Playing God Or Dying With Dignity

Assisted suicide is an extremely controversial issue both in Canada and countries around the world. In most of the world, assisted suicide is still illegal, but there appears to be some movement towards its legalization. Regardless of this shift towards the possible legalization of assisted suicide, there is still substantial resistance and debate regarding the issue. On one hand, those who support assisted suicide mostly use the ethical argument that everyone should have the right to choose how and when they die and that they should be able to die with dignity. Another factor is the “quality of life” issue, which means a person should no longer have to live, if they feel their life is no longer worth living. On the contrary, the argument against

Physician-assisted suicide is controversial in healthcare and political realms alike. Currently, this end-of-life option is practiced in five states within the United States. Social concerns regarding assisted suicide revolve around ethical quandaries; providing the means to a patient’s death is contradictory to ethical principles of healthcare providers. Political concerns surrounding the legalization of assisted suicide include disparities in healthcare that may lead to certain populations choosing assisted suicide and the stagnation of current care options. While there is no succinct manner in which to declare assisted suicide right or wrong, each individual must address the social and political concerns surrounding the issue when voting for legislation to legalize assisted suicide or pursuing the option for themselves.

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

There are numerous articles regarding Death with Dignity and Physician-Assisted Suicide. Friend (2011) investigates the history of physician-assisted suicide, the Hemlock Society, and the ethical considerations to physician-assisted suicide. A wealth of information was made available from the www.oregon.gov defending the state’s decision of enacting and the subsequent legal defense of the Death with Dignity legislation. Finally, van Gennip, Roeline, Pasman, Kaspers, Oosterveld-Vlug, Willems, Deeg & Onwuteaka-Philipsen, (2013) performed a survey study in Amsterdam, a country with a markedly different attitude toward Death with Dignity than that of Americans.

Many people throughout the world are diagnosed with a terminally ill disease, meaning their disease is not curable and they are given a short period to live. Take Brittany Maynard for example. She was diagnosed with brain cancer at the age of 29 and had two surgeries to prevent the tumor from growing. Months later she found out her tumor came back, was more aggressive, and she was given six months to live. Doctors suggested another surgery, but after reading the side effects, Brittany decided not to do it. She considered staying at her home in San Francisco under hospice care. With not wanting her family to watch her suffer, she looked into the Death with Dignity Act. This act is adopted in only five states and gives patients who are terminally ill the right to die with the use of a prescribed drug from a doctor. Here in Wisconsin, there is no Death with Dignity Law. According to John Stuart Mill, author of “On Liberty”, this assisted suicide act should be legal in all states. In his work, he talks about his own principles. Certain principles that tie into assisted suicide are direct and indirect harm followed by informed consent. In “On Liberty” Mill’s principles say assisted suicide should be legal in all states since it only causes direct harm to the person taking the pill and indirect harm to loved ones.

As of January 2015 there are five states in the U.S. that have declared the Death with Dignity Act a constitutional right for a competent, terminally ill patient. Under what conditions is physician assisted suicide morally acceptable, is the question at hand and did these states make the right decision on such a slippery slope debate. This paper will go on to explain one side of this very touchy debate, it will also consider objections from the other side, and ultimately defend the position physician assisted suicide is wrong not only morally but also, ethically.

In 1994, Oregon became the first state to pass a bill legalizing physician aid-in-dying (Richardson, 2011). This law would allow a terminally ill patient with 6 months or less to live to end their life by their own terms (“It’s Not Assisted Suicide”, 2011). This bill leads to the question “Why would a form of purposeful death be legalized?” The bill, itself was passed for many reasons including the fact that the patients want to have control over their life and ultimately their death (“It’s Not Assisted Suicide”, 2011). They also do not want to live in fear of what will eventually happen to them. “Death with Dignity” was passed is because many terminally-ill patients do not want to live in excruciating pain and in fear of what will happen to them, living a prolonged life or taking control over one’s death is a personal choice belonging only to the individual making it.

