Physician Assisted Suicide
When you hear the words physician assisted suicide, it may sound a little confusing. Physicians are supposed to keep you alive as long as the possibly can, right? Physician assisted suicide refers to a practice in which a physician provides a competent, terminally ill patient with a prescription for a lethal dose of medication upon the patient's request (Starks, Dudzinski,& White). Which basically means that a doctor gives you medicine upon your request that will kill you. A person cannot just ask at anytime to be given the medicine, you must be terminally ill and also conscious. For instance, say you have stage four cancer, and are only said to live for another month or two more, but you are still conscious. In that …show more content…
One of the first negatives they contemplate over is the sanctity of life. Many religions can agree that one should never commit suicide or aid in dying (Starks, Dudzinski,& White). Another argument is, the contradiction of passive vs. active distinction. Meaning, there is a clear difference between passively “letting die” and actively “killing” (Starks, Dudzinski,& White). The last, and probably most important argument, is the argument of professional integrity. Since the beginning of the practice of medicine, ethical traditions are opposed to taking someone’s life (Starks, Dudzinski,& White). When they say that, they are saying that no person who practices medicine is to take another person’s life. You are to do everything in your power to keep them …show more content…
The big thing nurses do is educate the patients who would like more information (Starks, Dudzinski,& White). When it is brought to their attention that a patient is thinking about their options, a nurse sits down and explains all the information to the patients so they are educated enough to make a good decision for themselves. Another thing that they have to do, is determine where they stand on the issue.For example, do they think of it as a compassionate way of letting someone go or an overt act of killing (Starks, Dudzinski,& White)? If they work in a state where this is practiced, it is crucial that you know all the facts and exactly where you
When you hear the words physician assisted suicide, it may sound a little confusing. Physicians are supposed to keep you alive as long as the possibly can, right? Physician assisted suicide refers to a practice in which a physician provides a competent, terminally ill patient with a prescription for a lethal dose of medication upon the patient's request (Starks, Dudzinski,& White). Which basically means that a doctor gives you medicine upon your request that will kill you. A person cannot just ask at anytime to be given the medicine, you must be terminally ill and also conscious. For instance, say you have stage four cancer, and are only said to live for another month or two more, but you are still conscious. In that …show more content…
One of the first negatives they contemplate over is the sanctity of life. Many religions can agree that one should never commit suicide or aid in dying (Starks, Dudzinski,& White). Another argument is, the contradiction of passive vs. active distinction. Meaning, there is a clear difference between passively “letting die” and actively “killing” (Starks, Dudzinski,& White). The last, and probably most important argument, is the argument of professional integrity. Since the beginning of the practice of medicine, ethical traditions are opposed to taking someone’s life (Starks, Dudzinski,& White). When they say that, they are saying that no person who practices medicine is to take another person’s life. You are to do everything in your power to keep them …show more content…
The big thing nurses do is educate the patients who would like more information (Starks, Dudzinski,& White). When it is brought to their attention that a patient is thinking about their options, a nurse sits down and explains all the information to the patients so they are educated enough to make a good decision for themselves. Another thing that they have to do, is determine where they stand on the issue.For example, do they think of it as a compassionate way of letting someone go or an overt act of killing (Starks, Dudzinski,& White)? If they work in a state where this is practiced, it is crucial that you know all the facts and exactly where you