Meharry Medical College

Physician assisted suicide, euthanasia, and withdrawal of life support are the topics of a controversial discussion in the medical field. Many physicians do not believe in PAS because it is against their morals. The patient’s family may also advocate for end of life care, but that is ultimately the patient’s decision. There are now five states that participate in the Death with Dignity act within the United States. Physician assisted suicide is a highly controversial topic since it was first…

Some blamed mentally ill individuals for gun deaths such as Anne Coulter who says, “Guns don’t kill people - the mentally ill do” (Metzl and MacLeish, 240). This negative portrayal is also played out on media reports. An example is the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting by Adam Lanza, believed to have a history of schizophrenia (Metzl and MacLeish, 240). They, in addition to other groups such as the National Rifle Association (NRA), establish a causal relationship between being mentally…

Patients and average individuals are most likely to support policy change because they suffer the most from HAC. Medical personnel face an intermediate level of harm, because their livelihood and reputation is affected, but they are not directly impacted by the patient’s injury. There may be psychological impacts because many take on the Hippocratic oath to do no harm…

First and foremost, second-hand smoke already exists due to tobacco. Tobacco has little to no medical use but legal for adults. Just like with tobacco, there should be a set of laws governing the use of marijuana. We can ban smoking it in public places, like the parks. Furthermore, it is possible to consume marijuana by means of food and drink. The…

interacting with patients volunteering as a high school and college student, this year I took my first step to becoming a physician. Previously, I learned how to talk to patients and how to act appropriately in a hospital setting. This year I learned how to complete a history and a physical. Even though I still have a lot to learn, this year will be an important foundation for my future as a physician. When I began my year at New York Medical College I was slightly concerned about the early…

Somewhere around the beginning of March 2003 I lost a close family member of mine due to the improper medical care of some health professionals, such as nurses and doctors. This incident caused me to become interested in the subject of End of Life Care. End of Life Care is “the health care, not only that of a hospitalized patient in their last few days or minutes, but more broadly care of those with a terminal illness or terminal condition that has become advanced, progressive, and incurable”.…

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…

“I would never want to be kept alive artificially,” 39 year old quadriplegic French man, Vincent Lambert stated to his wife before his motorbike accident in 2008. However, Vincent has remained in a vegetative state since, causing controversy about his condition and whether he should be allowed to choose to end his life. According to French Law, his wife has the capacity to make a decision about her partners’ life; causing controversy between his family and furthermore reignites the debate on…

When considering the genre of medical science and the work of doctors, we typically imagine these areas in regard to making revolutionary discoveries and saving lives. Is this realistic or a rose-tinted view? History shows medicine and doctors can ‘go bad’ spectacularly. Some medical controversies were accidents, but many have resulted from deliberate actions. Sometimes doctors believed the greater good, as they saw it, was more important than ethical behavior. Many of these incidents were not…

So, many of them are opposed to euthanasia/physician assisted suicide because of religious preferences , but if they had a severe brain disease, or cancer, they wouldn’t be thinking of having the option of this? they rather die slowly with pain. Probably, they don’t think of this because they are healthy and don’t realize what these terminally elderly people go through. The chart above, shows how many patients male/female who decided to go on with euthanasia and/or physician assisted suicide…