Death is not something that we can run away from, but rather embrace it as a lifelong goal towards the next chapter in our lives. As we are born, we go through different stages on the path of life to become well-rounded persons of society; however, that path can be changed in the blink of an eye. In every person’s life, there comes a time when they face death of a family member, loved one, friend, or even themselves. How do we deal with death? What do we do if a loved one is in a position to not make their own decisions? How do we know if we made the right decision for them? These three questions are common towards the end of a loved one’s life; however, life-threatening accidents can happen at any time and alter a person’s life. What would they want if they could tell us? This paper will discuss physician-assisted suicide (PAS), active and passive euthanasia, the Doctrine of Double Effect, and a history of Dr. Jack Kevorkian’s involvement with physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia.
Physician-assisted suicide, as defined by Pozgar, G. D., is an action in which a physician voluntarily aids a patient in bringing about his or her own death (2016). There is much controversy over this topic …show more content…
According to Berger, J. M., MS, MD, PhD, & Vadivelu, N., MD., the principle of double effect, initially developed in Catholic tradition from the thirteenth-century teachings of Thomas Aquinas, states that an action that has two effects, one good and one bad (2013). There are four principles of the double effect, described by Kockler, N. J., include the act-in-itself cannot be morally wrong or intrinsically evil, the bad effect cannot cause the good effect, the agent cannot intend the bad effect, and the bad effect cannot outweigh the good effect (2007). These four principles must be met to
Physician-assisted suicide, as defined by Pozgar, G. D., is an action in which a physician voluntarily aids a patient in bringing about his or her own death (2016). There is much controversy over this topic …show more content…
According to Berger, J. M., MS, MD, PhD, & Vadivelu, N., MD., the principle of double effect, initially developed in Catholic tradition from the thirteenth-century teachings of Thomas Aquinas, states that an action that has two effects, one good and one bad (2013). There are four principles of the double effect, described by Kockler, N. J., include the act-in-itself cannot be morally wrong or intrinsically evil, the bad effect cannot cause the good effect, the agent cannot intend the bad effect, and the bad effect cannot outweigh the good effect (2007). These four principles must be met to