Right To Medicallyassisted Suicide Summary

of life. Death is inevitable. Why should each of us not have the right to

Every individual has to make choices in life; life can be seen as a plethora of crossroads veering off into different directions with every which way. Choices that can create or destroy life; in the blink of an eye a life could end, but in the same moment a new life could be brought into existence. The choice of physician-assisted suicide provides control, familiarity, and closure to the terminally ill patients. The patient is able to choose where he or she will be, when the time is right, and the ability to be surrounded around loved-ones and gain closure by saying goodbye in a timely-manner.

You’re visiting the hospice for the twenty-third day in a row; the soft squeaking of the linoleum and the gentle buzz of the fluorescents in the waiting room greet you as you walk in. You’re visiting your Grandmother, whose lung cancer has entered metastasis, and has been slowly spreading throughout her body; she has already lost movement in her arms. She is a hollow shell of the woman she once was; her once bright eyes have been fading steadily every day, and her bubbly demeanor has become crushed and gravelly, and every day before you leave, she will only say, “Kill me.” What would you do in this situation? Would you break the law in order to respect your elder’s wishes? It is a cruel reality we live in when ability to choose the time

Physicians assisted suicide (PAS) refers to interventions by a doctor that either intentionally assist a patient to die (as in giving the patient the lethal means to end their own life at their explicit request), or directly ends a patient’s life (as in a lethal medication administered by a doctor at the explicit request of the patient – euthanasia). In recent years the debate over a patient’s possible right to the aid of a physician in committing suicide has become one of the most discussed issues in medical ethics. The argument for and against PAS is not something unique to this century. It has been going on since the time of the ancient Greeks. The Hippocratic Oath has been called the most widely known of Greek medical texts. It

. The bill was shot down by more than half of the voters. Many have wondered why Michigan voters were so against this bill. In an article written by Yale Kamisar, he stated that, “the reason why the Michigan ballot went so wrong was not due to the terminally ill having the right to die, but people were questioning how it would work in a state where millions didn’t have health insurance, how it would affect family members and their dying loved one’s view on life, and one’s view on the quickness of their approaching death” (Kamisar, 1997). Another event that occurred in the Michigan that rocked voter’s views on the topic of physician-assisted suicide was the case of Dr. Jack Kevorkian. Dr. Kevorkian is a well-known figure as he helped put assisted

Physician assisted suicide, or PAS, has always been a very controversial topic. This touches upon the healthcare side of the large spectrum of social problems today in America. An individuals view on this issue might vary depending on their political ideology. Modern conservatives might not necessarily agree with physician assisted suicide because of their traditional beliefs and values. Conservatives might say it is wrong because it goes against the teachings of the bible which states a life is created at the moment of conception and is always precious.

“A hospital bed is a parked taxi with the meter running” Groucho Marx. The argument that physician-assisted suicide would dampen the value of life can go both ways. How is life valued when a patient doesn’t have much life to live? For a patient to be eligible, as stated earlier, they must be diagnosed with a terminal illness and six or less months to live. So though assisting these patients’ results in dying a premature death, the question is how much value is there in these last months of their lives? Every patient is different, and some use their last 6 months to go and do the things they’ve always wanted to do. Unfortunately, not every terminally ill patient is mobile or capable of taking care of himself or herself. It should be the right of the patient to die with dignity rather than being forced to live in a withered away body. The question is what’s more important: quality or quantity? For some of these patients it’s much more comforting knowing they have the option not to suffer, they can live their last little bit full of life before losing control of their bodies.

The American people have many different rights that can be exercised: The right to vote, freedom of speech, freedom of religion. There are some rights though that are not strictly laid out in the constitution or by law; some believe these rights are natural rights given at birth, human rights. Once a person becomes an adult they have the freedom to eat the way they want, indulge in habits such as smoking and drinking. People have the freedom to exercise or not, they can choose to treat their body how they wish. A freedom people don’t have is to die on their terms, specifically people who are sick and have a shortened lifespan. The American people have the right to do many things with their bodies;

A policeman witnesses a man trapped underneath a burning truck. Desperate and in pain, the man asks the policeman to shoot him and save him the pain of dying a slow and insufferable death. As a result, he shoots. The policeman’s dilemma is commonly referenced in support of physician-assisted-suicide, or PAS. Euthanasia and assisted suicide are interchangeable terms which both lead to the death of an individual. Voluntary PAS is a medical professional, usually a physician, who provides medication or other procedures with the intention of ending the patient’s life. Voluntary PAS is the administration of medicine with the explicit consent from the patient. In terms of this paper, we focus on voluntary physician-assisted suicide in the

“Death with dignity is a human right: to retain control until the very end and, if the quality of your life is too poor, to decide to end your suffering; the dignity comes from exercising the choice” 1 Have you ever had to watch a loved one suffer, with no chance of recovery? Cancer, and other fatal diseases take the lives of people we love every day. It’s hard to sit by and watch someone suffering when they are ready to let go. Think about an animal who is terminal and in pain, the only reason we would keep them alive would be based on our own selfishness. To keep a person alive when they are terminally ill and ready to let go is inhumane. For this reason, an adult suffering from a terminal illness should have say over their own destiny, and physician-assisted suicide should be legalized throughout the country.

When people imagine their death, most people desire a good death, peaceful and painless which occurring in a house bed and surrounded by loved ones like their family members or friends. However in real life, only few deaths are like that. Others are died painfully in hospital because of diseases. Last decades, large numbers of people demand physician-assisted suicide to satisfy their expectations of last good night.

In February 2015 the Supreme Court of Canada struck down the Criminal Code provision prohibiting assisted suicide, though the ruling does not take effect until 2016. Among those challenging were the families of Kay Carter, a woman suffering from degenerative spinal steno-sis, and Gloria Taylor, a woman suffering for ALS, both of whom are deceased. As government struggles to draft a Bill that protects all, we pause to consider once again this very important is-sue in our world today within the context of Christian ethics.

George Langelaan’ s short story, “The Fly”, reveals the intense details of an experiment gone wrong, which ultimately shifted every character’s ideal foundations. Andre Delambre, a French scientist and war veteran, faces a scientific devastation that buries him heap of hopelessness from ever recovering. Out of desperation, he asks his wife, Helen, to carry out his last wish – to commit suicide. Langelaan reveals the physical, moral, and emotional justification of suicide assistance through the perspective of Helen, much reflecting today’s modern version of lethal injecting or prescribing a lethal combination of medication to terminally ill patients at their wish. As perfectly depicted in the movie The Fly, when Andre tells Helen, while giving her precise instructions, “Three knocks means I have your promise. My life is in your hands” (Kurt Neumann), they are loyal to carry out their loved one’s desires to their upmost ability.

Should a patient that is very ill have the choice of committing suicide with the help of professionals? This question has long been argued amongst religious leaders, jurists, and medical ethicists. Some say that it is right to give the patients with diseases or disabilities to get assist from experts in ending themselves to stop their pain, it also helps bring relief from pain through death, and it helps save money for healthcare to others that fight. Others disagree on the right to die act, because it goes against religion, the system could abused and legalized murder, and the ill person have a chance in recovering in full health. Even though the federal government doesn 't allow this idea, some states actully have this policy.

Chief Reporter: Gregory Mays, Stinger News Vegas Chief Photographer / Reporter: Michael Slyman, Stinger News Vegas