Oregon Death with Dignity Act

Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide Euthanasia is the act of killing a patient in order to end their suffering. Similarly, assisted suicide is the act of committing suicide with the help of a caregiver and sometimes, a physician. Both are illegal in most countries, but are becoming widely accepted more and more. There are various types of euthanasia including voluntary, non-voluntary, and involuntary. One type of euthanasia is voluntary. This means that the patient chooses to die,…

Killing the pain is not exactly killing the patient. Euthanasia is physician assisted suicide that is available to terminally ill patients in particular states. Currently it is legal in Washington Oregon, California, Vermont, New Mexico, and Montana (ALL). It has been a controversial topic in the United States over the years. Many reasons people are against it include: religious views, right to die, Hippocratic Oath and prohibition of killing, government involvement, and living wills. The…

Input Scott, a medical doctor, is overseeing the care of a woman, Sarah. Sarah has a motor neuron disease commonly known as ALS. She was diagnosed with this disease five years ago and it normally kills a patient after four years. For this disease, death is brought on via suffocation due to the inability of the inspiratory muscles to contract. Sarah has written down her…

The topic of death is never a pleasant subject to think about, but it is an essential topic to discuss and the ultimate destiny for every human being. Each year, millions of people with terminal illness face untold anguish and misery. In situations where there is no hope for recovery or quality of life, choosing to die rather than linger in agony is a noble personal choice many wish to make. Unfortunately, due to legal barriers and moral outcry from those not facing such a choice, those…

Christina Symanski of Freehold, N.J. was a young art teacher who had a full, vivacious life ahead of her. She was contemplating marriage and family with her boyfriend of 6 months. Then, in 2005, her life came to a screeching halt in an accident. She found her quality of life suddenly deteriorated significantly when she broke her neck from diving into a shallow pool. As a direct consequence of the accident, Ms. Symanski suffered from quadriplegia, a form of paralysis that results in the loss of…

Everything from life to death has two sides and who are we as people to choose which is ethically or morally right or wrong? I am torn on the subject. The way I was raised, I believe that life is precious and committing suicide or ending of a life is a sin against God’s gift; however, I also see the compassionate side of this ethical dilemma, and that no person should suffer in agony when faced with a life threatening disease or injury. There are numerous reasons why finishing life ought to be…

Euthanasia “Euthanasia, also called mercy killing, is an act or practice of painlessly putting a person’s death by withholding treatment or withdrawing artificial life-support measures.” (Britannica, 2016) Even though there is not enough restrictions in most countries, euthanasia is still considered as either a suicide or murder. However, that depends on the situation. Under the law, a physician can decide whether or not to prolong a patient’s life in cases of extreme suffering, therefore, a…

Oregon being the first state to have passed Physician Assisted Suicide under the Oregon Death and Dignity Act (DWDA). This law states the rights to a person who is terminally ill may request medical help in ending his or her life (Stefoff 82). In many cases this is done by a doctor prescribing a lethal dose of a medication, which ends the life of the individual in a peaceful way (85). Although Oregon passed the DWDA, it did not go without its bumps…

Throughout this research paper I will be discussing the different views, attitudes and opinions about physician assisted suicide. This discussion will first include a summarization of journal articles that discuss an ethical issue in health care which in this case is physician assisted suicide. Second, include a description of the portions in SALPNs code of ethics and how and why they relate to the chosen issue. Next, after taking everything into consideration with the articles and SALPNs code…

their pain and allowing them to die peacefully with dignity. The morality of physician assisted suicide has been a controversial debate among ethicists and healthcare professionals for a long time. Critics of physician assisted suicide argue that taking an innocent person’s life can never be morally justified, as all life is considered to be sacred. However, leaving a terminally ill patient to suffer for months, awaiting their inevitable death, is unethical and not any better. By applying…