Physician Assisted Suicide A Matter Of Life And Death Essay

There has long been a debate over the topic of physician assisted suicide as an option for end of life. Several countries and states have passed legislation over the last few years that allows physician assisted suicide to have a form of legality therefore giving these terminal patients more autonomy in deciding what end of life care options they can choose. While it is not up to us as healthcare providers to decide for patients what they should or should not do pertaining to end of life care, it is up to us to take care of them in the best way possible. The decision to die gracefully and without pain should be a personal decision. Physician Assisted Suicide – A Matter of Life and Death The topic of physician assisted suicide provokes a significant amount of discussion and controversy. Patients with terminal diseases, such as cancer, that can often lead to a prolonged painful death should have the option to end their lives in a way that will relieve themselves and their families from long term suffering. Patients with degenerative and progressive diseases such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), should also be allowed the option to choose physician assisted suicide before the disease deprives them of their mental and physical capacity. By failing to offer patients the alternative of physician assisted suicide society is essentially showing a lack of compassion and humanity. Several countries and states have passed legislation over the last few years thatShow MoreRelatedEthical Considerations in Dealing with Changes in the Healthcare System929 Words   |  4 Pagesconsideration that creates controversial discussion is the subject of physician-assisted suicide. P hysician-assisted suicide is described as the act in which a physician provides the means necessary for the client to perform the act of suicide. The issue of physician-assisted suicide is viewed through many different perspectives. The topic of physician-assisted suicide has been debated since the development of medicine. Physician-assisted suicide was first legalized in the United States in Oregon in 1997.Read MoreThe Ethical Responsibility Of Assisted Suicide1274 Words   |  6 PagesMerriam- Webster, physician assisted suicide is: â€Å"suicide by a patient facilitated by means or information (as a drug prescription or indication of the lethal dosage) provided by a physician aware of the patient’s intent.† Implicit in the term suicide, is that life has been prematurely ended due to desperation and hopelessness. However, in most cases Behuniak Svenson (2003) argue that suicide is mostly performed under unstable mental conditions of the patient and therefore any suicide be stopped dueRead MorePhysician Assisted Suicide : A Controversial Subject1692 Words   |  7 PagesPhysician-assisted suicide is a controversial subject all around the world. Although it is legal in some countries and states, such as the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Oregon, Montana, Washington, and Vermont it is not yet legal in most (Finlay, 2011). People travel from all around the world to these locations to receive information. Physician-assisted suicide is when terminally ill and mentally capable patients perform the final act themselves after being provided with the required meansRead MoreAssisted Suicide Should Be Managed1273 Words   |  6 PagesAssisted Suicide Brittany Maynard was twenty-nine years old, she had been married for a year when she was diagnosed with brain cancer. Doctors gave her a prognosis of six months to live. After that, Brittany and her family decided to move to Oregon to take advantage of the Death with Dignity Act. On November 1, 2014, Maynard decided to end her life. Assisted suicide is a controversial topic that has been debated for many years. In a few countries, this procedure has already been legalized. ThereRead MoreEssay on Physician Assisted Suicide903 Words   |  4 PagesPhysician assisted suicide/dying (PAD) is it good or bad? PAD is referred to when physician provides patients who are terminally ill with prescriptions of a lethal dose of medication, upon the patient’s request, which the patient intends to use to end their own life (Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2011); another option that is close to physician assisted suicide is Euthanasia. Euthanasia is the act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals (as personsRead MorePhysician Assisted Death And Assisted Suicide Essay1114 Words   |  5 Pages Physician assisted death is a physician aiding in a patient’s death by prescribing a lethal dosage or informing a patient on a lethal amount of medication. This is not a n ew phenomenon, over the ages of medicine physicians have been asked by patients to end their suffering. More than half of physicians in today’s society have been asked in some form of way to participate in physician assisted death. People should be able to choose rather or not to end their life through terminal illness or inRead More Physician-Assisted Suicide is Morally and Ethically Acceptable1160 Words   |  5 Pages   Ã‚  Ã‚   The long time debate over medically assisted suicide, the presence of a doctor at a patient’s suicide, resurfaced again with the conviction of doctor Jack Kevorkian.   Kevorkian was convicted of second degree murder when he euthanized, or administered the injection himself, Thomas Youk on September 17, 1998.   Dr. Kevorkian, an advocate and practitioner of medically assisted suicides, has many opponents on the issue. Opponents say that it is unethical and even with the consent of the patientRead MoreWhat Is Physician Assisted Suicide?939 Words   |  4 PagesWhat is Physician assisted suicide? Requests to end suffering through physician assisted suicide have occurred since the beginning of medicine. This technique to end ones life is very controversial and some argue that it should be legal while others argue otherwise. There are multiple advantages and disadvantages when it comes to physician assisted suicide. In physician assisted suicide, the physician provides the necessary means to end a patient’s life, but the patient themselves performs the actRead MorePhysician Assisted Suicide Should Be Legalized For Mentally Competent Adults1340 Words   |  6 PagesErin Presnell Professor Branson English 112 2 May 2015 Physician Assisted Suicide Assisted suicide is a controversial and often misunderstood topic that has recently raised the attention of the nation. Assisted suicide or physician assisted suicide (PAS) is not only an emotionally trying matter but also ethically challenging to some. Those who are against this act believe that it is unethical to end a life before the intended time. Those in favor believe that it is a human right for patients thatRead MoreThe Ethical Dilemmas Of Euthanasia Essay1638 Words   |  7 Pagesin Canada with the Legalization of Physician-Assisted Suicide This systematic analysis of the professional literature will explore the ethical dilemmas that Canadian medical professionals face while considering euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide, the latter of which was made legal in Canada on June 17, 2016 (Chochinov and Frazee, 2016). This paper will discusses the conflicts that healthcare professionals are faced with when looking at the quality of life for the terminally ill or comatose