Should Physician Assisted Suicide be Legal?
Craig Schonegevel was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis at an early age. After struggling with it for 28 years he decided his quality of life was poor. He had so many surgeries that the thought of going through any more was unbearable. He could not find any legal assistance to help him die. On the night of September 1, 2009 he swallowed 12 sleeping pills, put 2 plastic bags over his head and tied them off with rubber bands. He was found dead by his parents the next morning. Craig wanted to end his life legally assisted listening to his favorite music and in the embrace of his loved ones. Our legal system denied him and his family of that dignity (D. Tutu). Physician assisted suicide is the voluntary termination of one’s own life by administration of a lethal substance with direct or indirect assistance of a physician (MedicineNet). Physician …show more content…
When healing a patient is no longer possible, death is imminent and suffering is unbearable the physician's role should shift from healing the patient to relieving their suffering according to their wishes (M. Angell). With that being said, physician assisted suicide should be left as a last resort to be used when all other options have been expended. Keeping someone alive against their will and forcing someone to suffer is as much of a crime as taking someone's life without their consent (F. Girsh). Without PAS patients are subjected to unwanted medical treatment or completely abandoned altogether. Medical technology has advanced incredibly over the years but for the terminally ill it only prolongs suffering (E. De La Torre). To quote Dr. Robert Twycross, “To use such measures on the terminally ill with no expectancy of a return to health is generally inappropriate and is therefore bad medicine by definition.” (R. Twycross). For most competent and terminally ill patients physician assisted suicide is a way to die with
Craig Schonegevel was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis at an early age. After struggling with it for 28 years he decided his quality of life was poor. He had so many surgeries that the thought of going through any more was unbearable. He could not find any legal assistance to help him die. On the night of September 1, 2009 he swallowed 12 sleeping pills, put 2 plastic bags over his head and tied them off with rubber bands. He was found dead by his parents the next morning. Craig wanted to end his life legally assisted listening to his favorite music and in the embrace of his loved ones. Our legal system denied him and his family of that dignity (D. Tutu). Physician assisted suicide is the voluntary termination of one’s own life by administration of a lethal substance with direct or indirect assistance of a physician (MedicineNet). Physician …show more content…
When healing a patient is no longer possible, death is imminent and suffering is unbearable the physician's role should shift from healing the patient to relieving their suffering according to their wishes (M. Angell). With that being said, physician assisted suicide should be left as a last resort to be used when all other options have been expended. Keeping someone alive against their will and forcing someone to suffer is as much of a crime as taking someone's life without their consent (F. Girsh). Without PAS patients are subjected to unwanted medical treatment or completely abandoned altogether. Medical technology has advanced incredibly over the years but for the terminally ill it only prolongs suffering (E. De La Torre). To quote Dr. Robert Twycross, “To use such measures on the terminally ill with no expectancy of a return to health is generally inappropriate and is therefore bad medicine by definition.” (R. Twycross). For most competent and terminally ill patients physician assisted suicide is a way to die with