Physician assisted suicide is already legal in one state, and there are seven other states that imply a death with dignity statute. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, more than 4,000 doctors across the United States have approved of the assisted suicide law ("The Right to Die”).
(“Death with Dignity Around the U.S.”). The law allows terminally ill patients who have been given six months or less to live and wish to hasten their deaths to obtain medication prescribed by two doctors. The most important thing to notice is that this law does not include those who have been on a life support system nor does it include those who have not voluntarily asked physicians to help them commit suicide. Even though humans have the appropriate …show more content…
Opponents say that difficult decisions are supposed to be made, by one’s self, family, and a physician, about a life that is at an end and should be allowed to be let go. It is not for the government to decide when the plug should be pulled or for a death pill to be administered. While opponents argue medically assisted suicide is unethical and will lead society down a slippery slope, proponents argue that it is ethically permissible, and is “the ultimate civil right” and not to let mentally competent, terminally ill patients who want to end their pain and suffering in a peaceful manner, is disrespectful to their right to personal autonomy. But the more modern day medicine and technology continue to pull people from the brink of death, more and more people will be asking for the right to end their lives, because extending the length of life, allows time for more people to become terminally ill and be in pain. Virtually all people want their loved ones to remember them as they once were, not what they could become in the years following the diagnosis of a terminally illness. A country that is supposedly free should not deny an individual of their fundamental rights as a U.S. citizen. Nowhere in the constitution does it state or imply that the government has the right to keep a person from committing …show more content…
Not only does the process take several weeks to a month, the cost of physician-assisted suicide is quite high. Seconal costs about $125 for a lethal 10 gram dose, which comes in the form of 100 individual caplets that must be broken apart to produce about three tablespoons of powder. If the patient is using Seconal, it is either mixed in water to create a bitter drink or stirred into pudding or applesauce to hide the taste. The patient will slip into a coma about five minutes after taking the drug, with death coming within about half an hour. If you're in pretty good shape, or if you're especially fat, death can be delayed for up to 48 hours. In most cases, a health-care provider who checks the patient’s pulse every few minutes determines the time of death. Another costly lethal drug formally called Nembutal comes in a liquid form. It costs more than $1,000 for a dose, and a patient’s insurance almost never covers lethal drugs (Traynor). One method for medically assisted suicide is euthanasia. Euthanasia comes from the Greek words eu and thanatos, meaning "good or well" and "death". There are different forms of euthanasia, including voluntary, nonvoluntary, involuntary, and "passive” (Faulconer). These processes involve someone other than the person's life in question giving direct assistance to hasten the process of death. Euthanasia is only legal in five states. Physician-assisted suicide, on the other hand, does not
(“Death with Dignity Around the U.S.”). The law allows terminally ill patients who have been given six months or less to live and wish to hasten their deaths to obtain medication prescribed by two doctors. The most important thing to notice is that this law does not include those who have been on a life support system nor does it include those who have not voluntarily asked physicians to help them commit suicide. Even though humans have the appropriate …show more content…
Opponents say that difficult decisions are supposed to be made, by one’s self, family, and a physician, about a life that is at an end and should be allowed to be let go. It is not for the government to decide when the plug should be pulled or for a death pill to be administered. While opponents argue medically assisted suicide is unethical and will lead society down a slippery slope, proponents argue that it is ethically permissible, and is “the ultimate civil right” and not to let mentally competent, terminally ill patients who want to end their pain and suffering in a peaceful manner, is disrespectful to their right to personal autonomy. But the more modern day medicine and technology continue to pull people from the brink of death, more and more people will be asking for the right to end their lives, because extending the length of life, allows time for more people to become terminally ill and be in pain. Virtually all people want their loved ones to remember them as they once were, not what they could become in the years following the diagnosis of a terminally illness. A country that is supposedly free should not deny an individual of their fundamental rights as a U.S. citizen. Nowhere in the constitution does it state or imply that the government has the right to keep a person from committing …show more content…
Not only does the process take several weeks to a month, the cost of physician-assisted suicide is quite high. Seconal costs about $125 for a lethal 10 gram dose, which comes in the form of 100 individual caplets that must be broken apart to produce about three tablespoons of powder. If the patient is using Seconal, it is either mixed in water to create a bitter drink or stirred into pudding or applesauce to hide the taste. The patient will slip into a coma about five minutes after taking the drug, with death coming within about half an hour. If you're in pretty good shape, or if you're especially fat, death can be delayed for up to 48 hours. In most cases, a health-care provider who checks the patient’s pulse every few minutes determines the time of death. Another costly lethal drug formally called Nembutal comes in a liquid form. It costs more than $1,000 for a dose, and a patient’s insurance almost never covers lethal drugs (Traynor). One method for medically assisted suicide is euthanasia. Euthanasia comes from the Greek words eu and thanatos, meaning "good or well" and "death". There are different forms of euthanasia, including voluntary, nonvoluntary, involuntary, and "passive” (Faulconer). These processes involve someone other than the person's life in question giving direct assistance to hasten the process of death. Euthanasia is only legal in five states. Physician-assisted suicide, on the other hand, does not