Assisted suicide is illegal in most of the US and has been for centuries . It has been a debate if this is right or wrong in many countries. An article about why it is illegal in the UK states that, “Assisting a suicide can cover a wide spectrum of criminality,” (Robinson, Vicki; Scott, Helen 2012-2013) . In this case, assisted suicide is considered a crime. When a patient is terminally ill, they have a disease that cannot be cured or treated sufficiently, so it can be reasonable to expect death within a short period of time as a result. The topics are; why people believe assisted suicide is inhumane, how it takes away a person’s right to make their own decisions, how it should be their own choice, they need to be in the right state of mind, an individual needs to be able to speak for oneself in order to make any final decision, and a family’s influence and impact on the patient. Assisted suicide was made illegal because it appears as if it’s “encouraging suicide,” (Robinson, Vicki; Scott, Helen 2012-2013). Death should be a right, it is more inhumane allowing the terminally ill to suffer a long, drawn-out death.
The values of assisted suicide and it being inhumane
What is really more inhumane, watching someone suffer until they die, or assisting their suicide to put them out of misery? When in intensive care or going into surgery, you can sign a paper saying you don’t want extensive care or measures made for you or do not resuscitate, DNR. Assisted suicide and DNR are
To fully understand the issue at hand, one must understand the various forms of euthanasia. The Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary: Tenth Edition defines euthanasia as “the act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals…in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy.” Euthanasia can be either passive or active. Passive euthanasia occurs when a patient is relieved of medical treatment and is allowed to die naturally. Active euthanasia occurs when either a physician or a family member actively takes the life of the patient, perhaps through lethal injection, and eliminates a natural death process. Many people commonly use the word “euthanasia” to refer to assisted suicide. Essentially, assisted suicide is a form of active euthanasia in that a person, usually a physician, aids in the suicide of a patient.
Physician-assisted suicide can be defined as suicide by a patient facilitated by means or information (such 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, but can be categorized as egregious. The ethical controversy of whether the legalization of physician- assisted suicide should take place in America is one to be disposed of. With no regard to religion, the catastrophe of physician-assisted suicide can be demonstrated through the law, The Constitution of the United States, the ethical controversy in regards to the Hippocratic Oath, and the prolonging of suffering. Rejecting God’s gift of life to us, directly defying the word of
Many say that if you have the assisted suicide law past it gives people away out of fighting. They are all told growing up you can conquer anything and if you can request a quicker death they believe that its teaching people that killing yourself is the easy way out. Also what has been said is that if a family member wants this to happen and the patient can’t fully comprehend what is happening, then the family can push the patient to agree to the assisted suicide.
In the case of assisted suicide killing another is a justifiable act. According to the article.“What’s so difficult about the right to die”, “Assisted suicide is not a private decision only, it’s about the worth of people’s lives and whether we think those lives are worth living”(Wente). This evidence is important because it is not someone else’s choice if someone wants to die or if they should die, if they feel as if their life is not worth living, why force them to live if they don’t want to . Another example is “it says that people with ‘grievous and irremediable’ suffering are entitled to assisted death”(Wente). If someone is suffering we shouldn’t make them keep suffering in constant pain.
Imagine for a moment one morning you woke up not feeling quite yourself, you have a really high fever and your back and feet hurt in such a way you can barely catch your breath, something that has become more pronounced and refuses to be ignored. You call you family doctor up and make an appointment to go in and get his opinion on what could be wrong with you. The doctor asks you some rather routine questions, pokes and prods at you, takes several samples of your blood and sends them off to be tested, advising you that he will call you as soon as the results are back. A week and a half goes by and finally you get the call you have been looking forward to and dreading at the same time. The doctor asks you to come to his office because he would like to discuss his findings with you in person. You find yourself in the doctors’ office sitting on that stiff leather couch across from the doctor who seems a bit uncomfortable as though he is not quite sure if he should look you in the eye or at the wall over your shoulder. In a very low and calm voice he breaks it to you and tells you that your blood tested positive for a very bad terminal illness where life as you know it would change as this illness progressed. You would become more and more dependent on others such as your family as this illness took hold of you. You would go from being able to do the seemingly simple things you find you always took for granted without even realizing it like walking under you own steam, bathing
(http://www.save.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewPage&page_id=705D5DF4-055B-F1EC-3F66462866FCB4E6),suicide is rated as the 10th leading cause of death in the US, including victims of all ages. Assisted suicide is said to endanger the weak and vulnerable, Corrupt the practice of medicine and the doctor-patient relationship, Compromise family and intergenerational commitments, and betray the human dignity and equality before the law, by Dr.Ryan T Anderson, PhD, in his article found in the www.heritage.org site. Many people come up with the thought
Imagine being diagnosed with a life-ending disease and experiencing such excruciating pain that doctors say cannot be healed. Pain is a terrible thing to experience, especially when it is permanent. What can be done to relieve that pain? What if the only option to rid the pain from the patient is death? No one knows how that feels until it happens to them, that is why assisted suicide is used. Assisted suicide is a practice throughout most of the United States that terminates the lives of dying patients. This process is when patients are in agonizing pain that is too overwhelming to bear; therefore they beg physicians to end their lives. Physicians have the ability to end a patient’s life by withholding medication or removing the patient from a life supporting device. Patients have to meet certain requirements before the procedure can be completed. Many people wish that this practice was legal, but there are others that do not believe in it. Legalized physician assisted suicide is not common in all areas throughout the United States. There are many different views about physician assisted suicide, and the subject is a rather touchy one to discuss. There are many details about this issue that many people are not informed about like the past situations dealing with assisted suicide and physicians, areas that allow the procedure to be done, and the rules and regulations that patients have to meet before anything can be done.
