Physician Assisted Suicide In America Essay

Who gets to make the choice whether someone lives or dies? If a person has the right to live, they certainly should be able to make the choice to end their own life. The law protects each and everyone’s right to live, but when a person tries to kill themselves more than likely they will end up in a Psychiatric unit. Today we hear more and more about the debate of Physician assisted suicide and where this topic stands morally and ethically. Webster 's dictionary defines Physician assisted suicide as, suicide by a patient facilitated by means (as a drug prescription) or by information (as an indication of a lethal dosage) provided by a physician who is aware of the patient 's intent (Webster, 1977).

Physician Assisted Suicide is when a physician gives a terminally ill patient a prescription for a lethal dose of a medicine (“Physician Aid-in-Dying”). The the patient has the choice of whether or not to use this medicine because the physician does not administer the medicine. The technical definition of suicide is a notion of premature death that is being hastened out of despair (“Physician Aid-in-Dying”). When a patient is in the hospital feeling unbearable pain, they are definitely hastened by despair to kill themselves. The patient would like to end all of the physical pain they are in, their emotional pain from watching their loved ones cry over them, and the mental anguish of their family members. The first organization for the right-to-die was in Santa Monica, California. The man who was running it was named Derek Humphrey. Five

     According to a recent survey taken by a Baylor College of Medicine professor in early 1997, some 44.5 percent of ordinary doctors said they favor legalization of Physician Assisted Suicide (PAS), 33.9 percent were opposed and the other 21.6 percent were unsure. The survey is the first nationwide examination of all doctors’ views on physician-assisted suicide. Those who

Florida passed a law that states under the right circumstances a doctor is allowed to help their patients with certain elements of ending their life but they are not allowed to prescribe medication that ends a life. The doctors are allowed to unplug life support systems at the request of their patient and can prescribe medication that eases the pain (Shoop). California, Colorado, DC, Montana, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington have all passed laws that legalize physician assisted suicide. In today’s time it’s becoming more common that states are allowing physicians to become involved in a patient’s suicide

Physician-assisted suicide is the voluntary termination of one's own life by administration of a lethal substance with the direct or indirect assistance of a physician. While some are against the idea of physician-assisted, many believe that if someone is terminally or completely incapacitated, physician-assisted suicide should be an option. Others oppose the idea of it due to religious reasons or don’t want to give up hope that their loved one could make a recovery. For doctors, it is a tough decision because of the morals and ethics they may have. Suicide itself is a touchy subject, but there are several things it is good to know about physician-assisted suicide. Many people argue that one of

Physician-assisted suicide is one of the most controversial procedures in all of modern medicine, and the ethics of the practice have been in question for several years. It is legal in five states in the United States and many countries around the world. The operation involves a trained physician intentionally supplying lethal doses of drugs to a patient who administers the drugs to his or herself. It is a practice that is commonly confused with euthanasia. In euthanasia, the physician is the primary source of administration for the lethal doses because he or she injects the drugs into the patient. There are many reasons as to why one may feel inclined to end his or her own life. The most common of these could be severe depression or terminal illness. These people and patients often find themselves in a deep hole that is impossible to climb out of. Their last resort is to end their physical and emotional pain.

There has long been a debate over the topic of physician assisted suicide as an option for end of life. Several countries and states have passed legislation over the last few years that allows physician assisted suicide to have a form of legality therefore giving these terminal patients more autonomy in deciding what end of life care options they can choose. While it is not up to us as healthcare providers to decide for patients what they should or should not do pertaining to end of life care, it is up to us to take care of them in the best way possible. The decision to die gracefully and without pain should be a personal decision.

While suicide itself is no longer considered a crime within the United States, physician-assisted suicide remains illegal. This practice, despite being closely related, varies from euthanasia. These two practices are distinguished by who administers the lethal dose that kills the patient; euthanasia is administered by a doctor whereas assisted suicide is the patient’s voluntary consumption of a fatal medication that was prescribed by a doctor. Despite the variation, both practices are currently considered manslaughter. However, physician-assisted suicide is currently being reevaluated by at least 18 states across the nation. Contrasting opinions, derived from an individual 's personal values, have led to a debate over whether this practice is morally acceptable. While those in favor of the legalization of assisted suicide consider it cruel to force terminally ill patients to live, others believe that it would endanger the weak, corrupt the practice of medicine, compromise family relationships, and betray human dignity.

