The controversy concerning a new method of death, Physician Assisted Suicide, has provoked a social, legal, and a massive medical debate. Nearly two decades ago, Oregon declared its legalization for the assistance of lethal doses of medication to help terminally ill patients end their lives. Several other states were subsequent to this movement, such as Washington, Vermont, and Montana. Since then, oppositional views and disagreements on this topic have been brought up in court to be legalized for the suffering of patients who are unavoidably assured to death. The legalization of PAS in these states should be revoked because of the many flaws this movement contains. For many, Physician Assisted Suicide is a way to end their life with dignity.
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According to Vicki Lachman in “Physician Assisted Suicide: Compassionate Liberation or Murder?” she includes that approximately 1 of 1,000 deaths in Oregon are due to the lethal medication prescribed by their doctor and about seventeen percent actually considered it as an option (123). Vicki Lachman further explains on not "initiating the discussion, because the patient may feel pressured to pursue this option” (124). She describes this by saying not only a physician can influence a patient, but so could a relative or family member. Although it is illegal for a physician to recommend PAS, family and close relatives are not held back from giving their opinion on whether or not the patient should ask for it. It’s more than likely in a situation like this when a patient would turn to the person closest to them before making the final decision, showing that they are open to suggestions and easily influenced, especially if in a vulnerable stage, to take PAS. A health care advisor, Maura Buchanan, says that "It can be difficult in practice to understand all the cross-currents that underlie our own decisions, let alone someone else's", so it is never for certain if a patient’s decision was made completely on their own (9). She also mentions that "It is a matter of setting conditions that will work in the complex and often stressful world of terminal illness, clinical practice, and family relationships" in an alternative sense of just paying attention to their physical awareness that will allow the patient to follow up with PAS (9). A patient is exposed to differing opinions by family members or a close friend that can either, sometimes unconsciously, guide them towards PAS or away from
According to Vicki Lachman in “Physician Assisted Suicide: Compassionate Liberation or Murder?” she includes that approximately 1 of 1,000 deaths in Oregon are due to the lethal medication prescribed by their doctor and about seventeen percent actually considered it as an option (123). Vicki Lachman further explains on not "initiating the discussion, because the patient may feel pressured to pursue this option” (124). She describes this by saying not only a physician can influence a patient, but so could a relative or family member. Although it is illegal for a physician to recommend PAS, family and close relatives are not held back from giving their opinion on whether or not the patient should ask for it. It’s more than likely in a situation like this when a patient would turn to the person closest to them before making the final decision, showing that they are open to suggestions and easily influenced, especially if in a vulnerable stage, to take PAS. A health care advisor, Maura Buchanan, says that "It can be difficult in practice to understand all the cross-currents that underlie our own decisions, let alone someone else's", so it is never for certain if a patient’s decision was made completely on their own (9). She also mentions that "It is a matter of setting conditions that will work in the complex and often stressful world of terminal illness, clinical practice, and family relationships" in an alternative sense of just paying attention to their physical awareness that will allow the patient to follow up with PAS (9). A patient is exposed to differing opinions by family members or a close friend that can either, sometimes unconsciously, guide them towards PAS or away from