Euthanasia, mercy killing, physician-assisted suicide, Playing God - all ultimately lead to the ending of someone’s life. Most people do not know that euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide is two different things and they both have been very controversial topics for many years. Physician-assisted suicide involves the physician making lethal means available to the patient for use when the patient has decided to end their life. Conversely, voluntary active euthanasia involves the physician taking the main lead and preforming the patient’s request. In 2000, the Netherlands was the first nation in the world to legalize physician-assisted suicide and some places are beginning to follow in their footsteps. Some people argue for it because they
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From a patient’s perspective that is in suffering, physician-assisted suicide might seem like a god send. The option to be relieved from the pain of a slow death at the cost of immediately ending their life seems grim and pointless, but to the dying, perhaps not. It was found that requests for euthanasia are frequently made by patients to doctors that practice specialties typically revolving around terminal patients. [Meier, D., Emmons, C. A., Wallenstein, S., Quill, T., Morrison, R. S., & Cassel, C. K., 1998]. The reasons patients ask for physicians to take part in ending their life are usually if they are in extreme pain, are a burden upon family members or caregivers, or have no personal dignity left. To choose relief is not only in favor of the terminal patients, but according to polls, the rest of the public is in favor of legalizing euthanasia as well [Meier, D., Emmons, C. A., Wallenstein, S., Quill, T., Morrison, R. S., & Cassel, C. K., 1998]. There is a term used to describe public opinion called the Rule of Thirds. This rule is a way to simplify the …show more content…
310] This act was barred with an injunction in August of 1995 but begs the question, what would it be like if physician-assisted suicide was legal? [Lee, M., Nelson, H., Tilden, V., Ganzini, L., Schmidt, T., & Tolle, S., 1996] The aforementioned law would allow the prescription of a lethal dose of a medication upon request by a terminally ill patient. The law defines terminally ill as someone whom is expected to live less than six months, states that the person must be deemed competent, and also states that the person must be an Oregon resident. Another requirement of this law is that the diagnosis must be reaffirmed by a second physician, as well as the competency of the patient, and to make sure the two oral and one written requests for euthanasia are all voluntary. The last listed requirement to the law is that “the physician must report their participation in assisted suicide to the state health division, but they are protected from professional and legal liability.” [Lee, M., Nelson, H., Tilden, V., Ganzini, L., Schmidt, T., & Tolle, S., 1996, Pg. 310] There is a trend that is shown through various surveys that while physician-assisted suicide is not favored by all physicians, “between 31 and 54 percent” either have
From a patient’s perspective that is in suffering, physician-assisted suicide might seem like a god send. The option to be relieved from the pain of a slow death at the cost of immediately ending their life seems grim and pointless, but to the dying, perhaps not. It was found that requests for euthanasia are frequently made by patients to doctors that practice specialties typically revolving around terminal patients. [Meier, D., Emmons, C. A., Wallenstein, S., Quill, T., Morrison, R. S., & Cassel, C. K., 1998]. The reasons patients ask for physicians to take part in ending their life are usually if they are in extreme pain, are a burden upon family members or caregivers, or have no personal dignity left. To choose relief is not only in favor of the terminal patients, but according to polls, the rest of the public is in favor of legalizing euthanasia as well [Meier, D., Emmons, C. A., Wallenstein, S., Quill, T., Morrison, R. S., & Cassel, C. K., 1998]. There is a term used to describe public opinion called the Rule of Thirds. This rule is a way to simplify the …show more content…
310] This act was barred with an injunction in August of 1995 but begs the question, what would it be like if physician-assisted suicide was legal? [Lee, M., Nelson, H., Tilden, V., Ganzini, L., Schmidt, T., & Tolle, S., 1996] The aforementioned law would allow the prescription of a lethal dose of a medication upon request by a terminally ill patient. The law defines terminally ill as someone whom is expected to live less than six months, states that the person must be deemed competent, and also states that the person must be an Oregon resident. Another requirement of this law is that the diagnosis must be reaffirmed by a second physician, as well as the competency of the patient, and to make sure the two oral and one written requests for euthanasia are all voluntary. The last listed requirement to the law is that “the physician must report their participation in assisted suicide to the state health division, but they are protected from professional and legal liability.” [Lee, M., Nelson, H., Tilden, V., Ganzini, L., Schmidt, T., & Tolle, S., 1996, Pg. 310] There is a trend that is shown through various surveys that while physician-assisted suicide is not favored by all physicians, “between 31 and 54 percent” either have