Physician-Assisted Death In The U.S.
Physician-Assisted Death, or Death With Dignity in the United States is one among the many controversial topics being brought up and questioned in politics today. Is it ethical? Is it a bad reflection on the medical side? Many factors can be considered when trying to answer these questions. I personally believe that Physician-Assisted Death (PAD) is a moralistic way for terminally ill patients to take control of their final days and pass with dignity.
The Death with Dignity Act was first passed in Oregon in 1997. Oregon was the first state in the country to allow such a thing. Passing the Act gave patients an opportunity to have a choice in their final days and gave them a sense of dignity that is …show more content…
that have passed laws that allow patients to take advantage of PAD. Aside from Oregon, Colorado, Washington, California, Vermont and Montana also allow Death with Dignity. Each state has their own interpretation of the Act, for example; patients in Montana can only be granted permission via court decision. The states that do allow it do have two rules they agree on;
1) The patients requesting to follow through with PAD must be residents of the state they are requisitioning it in.
2) The medication, whether it be oral or intravenous, must be administered by the patient, and not the physician.
When the Act was first passed more than 20 years ago, the polls were very close, only 51% of voters in favor. Gallup.com has given some newer stats concerning Physician-Assisted Death… Now, 21 years later, 68% of Americans support the idea that patients should be able to take their death into their own hands and follow through with PAD. Voters 18-34 years old were the biggest group to support it. Of all of the followers, voters from the Independent party were in favor the …show more content…
The top three pros, concerned affordability, organ donation/preservation, and most importantly, the ending of suffering and the release it gives patients. Let’s take a cancer patient for example… The cost of treatment is thousands of dollars. This is often an unfortunate burden on both the patient and the patient’s family. The cost of the medication used in PAD? Only $300-$500, therefore being a key element in most of the participant’s choice. Organs that are planned on being donated can be preserved efficiently, so they can be used as soon as possible. Aside from the pros, there was only one con brought up; the ethics of it all. I don’t see how this is a large con, taking into account that it is the patient’s life, ultimately it should be their choice in what they want to
Physician-Assisted Death, or Death With Dignity in the United States is one among the many controversial topics being brought up and questioned in politics today. Is it ethical? Is it a bad reflection on the medical side? Many factors can be considered when trying to answer these questions. I personally believe that Physician-Assisted Death (PAD) is a moralistic way for terminally ill patients to take control of their final days and pass with dignity.
The Death with Dignity Act was first passed in Oregon in 1997. Oregon was the first state in the country to allow such a thing. Passing the Act gave patients an opportunity to have a choice in their final days and gave them a sense of dignity that is …show more content…
that have passed laws that allow patients to take advantage of PAD. Aside from Oregon, Colorado, Washington, California, Vermont and Montana also allow Death with Dignity. Each state has their own interpretation of the Act, for example; patients in Montana can only be granted permission via court decision. The states that do allow it do have two rules they agree on;
1) The patients requesting to follow through with PAD must be residents of the state they are requisitioning it in.
2) The medication, whether it be oral or intravenous, must be administered by the patient, and not the physician.
When the Act was first passed more than 20 years ago, the polls were very close, only 51% of voters in favor. Gallup.com has given some newer stats concerning Physician-Assisted Death… Now, 21 years later, 68% of Americans support the idea that patients should be able to take their death into their own hands and follow through with PAD. Voters 18-34 years old were the biggest group to support it. Of all of the followers, voters from the Independent party were in favor the …show more content…
The top three pros, concerned affordability, organ donation/preservation, and most importantly, the ending of suffering and the release it gives patients. Let’s take a cancer patient for example… The cost of treatment is thousands of dollars. This is often an unfortunate burden on both the patient and the patient’s family. The cost of the medication used in PAD? Only $300-$500, therefore being a key element in most of the participant’s choice. Organs that are planned on being donated can be preserved efficiently, so they can be used as soon as possible. Aside from the pros, there was only one con brought up; the ethics of it all. I don’t see how this is a large con, taking into account that it is the patient’s life, ultimately it should be their choice in what they want to