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 process of assisted suicide, or physician-assisted death, is a hotly debated topic that still remains at the forefront of many national discussions today. Assisted suicide can be described as the suicide of patient by a physician-prescribed dose of legal drugs. The reason that this topic is so widely debated is that it infringes on several moral and religious values that many people in the United States have. But, regardless of the way that people feel, a person’s right to live is guaranteed to them in the United States Constitution, and this should extend to the right to end their own life as well. The reasons that assisted suicide should be legalized in all states is because it can ease not only the suffering of the individual, but the financial burden on the family that is supporting him/her. Regardless of opposing claims, assisted suicide should be an option for all terminally ill patients.
Is assisted suicide an act of good or bad, an act of right or wrong? A very controversial topic in today’s talk. Assisted suicide, also known as another individual helping or aiding another individual to end his or her life. A more proper definition is: the suicide of a patient suffering from an incurable disease done by taking lethal drugs. This is very familiar to occur in the health field. Even though it is not legal all around the world, licensed doctors have the permission to medically end an ills patient’s life. Some states want to further enact on this movement. The Humane and Dignified Death Act, is what will allow a physician to end the life of a terminally ill patient only on the request of the patient and the patient is to have valid
Even though assisted suicide does all those things, however it should be legal because the nurse or doctor can move onto another patient that has a chance at living instead of spending their time helping a terminally ill patient. Doctors can focus more on the patients who have a chance to live or survive and use whatever resources they have an a patient who will survive instead of on a patient who will die eventually. It’s better if a patient who will pull through an injury gets all the attention they need instead of a person who is terminally ill and likely to
Imagine laying in a hospital bed living everyday in extreme pain with no hope of getting better. This scenario explains what many people go through everyday, which is a living with a terminal illness. M. Lee, a science historian, and Alexander Stingl a sociologist, define terminal illness as “an illness from which the patient is not expected to recover even with treatment. As the illness progresses death is inevitable” (1). There are not many options for the terminally ill besides dying a slow and painful death, but assisted suicide could be best option for these patients. Assisted suicide is “any case in which a doctor gives a patient (usually someone with a terminal illness) the means to carry out their own suicide by using a lethal dose of medication” (Lee and Stingl 1). Some feel that assisted suicide is unnecessary because it is too great of a controversy and will only cause problems in society. However, assisted suicide should be legal in the United States as long as there are strict regulations to accompany it.
Helping someone end their suffering is not a crime. It is currently not considered a crime in 3 states: Oregon, Washington and Vermont. So why is it illegal in most states? Assisted suicide is not as harsh and cruel as it sounds like. There are regulations that need to be followed and there is a long tough process before you make your final decision. Assisted suicide needs to become legal in more states.
I consider assisted suicide to be a form of murder because the physician is providing the lethal medicine to the patient for them die. Just because the patient says that they no longer want to live, it makes it okay? Murder is defined as people killing others on a deliberate matter. On that note, a doctor or physician helping a
In 1972, US Senate held the first national hearing on euthanasia (assisted suicided). Assisted suicide is a process in which, if a terminally ill adult chooses, a doctor will legally prescribe a lethal dose of barbiturates to end its life. Currently, there are 6 states that allow assisted suicide. Unfortunately, assisted suicide can be easily abused; therefore, the U.S. government should illegalize it in all 50 states for the protection of its citizens.