Physician Assisted Suicide. It is the act of committing suicide with the aid of another person, most commonly a physician. This act involves the physician sitting down with the person, and guiding them through the process of ending their life, usually done by medication, counseling them through the lethal doses of drugs that would be used, prescribing and supplying said drugs to the patient. Many people do not agree with this act, mostly due to religious beliefs. In fact, out of the 50 states in our country, only 5 provide these kind of services. But when you really dwell on the idea, is it ethically acceptable for a physician to assist someone in ending their life way before nature takes its own course, and should said services
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The first state in the United States to legalize physician assisted suicide is Oregon, through a law Issue by Susan M. Behuniak and Arthur G. Svenson. The Death with Dignity Act legalized the process of physician assisted dying but under strict conditions. Similarly, the state of Washington passed a similar Act legalizing physician assisted suicide with similar strict conditions. However, in the case of Montana a Supreme Court ruling provide a precedence that allows physician assisted suicide.
According to Behuniak & Svenson, the acts and the landmark ruling of the Supreme Court of Montana provide that ending life is not constitutional. Therefore several conditions have to be met. First, is that the patient should be mentally eligible to make the decision. Secondly, the patient must be diagnosed with a terminally ill condition where they have a life expectancy of six months or less. He or she must also show a physician in writing that they really want to terminate. Finally, the patient has to be a resident of the state and has to be 18 years and …show more content…
Brittney Maynard, a 29 year old from Los Angeles, was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer knows as glioblastoma. This type of brain cancer causes tumors that arise from astrocytes—the cells that make up the supportive tissue of the brain. These tumors are usually highly cancerous because the cells reproduce quickly and they are supported by a large network of blood vessels. When Maynard was first diagnosed with the brain cancer this past year, she was given the life expectancy of at least 10 years. Within 3 months after being diagnosed, her health slowly began to decline. From having at least ten more years to live, the doctors told her that she had less than 6 months. Hospice and palliative services were offered to her to help with any end of life care. Brittney decided to turn down these services however, and decided to pursue the physician assisted suicide. She set her death to be on November 1. But before this, she decided to embark on journeys and cross off many things that she wanted to do before her death, such as marrying her husband, and traveling around the country. Just like she wished, Brittney took her prescribed dose of lethal drugs that would end her life on November 1, and she passed
The first state in the United States to legalize physician assisted suicide is Oregon, through a law Issue by Susan M. Behuniak and Arthur G. Svenson. The Death with Dignity Act legalized the process of physician assisted dying but under strict conditions. Similarly, the state of Washington passed a similar Act legalizing physician assisted suicide with similar strict conditions. However, in the case of Montana a Supreme Court ruling provide a precedence that allows physician assisted suicide.
According to Behuniak & Svenson, the acts and the landmark ruling of the Supreme Court of Montana provide that ending life is not constitutional. Therefore several conditions have to be met. First, is that the patient should be mentally eligible to make the decision. Secondly, the patient must be diagnosed with a terminally ill condition where they have a life expectancy of six months or less. He or she must also show a physician in writing that they really want to terminate. Finally, the patient has to be a resident of the state and has to be 18 years and …show more content…
Brittney Maynard, a 29 year old from Los Angeles, was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer knows as glioblastoma. This type of brain cancer causes tumors that arise from astrocytes—the cells that make up the supportive tissue of the brain. These tumors are usually highly cancerous because the cells reproduce quickly and they are supported by a large network of blood vessels. When Maynard was first diagnosed with the brain cancer this past year, she was given the life expectancy of at least 10 years. Within 3 months after being diagnosed, her health slowly began to decline. From having at least ten more years to live, the doctors told her that she had less than 6 months. Hospice and palliative services were offered to her to help with any end of life care. Brittney decided to turn down these services however, and decided to pursue the physician assisted suicide. She set her death to be on November 1. But before this, she decided to embark on journeys and cross off many things that she wanted to do before her death, such as marrying her husband, and traveling around the country. Just like she wished, Brittney took her prescribed dose of lethal drugs that would end her life on November 1, and she passed