Introduction
Attention getter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWxjDcLYKpU begin with video of Brittany’s story and play until 1:35
Following the video: the problem many people are facing is the inability to choose the way they want to end their life
I personally have dealt with people in my life that battled terminal illness
I specifically remember my cousin Nathan noting that he was ready to enter the gates of heaven at only 23 years old while he battled a rare form of bone cancer
Benefits of audience: perhaps you too know someone suffering indescribable pain that wishes to exit ,and maybe you don’t feel too keen on the idea now, but after my speech you’ll have a new idea of physician assisted suicide
Thesis: today I’m going to talk to you
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Existing laws in the states that permit physician-assisted suicide require that patients have a terminal illness (including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, heart disease, cancer, and many other debilitating diseases). You must be of sound mind (competent to make decisions), and be expected to die within six months of submitting your request. (Soo Borson is a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and psychosocial and community health nursing at the University of Washington.)
C. The specific method in each state varies, but mainly involves a prescription from a licensed physician approved by the state in which the patient is a resident.
PAS is very different than euthanasia because it is centralized around choice.
In PAS, the patient must self-administer the medications; the “assisted” portion attributes to a physician providing the medications, but the patient decides whether and when to ingest the lethal medication. Euthanasia occurs when a third party administers medication or acts directly to end the patient’s life. Euthanasia is illegal in every state, including Washington. (CNN).
Two of the costly effects of limiting this option is lack of respect for autonomy and refusing to grant death upon those that wish for it.
Transition: I will first go into the lack of choice that’s
B) According to the “ Journal of Medical Ethics” it may not be that simple to assist with
The ethical dilemma of this highly controversial subject will continue to split our approach to the notion of assisted suicide. As we age, we come to terms with our own mortality, how we choose to leave this world isn’t always up us. For those who suffer from a terminal fate, maybe they should have the choice, and those who understand their current condition can provide them the dignity they deserve without repercussions. The only way we as a society can move ahead, is to find a common
There is a lot of controversy surrounding the issue of people’s autonomy when it comes to the end of their lives. Why somebody would want to end their life prematurely is a question that puzzles people. So therefore is hard to comprehend why people should have autonomy over such a thing.
A patient must meet the requirements in order to qualify for physician assisted suicide. The patient must be “diagnosed with a terminal illness that will lead to death within six months” (Fass, and Fass 846). Being a legal resident of a state that has legalized the procedure and being eighteen years old are also requirements. Another qualification is being able to make and communicate health care decisions. Along with those requirements, there are certain guidelines that must be followed during the process of physician assisted suicide. First, the patient must make two oral requests for physician assisted suicide at least fifteen days apart. A written request that has to be signed in front of two witnesses must also be provided to the physician. The patient then has to be referred to a consulting physician, so that he can confirm the diagnosis and prognosis and approve that the patient is capable of making decisions related to health care. “The prescribing physician must notify the patient of alternatives to suicide, including comfort care, hospice care, and pain management” (Fass, and Fass 846). It is expected of the physician to encourage the patient to tell their family. The physician has to follow rules to dispense the medication after these steps. One rule is to be registered as a dispensing practitioner and maintaining a current Drug Enforcement Administration certificate in order
Physician-assisted suicide is arguably one of the most controversial issues of the twenty-first century. Anyone can kill themselves, but what happens when one is not capable of physically doing so and at the same exact time is also terminally ill. When is it okay for a physician to use their medical expertise, and oblige with a incurably patient; to agree that one’s life is worth ending. Where is the line drawn? Legally, physician-assisted suicide is a criminal offense; you are after all killing another human. Morally, is it okay to watch someone die in agonizing pain and stand-by because God told us all too. This essay will explore and analyze the legal aspect of physician-assisted suicide, what does the law say. As well as, the moral implications of physician-assisted suicide, it is ever okay, and the consequences it will have on our society.
For a terminal patient, life can become very painful and uncomfortable. For the majority of those patients, the end isn’t very bright. Patients with terminal illnesses may resort to Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS) as a means to end their their life. In this paper, we will be discussing what PAS is, why patients may use it, and how it affects the human body. We will also look into the history of PAS and how that history translates to the present day. Finally, we will be looking at the legality of PAS in the United States.
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.
It is understandable that some patients in extreme pressure such as those suffering from a terminal, painful illness may come to decide that they would rather die than live. However, allowing physicians to participate in assisted suicide would cause more harm than good. Physician-assisted suicide is fundamentally incompatible with the physician’s role as a healer and would be difficult or impossible to control.
Physician-Assisted Suicide which is also known as PAS has been a topic that has been highly debated for years, it gives patients in critical medical conditions the right to end their lives. Many people think that PAS and euthanasia are the same, while both actions include medications in lethal doses, Physician Assisted Suicide is when a doctor makes a patient’s death less difficult by providing him or her with a lethal dose of medication such as barbiturates or a combination of medications to allow the life ending act or to refrain the patient from receiving treatments that are used to prolong a terminally ill patients life. The physician lends the knowledge but the person does the act. While, euthanasia is when someone actually administers
Assisted suicide had raised issues of great importance in the society particularly the most controversial of all, the physician assisted suicide in the health care field. Since Oregon and other states implemented the legalization of physician assisted suicide, the debates continues. The U.S. Supreme Court decisions in 1997 and the Pain Relief Promotion Act of 2000 (H.R. 5544) have kept these topics on the policy of the national agenda, along with constant patient fears and worries about the meagerness of end-of-life health care. Despite with all the issues and concerns about physician assisted suicide, what is physician-assisted suicide?
IV. Thesis/Preview: Today I will be talking to you guys about 2 different problems pertaining to assisted suicide and why it is necessary. First, I will speak on how people suffer a lot, and how value of life is diminished. Following that I will conclude my speech by providing a solution to a problem.
The word suicide gives many people negative feelings and is a socially taboo subject. However, suicide might be beneficial to terminally ill patients. Physician- assisted suicide has been one of the most controversial modern topics. Many wonder if it is morally correct to put a terminally ill patient out of their misery. Physicians should be able to meet the requests of their terminally ill patients. Unfortunately, a physician can be doing more harm by keeping someone alive instead of letting them die peacefully. For example, an assisted suicide can bring comfort to patients. These patients are in excruciating pain and will eventually perish. The government should not be involved in such a personal decision. A physician- assisted suicide comes with many benefits for the patient. If a person is terminally ill and wants a physician assisted suicide, then they should receive one.
Why should they not give us the right to decide if we want to live or not? That should be the first right before all the ones I have mentioned. It is not logical that we can choose in all those other decisions if we cannot first choose to live or die.
Today, voluntary euthanasia is getting closer to being legalized in more than just one state in the United States. “‘Voluntary’ euthanasia means that the act of putting the person to death is the end result of the person’s own free will” (Bender 19). “ Voluntary euthanasia is an area worthy of our serious consideration, since it would allow patients who have exhausted all other reasonable options to choose death rather than continue suffering” (Bender 19). The question of whether or not voluntary euthanasia should be legalized is a major debate that has been around for years. Because the issue of whether people should have the right to choose how they want to live or die is so complex. With the advances in technology today we have made
Firstly, one of the main arguments for euthanasia is autonomy and patients’ rights to make their own decisions.