This is your fifth time taking a visit to the hospital where your terminally ill grandfather lays. You walk through the main entrance and you get that uneasy feeling as you enter the hospital. Nervous as you hand the security your ID and they slip you your pass and dismiss you with have a good day. You take a deep breath when you enter the room.There he is lying there drained, exhausted. You can see it in his eyes he doesn't want to do this anymore. He has been fighting cancer for 2 months but unfortunately, he is losing. His final request, you end the pain for him... This is what families all across the country go through on the daily basis. Physician-Assisted Suicide is the proper name for it, but unfortunately for those families, it is illegal. Physician-Assisted Suicide is legal in only 5 states in the United States, California, …show more content…
The patient with the terminal illness isn't feeling subjected to take the easy way out. If they are seeing that they are causing hurt and more stress to their families they don't have the option to request death, they just have to wait it out. Also, suicide is frowned upon by different religions and people in society. Like Muslims, Christians, Jews, and many other religions believe in God is the giver and the taker of life. So you committing suicide is a sin and its wrong. Also some doctors do not wish to have PAS legalized. They feel like it goes against the Hippocratic oath that they swore on. The Hippocratic oath is “I will follow that system of regimen which, according to my ability and judgment, I consider for the benefit of my patients, and abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous. I will give no deadly medicine to anyone if asked, nor suggest any such counsel; and in like manner I will not give to a woman a pessary to produce abortion”. (Gill, N.. Myth vs Fact: Is 'First Do No Harm' Part of the Hippocratic
A. The problem here is that people are already burdened with an illness and on top of that, it is a long and painful process that they must endure.
In PAS, the patient must self-administer the medications; the “assisted” portion attributes to a physician providing the medications, but the patient decides whether and when to ingest the lethal medication. Euthanasia occurs when a third party administers medication or acts directly to end the patient’s life. Euthanasia is illegal in every state, including Washington. (CNN).
Legalized physician assisted suicide. California, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington have made it legal by legislation, and Maine has made it legal by a court ruling. The remaining 45 states
Some patients that are terminal ill generally lose their desire to live and their dignity. So they ask their physician to assist them with committing suicide.
It has been argued that for people on life support systems and people with long standing diseases causing much pain and distress, euthanasia is a better choice. It helps in relieving them from pain and misery. In cases like terminal cancers when the patient is in much pain and when people associated with them also are put through a lot of pain and misery, it is much more practical and humane to grant the person his/her wish to end his/her own life in a relatively painless and merciful way.
Many Americans are diagnosed with a terminal illness each day. Hearing that kind of news and knowing there is less than a year left to live and the quality of life would no doubt be heartbreaking. During the last few months of a terminal patient’s life they are often in tremendous pain and suffering. Those with terminal illnesses are treated with life prolonging measures including chemotherapy and radiation. These treatments and the illness itself often leave the patient 's feeling as if they are a shell of who they were and miserable. “Numerous ailments such as certain types of cancer result in a slow, agonizing death” (Messerli, Joe). Physician Assisted Suicide allows
According to an article from CNN.com, there are currently five states in the U.S. where physician-assisted suicide is currently legal. In order to be eligible legally for PAS the patient must have six months or less to live. In the states of Oregon, California, Vermont, Washington and Montana a physician can prescribe medications to move along the death without being prosecuted for murder.
Imagine you are confined to a hospital bed, unable to achieve basic tasks that include walking, eating, moving, and even breathing. Your death is inevitable, the pain you are experiencing is excruciating and unbearable. You are given approximately two months to live, but do not want to feel as though you have been defeated in the battle against the terminal disease that binds you with your death. With your doctor, you have been discussing the possible method of Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS) to end your agonizing pain. Your family fully supports your decision.
Death is not a topic that many people are comfortable with, some people believe it is outrageous for others to play God and decide when to end their lives. While this is true for people with normal pains, there are those who feel they have the right to choose their own fate because they cannot bear their pain and suffering anymore. These are people that are terminally ill, people who were diagnosed with a deadly disease without a cure and feel that death is the only way to relieve that pain. These people has gone through many treatments that are slowly becoming less and less effective. Even though the treatment isn’t working, the patients still have to live through the pain from the treatments. Terminally ill
There are limited choices the terminally ill have, and physician assisted suicide is one of them. Physician-assisted suicide gives these individuals that are suffering some control. In today’s society physician-assisted suicide is a very controversial subject of social interest; this should be a socially acceptable way for the terminally ill to choose to die.
Terminal illnesses are terrible diseases that will ultimately end in death. What many people do not understand is that many terminal illnesses can cause an inability to function. Which is challenging for patients that have lived independently. The frustration of them not being able to function at the level they are used to would consume them. Although there are many reasons to ask for a life-ending medication, in 2014, Oregon reported that the inability to partake in events, the loss of independence, and the loss of dignity were among the top reasons why patients requested the medication (Goodale, Grossman, and Grundy 16). In addition to the patient's feelings, it can be as tough for the family of the patient. As humans, one of the most difficult things to do is to watch someone we love struggle. Physician assisted suicide would end the
Physician-assisted suicide is currently legal in five states in the United States. These include California, Montana, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington. The laws included that for a patient to be eligible for this procedure, they had to be diagnosed with a terminal illness that will lead to death within six months
Society views suicide as an unreasonable and inconsiderate action since there are many alternate avenues of help that a person could resort to. In the case of Euthanasia for a terminally ill being, there is no option to make things better. There is only medication that prolongs the death by temporally numbing the pain. One must imagine what the patient is feeling and at some point and set aside their feelings to be more understanding to that of the patient.
Transition: Let me show states where euthanasia is legal. According to Talha Khan Burki article, “Attitudes and practices towards legal euthanasia” in August 2016, shows states where euthanasia is legal: Belgium, Canada, Luxembourg, Netherlands, India, Japan. Five US states also legalized euthanasia: California,
One of the only places on Earth to legalize physician-assisted suicide is the state of Oregon with a Death with Dignity Act. However, Oregon residents have a peace of mind knowing that if it came down to needing physician-assisted death, they would have it available (Dick and Lindsey).