When are we as human beings allowed to die? Should we leave the decision of whether we suffer for years with debilitating illnesses and diseases with no chances of a cure or die an earlier death with a little of our dignity and financial security intact, up to legislation? These are some of the questions brought to light in one of the most highly debated medical ethics questions. There are many factors that play into both sides that support the argument of the legalization of euthanasia. With that, there are many methods to carrying out this act in a controlled manner. The issue with this is the fallible human factor. Humans have displayed throughout history, in many instances, they are not ready to accept the responsibility of being able to
…show more content…
In most cases these are used by elderly patients and terminally ill with the intent of not being hooked up to life support or extensive efforts made to try and save their life. In many cases these living wills are not carried out or abided by due to a plethora of factors. One case that is seen all too often, emergency medical services are called to the scene to find an elderly woman lying on the floor, a victim of a heart attack, a family member at the scene states that she has an advanced directive but cannot produce the document. Without seeing the document you have to provide medical treatment. In some cases these patients are brought back to life and left in the hospital. In other cases these advanced directives are not completely filled out or are confusing leaving medical providers to interpret themselves. In a recent study they polled physicians on whether they would respect a chest tattoo stating “DO NOT RESUSITATE,” and three quarters of them stated they would ignore it (Williams, Griffiths, and Darbyshire 2). This could be largely attributed to the fear of malpractice lawsuits. When it comes to our end of life medical decisions it seems as if we do not have a choice in when we die. Many patients go through numerous procedures with no foreseeable …show more content…
When looking at the cost of dying the best information comes from the treatment of terminal cancer patients. One cancer drug that is currently being used today is Ipilimumab, a treatment for melanoma, its cost is $120,000 for 4 doses. (Siddiqui and Rajkumar 936) Though development of these drugs is expensive from clinical trials to receiving FDA approval, there is no regulation on the pricing of drugs imposed on the companies. Another issue seen is the manipulation of dug prices as they near the end of their patent expiration dates. One could argue that it is financially smart for drug companies to not pursue true cheap cures of diseases, making money on long term
In most cases these are used by elderly patients and terminally ill with the intent of not being hooked up to life support or extensive efforts made to try and save their life. In many cases these living wills are not carried out or abided by due to a plethora of factors. One case that is seen all too often, emergency medical services are called to the scene to find an elderly woman lying on the floor, a victim of a heart attack, a family member at the scene states that she has an advanced directive but cannot produce the document. Without seeing the document you have to provide medical treatment. In some cases these patients are brought back to life and left in the hospital. In other cases these advanced directives are not completely filled out or are confusing leaving medical providers to interpret themselves. In a recent study they polled physicians on whether they would respect a chest tattoo stating “DO NOT RESUSITATE,” and three quarters of them stated they would ignore it (Williams, Griffiths, and Darbyshire 2). This could be largely attributed to the fear of malpractice lawsuits. When it comes to our end of life medical decisions it seems as if we do not have a choice in when we die. Many patients go through numerous procedures with no foreseeable …show more content…
When looking at the cost of dying the best information comes from the treatment of terminal cancer patients. One cancer drug that is currently being used today is Ipilimumab, a treatment for melanoma, its cost is $120,000 for 4 doses. (Siddiqui and Rajkumar 936) Though development of these drugs is expensive from clinical trials to receiving FDA approval, there is no regulation on the pricing of drugs imposed on the companies. Another issue seen is the manipulation of dug prices as they near the end of their patent expiration dates. One could argue that it is financially smart for drug companies to not pursue true cheap cures of diseases, making money on long term