Physician Assisted Suicide Research Paper

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.

In this chapter we get to see how Lia's fate has really taken a toll on her parents. We also see that the Lee's no longer feel like they can rely on the American medical system after what happened to Lia and instead they would use their own at home methods. Lia's pediatric neurologist also believed that the Lee's might have been right about Lia being affected from too much medication. After hearing this and looking at Lia's records, Neil and Peggy came to the realization that there should have treated her differently. This chapter really demonstrates the importance of culture and the need for doctors to be more accepting and understand of them. Unfortunately, there are doctors who are just not willing to comply. It is sad to see how much the Lee's had to suffer in order for people to open their eyes and it is even sadder that even with cases like this, there are doctors who still refuse to believe in anything outside their medical abilities.

In the video “Brittany Maynard Explains Why She’s Choosing Physician-assisted Suicide at 29”, Brittany Maynard takes a very strong position for assisted suicide. Her video reached a large audience when it was released in 2014, as she was the first person to not only openly support assisted suicide, but also then use it herself when she chose to die at age 29 due to her terminal brain cancer. Her purpose is to show people that choosing assisted suicide doesn’t mean someone is suicidal, but rather that they want to choose to die peacefully rather than in a degrading and painful way, like the one her future with stage four brain cancer would bring her. Maynard states, “There is a difference between a person who is dying and a person who is suicidal. I do not want to do. I am dying.” Maynard takes a significantly more personal and emotional take on the issue, comparable only to Jennifer Medina’s article in the New York Times where she interviews patients who have decided to use physician-assisted suicide to end their lives. However, Maynard shows a much more personal perspective in her explanation of why she chose to move to Oregon to obtain a lethal prescription under Oregon’s Death With Dignity Act, and the struggles she went through in coming to that conclusion, as opposed to

For this research paper, I want to concentrate on the issue of physician- assisted suicide. Physician suicide assisted death (PSD) is a death that has been mediated by a physician toward a patient who intends or wishes to die. In the United States, physician- assisted suicide is illegal in most states. Although, there are some states, like Oregon that have legalize physician- assisted suicide or California who is in the process of legalizing physician patient death, most states considered physician- assisted suicide as murder and physician as criminals. However, in our current constitution, the fourteenth amendment(14th) protects and guarantees people with the right to pursue any life option that supports their independence, life and pursuit

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

Oregon, the first state to legalize PAS in 1997, passed the Death with Dignity Act (DWDA) which allowed patients to end their life by taking a lethal dose of a medication prescribed by a physician. In the article, “The Case for Physician Assisted Suicide: How Can It Possiblye Be Proven?,” the authors, E. Dahl and N. Levy, state that the proponents of PAS believe that there have been several reports of terminally ill patients abusing the DWDA which can be caused by mental illnesses or depression. Due to the possibility of physicians abusing the right to prescribe terminally ill patients lethal doses of a medication, many doubt whether physicians should play a large role in the process of PAS. In the article, “Should Psychiatrists Serve as

The right to doctor assisted suicide is a very controversial topic throughout the world. Some believe that it is morally incorrect, whereas others feel empathy for the suffering who wish to put an end to the pain. Without a doubt, patients should have the right to put an end to life when suffering or when death is imminent. With the help of doctor assisted suicide, healthcare implications are lessened, the burden on families is relieved and patients suffering can come to an end. These are some of the reasons why doctor assisted suicide needs be legalized in all parts of the world.

Physician-assisted suicide (PAS) has fueled a lot of debate ever since it was first legalized in Oregon in 1997. PAS is when a doctor prescribes a medication that the patient can use to end their life. Washington legalized PAS in March of 2009, but only saw 255 individuals in 2012 who acquired the medication necessary to end their life from their doctor, resulting in only 24 of those patients using the prescription (McBride 45). It is debatable whether or not PAS should be seen as the equivalent to the suicide that we have labeled as immoral and have tried to prevent while others also question whether PAS is a reasonable solution to the suffering that terminally ill patients are inevitably being put through. I believe PAS should not be legalized in any other state and should, therefore, become illegal in the four states which now allow it and instead train their doctors to provide better palliative care for their patients.

Physician-assisted suicide, the practice that allows physicians to prescribe medications to terminally ill people, is illegal in forty five states and DC. Oregon, in contrast, is one of the five states that have legalized this procedure. One of the most recent and publicized cases of euthanasia happened there, in 2014. The patient used to be a California resident which led to a bill that was signed into law by the California governor, just yesterday- October 5, 2015. Assisted-suicide is also permitted in Washington, Vermont and Montana.

Physician-Assisted Suicide is legalized in the following states: Oregon,California, Montana, Washington, Colorado, and Washington D.C. Oregon was the first state who legalized Physician-Assisted Suicide. “The very first annual report on the usage of the new Oregon Death with Dignity Act showed that 14 physicians prescribed medications under the law to 24 patients received prescriptions under the new law, of which 16 chose to take the medications. The patients’ median age of the patients was 69.”, (“MenuSite Navigation  Death with Dignity Act Annual Reports.” Oregon Health Authority : Death with Dignity Act Annual Reports : Death with Dignity Act : State of Oregon, www.oregon.gov/oha/PH/ProviderPartnerResources/EvaluationResearch/DeathwithDignityAct/Pages/ar-index.aspx.).

I will be discussing the criteria needed to legalize physician-assisted suicide by applying different moral theories. My main argument is supported by care ethics, but I will also be using Utilitarian, Kantian and Disability ethics to support legalization. Provided that the patients are competent and fully informed, physician-assisted suicide should be legalized in strict circumstances where life-ending treatments are the only or best way to care for a person.

Overall I believe that my presentation went okay, and although I am proud of my presentation I know that there is a lot that I could have done differently. One aspect that I would have changed would be looking deeper into the different requirements that all the states have in using physician-assisted suicide. I believe that this small detail would have added more to my presentation in showing that if the federal government would legalize using physician-assisted suicide there would not have to be such a struggle in order to get into a state that has physician-assisted suicide. Also I wished I would have looked deeper into the different illnesses that are allowed to use physician-assisted suicide. What I liked about my presentation was my volume

The founders of the organization brought individuals who have experienced the loss of a loved one together, in efforts to educate and promote the awareness of suicide. Most witnesses of suicide do not understand the reasoning behind it. Individuals are in search of support, but also dedicated to understanding the line of why death was the only resolution. Common questions include what the person in pain must have contemplated mentally, and if it was possible that the incident could have been prevented. While the founders all individually tried to cope with their losses, they then noticed that there were actually more families going through the same tough situation. Getting together for support and hoping to find some answers to the why- question, they found that there was a need for suicide research and education. The struggling families then, are the roots of the Foundation’s aim now; to understand and prevent suicide through experience and funded research.

Suicide: the intentional taking of one’s own life. Each year 34,000 people commit suicide about twice as many deaths as caused by homicide, about 1 death per 15 minutes. People commit suicide as an act of getting away from their everyday problems. Some people argue for legal recognition for a “right to suicide” and allowing physician assistance with that. I believe we should help people come to a better conclusion than to take their own lives.

Over the years assisted suicide has become more and more popular. Debates have happened, and laws have been made, but the United States have never com into an agreement on whether or not assisted suicide should be allowed. An article about euthanasia stated the US Supreme Court upheld laws forbidding physician-assisted suicide, but let the door open for states to pass legislation permitting the practice” (Euthanasia). Since the United States Supreme Court did not not make up their mind, states now have the right to