Assisted Suicide Vs Euthanasia Research Paper

Two of the most controversial things in the world of medicine, Physician-Assisted Death and Euthanasia. For starters what do these two terms mean, why and how are they so different? Physician-Assisted Death a.k.a. Doctor-Assisted Suicide is the voluntary termination of one's life who is terminally ill by administration of a lethal substance with the direct or indirect assistance of a physician. Doctor assisted suicide is currently legal in the following five states, California, Vermont, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. Euthanasia is the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease or in an irreversible coma. Any form or practice of Euthanasia is prohibited in all fifty states and is legal in select few countries
Assisted suicide is legal for one of two reasons, for starters, it is not a physician directly killing a person, unlike Euthanasia. The process is only granted in the right states if the terminally ill patient has asked for it to be done three times and he/she must be the legal age of 18 (Oregon’s Death With Dignity Law). Second, the patient is written a lethal drug prescription, but by law, this order form must be reviewed by a second physician (Engber). A doctor can prescribe lethal drugs two days after receiving a written request, but under no circumstances can he/she administer them herself. It is state mandated that the patient takes them his or herself. Otherwise, a doctor performing the death would be considered Euthanasia (Oregon’s Death With Dignity Law). After all of the talk on Physician-Assisted Death, here are the basics of what Euthanasia is and why it is extremely illegal compared to assisted death. Unlike assisted death, when a patient consents to Euthanasia a doctor or physician is injecting the terminal patient with the drug. Euthanasia is illegal in the simple fact that is not a suicide and classified more under a homicide (Nordqvist). Individuals are torn by religious, moral, ethical and compassionate arguments surrounding the issue. A doctor performing the death and not the patient has been a very controversial topic for a very long time
In the preponderance of cases, the person that is terminally ill is going through a lot of pain and suffering. It is not easy for one to cope with a life living inside the walls of a hospital or even the mere fact of going day to day wondering if tomorrow is the last day of brief life. Although there are religious beliefs and critical judgment on why assisted death should not be legal, has anyone of those who are against it put themselves in the patient’s shoes for a day and see what it is like living your everyday life with a terminal illness. There has been an act passed in each valid state called the “Death With Dignity." It is an act that gives a terminally ill patient the right to put their life to an end in a clean, quick, and dignified manner. Not only is it easing the process and emotional level for the patient it can put ease on the family. Even though no one ever would want to see their love one pass, no one would want to see their loved one suffer. Friends, family, and others can prepare for the death of the sufferer and can have better acceptance through the process knowing that he or she was not harmed or in any