The main purpose of assisted suicide is to ease a patient’s discomfort or pain permanently by ending their life. Assisted suicide apparently also ends one’s suffering. Len Fisherman, University of Massachusetts-Boston’s Gerontology Institute director, one declared that there were “some things worse than death” (Karlamanga) Although, doctors are taught to keep people alive. Most doctors may not know how to properly prescribe the drugs. Incorrect prescriptions could cause different effects. The patient could then feel the nasty effect of the lethal dose. In fact, wrong amounts of the drug might not lead to the death of the patient. As a result, assisted suicide would have caused the patient more pain and

Imagine getting a call from a doctor who tells the person that they have cancer. One tries to stay positive but they know they are now terminally ill. They go through numerous treatments, but the outcome is always pain and suffering. Now imagine not suffering any more, being able to die peacefully when the time is right. Assisted suicide can guarantee a painless death in which one will suffer no longer. Assisted-suicide should be legalized because people who are suffering should have the right to die peacefully when they choose to do so. The government should have no say in a person's decision to end his/her own life. It should be up to the individual and the family to make such an impactful decision.

Physician-assisted suicide should be a legal option, if requested, for terminally ill patients. For decades the question has been asked and a clear answer has yet to surface. It was formed out of a profound commitment to the idea that personal end-of-life decisions should be made solely between a patient and a physician. Can someone's life be put into an answer? Shouldn't someone's decision in life be just that; their decision? When someone has suffered from a car accident, or battled long enough from cancer, shouldn't the option be available? Assisted suicide shouldn't be seen as cheating death, but as a way to pay homage to the life once lived. As far as including the mentally challenged in this equation, I am against it. The mentally

Physician assisted suicide is “the voluntary termination of one’s own life by administration of a lethal substance with the direct or indirect assistance of a physician” (“Medical Definition of Physician-Assisted…”). Throughout the years, assisted suicide has been a slippery slope for Americans to accept, therefore, making individuals believe this practice is murder while nations across the world have been carrying this out well before the United States planted their hands on the idea. On that account, euthanasia is only legal in six different states, while it is strictly illegal in the other 44 because of the racking up reasons individuals have implanted in their brains (“State-by-State…”). Every person has a specific outlook on mercy killing, although, physician assisted suicide is a patient's given right if they are terminally ill.

Those who support physician-assisted suicides believe that doctors, who are medical experts, are the most qualified in helping patients commit suicide. This is certainly true as they are trained in how the body does and does not function and how to diagnose patients. If that diagnosis is determined to be terminal, then a physician should know the best alternative for the patient, which in some patients may be suicide. According to Ho author of

Doctors say that assisted suicide is morally wrong for both a patient and a doctor and is against their pledge that they took as physicians. They believe that they should never have to “kill” or end a patient’s life with drugs no matter what kind of condition they are in:

One of the most difficult aspects of working in the medical field, specifically as a nurse, is the loss of a patient. Similarly, watching a patient who has been diagnosed with a terminal disease struggle emotionally and physically to deal with their upcoming death is difficult to watch. Suffering in the hospital, their life is not of quality and their family is watching them struggle. Highly debated, physician assisted suicide has been named one of the options for these patients. Physician assisted suicide occurs, at least where is is legal, when a terminally ill patients makes the decision that they would like to die, rather than suffer the rest of their life. Once the patient makes this decision, the physician can assist them in death by either administering euthanasia to the patient or prescribing the drug to the patient to take on their own. There are currently, according to Death With Dignity, six states that have legalized physician assisted suicide: California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington (Death). As can be seen by the amount of states with physician assisted suicide legal, it is not a widely supported practice. However, lawmakers should work towards the removal of bans in many locations of physician assisted suicide and towards legalizing; it violates no federal law, end of life care isn’t efficient enough to eliminate mental suffering, animals are euthanized for the same reasons, and it ends the patient’s suffering.