneficence, are particularly interesting when discussing PAS.