Assisted Suicide has become one of the most controversial topics due to the sensitivity of the topic involving loved ones. What is Assisted Suicide, “suicide by an individual facilitated by means or information (as a gun or indication of the lethal dosage of a drug) provided by someone else aware of the individual's intent” (Assisted Suicide, 2015). Assisted suicide is a felony and could be charged with manslaughter in most states, but Oregon and Washington. Oregon and Washington are the only states allowing someone to use the “Oregon Death of Dignity Act” this allows a patient to commit suicide, but with the help of a physician (Assisted Suicide Laws in the United States, 2012). What makes assisted suicide a controversial topic? Moral, ethical

The right to die with dignity is a very controversial topic. Some have not even heard of this either because the state they live in hasn’t legalized it, or because it never was brought up in their lives before. Since the early nineteen-nineties, this law has been debated about and brought up numerous times in terminally ill cases. Lately, especially since four states have legalized it and 50% of the states, not including the ones that have already legalized it, have considered permitting the death with dignity law while some people are still against it.

Assisted suicide is a controversial topic that has been debated for many years. In a few countries, this procedure has already been legalized. There are many individuals that think it is wrong, and that no one has the right to end a person’s life. On the other hand, some people believe that if a person wants to avoid suffering, it is wrong to go against that person’s will. Physicians are also

When working in the healthcare field, many ethical issues come arise that causes us to think about our choices and actions. One major ethical debate is the “Right to Die” or also known as “Death with Dignity”. Death with Dignity is an assisted death by a physician for the terminally ill who do not want to face anymore pain. There have been constant ongoing controversial debates if this is ethically moral with many who are supporters and many who oppose this. Many feel that this situation is similar to having an abortion, but there have been many states who have been fighting to pass laws supporting the “Right to Die”. With all the disputable debates, it is important for healthcare professionals to

In an article, one argument in favor of the right to die states that physician-assisted suicide; for its purpose is human euthanasia and one must not be confused with the term “suicide.” Such

In the United States, we argue over what rights we have as living people. We even argue over what defines “life,” and when the rights we do have are established. Contrary to that, there are only 3 states in this nation that support the exact opposite of that—Aid in Dying (AID). Also known as Physician-Assisted Suicide, it is one of the most controversial and most debated subjects in the country. It is a topic that needs more discussion, and it also needs more support. In the 3 states that have passed this legislation—Oregon, Washington, and Vermont—they require a patient to be both terminally ill, meaning having a prognosis of less than six months to live, and to be mentally capable of making such a decision. We have various laws surrounding our right to life. For example, we know that the law prohibits homicide. However, what about our right to die with dignity? There are so many arguments opposing Physician-Assisted Suicide that they seem to overshadow the arguments for it. As a society, we need to come together and set aside our personal beliefs in order to understand and embrace this alternative.

Assisted suicide is also known as the right to die by a person’s choosing. The two main methods for assisted suicide is by lethal injection or by lethal pills .Most terminally ill patients chose to opt for assisted suicide, so that they no longer have to suffer. But more so it is not only terminally ill patients that are opting for an assisted suicide, it has reached out to the elderly as well. In some viewpoints, a person may believe that if a terminally ill person wants to end their life to end their suffering, it should be up to them. There is an opposing side saying that it is unmoral and against god. It is an ongoing discussion that won’t come to an end

Those who support assisted suicide and euthanasia also argue that the patient has right to make the choice when it comes to how they die. If you can choose to deny medical treatment, which can lead to death, then assisted suicide and euthanasia will lead to the same result, but one is legally excepted and the other illegal, Justice Scalia makes comical comparison, “say that one may not kill oneself by walking into the sea, but may sit on the beach until submerged by the incoming tide;” (Grouch 50). Also, those who support assisted suicide and euthanasia believe that ending the life of another prematurely so the person will not suffer is an act of compassion has supporters explain, “it generates an obligation to relieve suffering.”(Foley and Hendin 43)