Oregon Death with Dignity Act

edically assisted death is a debate that our nation has been struggling with for many decades. It presents many concerns among Americans, and people throughout the world. It is a very controversial topic; as you need to look at religion, finances, ethics, history, and politics. The United States is still trying to reach a solid conclusion in forty-five states. The first state to legalize medically assisted death was Oregon in 1997. Ever since then, four other states: Montana, California, Vermont…

When it comes to Physician-Assisted Suicide/Death, there is no end to the misconceptions. Many believe that all patients are in immense pain and suffering. According to a 2010 Oregon Dept. of Health report, requesting patients’ concerns were loss of autonomy (93.8%), decreasing ability to participate in enjoyable activities (93.8%), and loss of dignity (78.5%) (Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act-2010 2010) as the top three. Another myth, is the belief that it takes several months. The reality is…

Brittany Maynard shared her story of having inoperable brain cancer. It was on the news a few times and was even on the Today show. She lived in California (where physician-assisted suicide is illegal) and had to move to Oregon (where it is legal) so she could choose "Death with Dignity". Whenever it was on the news or in an article we would both read…

Physician Assisted Suicide? Physician Assisted Suicide provides patients with the choice to die with their dignity. These days, many people choose Physician Assisted Suicide to avoid the dying process, because they do not want to undergo the pain of their situation and not be able to enjoy their final days of life. Physician Assisted Suicide exists so that terminally ill patients can…

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 made legal 1997. To be eligible for PAS, the patient must meet strict qualifications. Under the Death with Dignity Laws, a patient may be found eligible if they are 18 years of age or older, be a resident of Oregon, Washington, or Vermont, have the ability…

Freedom to Die Death is a waiting game that no one truly knows when it will occur. With physician assisted suicide that waiting game is not an obstacle to terminally ill patients. “Physician-assisted suicide is the practice of providing a competent patient with a prescription for medication for the patient to use with the primary intention of ending his or her own life” (MedicineNet). In 1997 the United States Supreme Court ruled that physician assisted suicide is not a constitutional right;…

their arguments, saying that no one should interfere with Gods decision as to when a person should die. Physicians and family members that are in favor of assisted suicide say that it is a compassionate way to allow people who are in pain and close to death, a proper alternative to their suffrage and alleviates health care debt. This…

Whose Life Is It Anyway? An Oregon woman by the name of Helen, diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, was troubled by the thought of her future, which would eventually require feeding tubes and palliative care. Rather than accepting the terms of her fate, Helen sought a physician to prescribe medication to help ease her suffering and end her life. The two primary physicians’ that evaluated Helen for consideration of physician-assisted suicide provided two different sets of opinions— one had…

religious groups and our own government find it unethical and in violation of the sanctity of human life. So, why is it viewed negatively by so many in our country? An online article gave a cogent notion against the practice of physician-assisted death, “The Saddam regime, Communists, Nazis, and others have shown us that human life is to some, nothing more than a science experiment or political resource. The thing that elevates Western society above others, generally speaking, is the value we…

Life, Liberty, and Death: Why Assisted Suicide Should be Legal Becky M is a woman who thinks “the death with dignity means you die as the person you were, as much as you want to be remembered”. This woman lost her father to cancer. He was a strong and stubborn man that fought his sickness for seven years; he was determine to win this fight against this deadly illness. Unfortunately, the family recieve news that the doctors would be surprised if he lived through the week. So, the family gathered…