Physician Assisted Suicide As An Individual Choice

In households across the United States, thousands of people are suffering from incurable and deadly illnesses. With death lurking around the corner, should these people have to tolerate pain and misery knowing what is awaiting them? The debate on these questions are very controversial. Furthermore, there is a greater question to be answered—should these people have the right and option to end the ongoing pain and agony through physician assisted suicide? Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS) is highly discussed topic because it brings about several moral and ethical questions such as who is the true leader of our lives. Is suicide an individual choice and should the highest priority to humans be alleviating pain or do we suffer for a purpose?†¦show more content†¦Involuntary euthanasia occurs when a medical provider or some other person administers a lethal dose of a drug to a patient without the patient’s specific request. Euthanasia is done at the hand of the d octor not the patient. Modern medical expertise has achieved remarkable achievements in lengthening the lives of humans. Ventilators can support a patient’s weakening lungs and pills can sustain that patient’s bodily processes. For those patients who have a genuine chance of surviving a sickness or accident, medical technology is science’s greatest gift to mankind. For the terminally ill, however, it is just a means of prolonging suffering. Medicine is supposed to alleviate the suffering that a patient undergoes. Yet the only thing that medical technology does for a dying patient is give that patient more pain and agony day after day and cause them to spend more money that could go to help their family after the patient passes away. Some terminal patients in the past have gone to their doctors and asked for a final medication that would take all the pain away— lethal drugs. For example, imagine a woman who was suffering from a severe case of rheumatoid arthritis, begged her doctor to assist her to die because she could no longer stand the pain. Another example is a lady with an inoperable brainShow MoreRelatedDeath, Duty, And Dignity1327 Words   |  6 Pagespapers around 1994 when Oregon was having a debate on whether or not to pass a Death with Dignity Act. At the time, Theresa spoke against physician-assisted suicide because she felt that this form of help is allowing people to do what they want when it is time to die. This is not anything that Catholics view. Eventually her father, Ted, utilized physician-assisted suicide. He contacted her saying that he had grade IV glioblastoma multiforme, a deadly form of brain cancer. Ted had brain surgery to removeRead MoreShould Physician Assisted Suicide Be Allowed?895 Words   |  4 PagesShould physicians be allowed to help patients determine the timing and circumstances of their death? The â€Å"right to die† debate is a very sensitive and complex issue in modern culture. While suicide is a le gal act in the United States, assisted suicide is not. Opinions on the subject are shaped by countless factors such as ethical issues, social issues, and primarily religious issues. Many people are opposed to the legalization of physician assisted suicide for â€Å"moral† reasons, however, legalizationRead MoreAdvocates Against Assisted Suicide Advocates Essay1681 Words   |  7 PagesAdvocates against assisted suicide argue that the untaken medication will be dispersed to a larger group of people than just the terminally ill it was intended for. A little over 40% of the population of individuals that received life-ending medication did not even take the medication (Keown 172). Keown details a summary of the prescriptions ingested in 2015 as of this current January. All of the medications that a prescription was written for were carefully tracked and observed. The Death with DignityRead MorePhysician Assisted Suicide As A Suicide1587 Words   |  7 PagesThe Merriam Webster dictionary defines â€Å"physician assisted suicide as a suicide by a patient facilitated by means or information (as a drug prescription or indication of the lethal dosage) provided by a physician who is aware of how the patient intends to use such means or information.† The physician provides necessary information about drugs and patient performs the act of suicide. Letting someone die requires justification and involves personal as well as social concerns. The federal governmentRead MoreShould Physician Assisted Suicide Be Legalized?1426 Words   |  6 PagesPhysician assisted suicide is also known as assisted suicide. It is a very controversial procedure. It is not favored by many. However, in present day society is little bit inclined towards assisted suicide. There is ongoing debate on the legalization of assisted suicide. The main reason to oppose of assisted suicide is the fear of mistreatment of the patient, abuse of power and so on. In contrary, many see assisted suicide as a way to decrease pain in the end of life. Read MoreEuthanasia And Physician Assisted Suicide865 Words   |  4 Pagessubject for people; add in the idea of assisted suicides and there’s an uproar in society. Euthanasia or physician assisted suicide is a very controversial topic in our society today. Physician assisted suicide by definition is â€Å"suicide by a patient facilitated by means (as a drug prescription) or information (as an indication of a lethal dosage) provided by a physician aware of the patient’s intent (Merriam-Webster). There are two modes of looking at assisted suicides; either it’s seen as an absurd immoralRead MoreThe Medical And Legal Fields About Assisted Suicide1667 Words   |  7 Pagesmultitude of interpretations within both the medical and legal fields about assisted suicide. The benefits of assisted suicide for a terminally ill individual are notably momentous. However, the argument is not extricated from opposition concerned with the obligations of the medical community. It is paramount to have an even-handed perception of the issue and present each side but recognize that the rights of the individual in arbitrating the specific route of his or her death, specifically in lethalRead MoreNew Client. Professor__. English___. 2/28/17. The Implications1182 Words   |  5 Pagesautonomy i.e. one’s right to make independent choices without any external influences, a competent adult can refuse medical treatment, even in situations where this could result in his/her death. However, when it comes to actively ending a life via euthanasia it becomes an extensively debate regarding the rights of an individual to make that choice. The article â€Å"A Doctor-Assisted Disaster for Medicine† loosely examines the negative implications of assisted suicide laws on patients. Toffler’s article shedsRead MorePhysician Assisted Suicide : The Voluntary Termination Of One s Own Life1378 Words   |  6 PagesComposition 2 13 April 2015 The Right to Die Physician assisted suicide has been practiced over the past couple centuries and is beginning to spark the interest in many people who suffer from terminal diseases. 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 (Physician-assisted Suicide). Starting in the early 1800 s, physicians did all they could to save the lives of theirRead MorePhysician Assisted Suicide Is Not Considered Admissible949 Words   |  4 PagesPhysician assisted suicide- the voluntary termination of one’s own life by administration of a lethal substance with the direct or indirect assistance of a physician, and euthanasia, the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable, painful disease are both highly emotional and contentious subjects. Some argue physician assisted suicide (P.A.S.) is admissible for someone who is dying and trying to painlessly break free from the intolerable suffering at the end of their life, and some