Physician Assisted Suicide Essay
Should a patient be granted suicide assistance by his or her Physician, if the pain is intolerable and they are alone?
There is always a choice of physician-assisted suicide if the patient is breathing and of sound mind. Moreover, a patient having a less than ten percent chance of living, physician-assisted suicide should be an option. Physicians are healers of disease and injury, preservers of life, and relievers of suffering. Determining the ethical responsibilities of physicians when patients wish to die requires a close examination of the doctor’s role in society (JAMA, 1992-vol 267, No. 16).
Although the patient must be competent to have voluntary euthanasia performed at their request, it is not ethically acceptable for involuntary euthanasia to be administered since the patient is not competent and decisions would be carried out by a surrogate (JAMA, 1992-vol 267, No. 16).
According to Kant, 2008 making a false promise is something that could never will to be universal law. Promising a patient that conceding to the life –saving medications will prolong life with little pain is not adhering to the code of medical ethics and moral reasoning. However, the patients’ right to die as they wish should be the top priority. The choice should be to only endure severe pain if that is the decision of …show more content…
The downfall would be if life continued after all attempts were stopped, people would then question the ethics and morals of the physician. It is foreseeable why doctors often take a back seat to physician-assisted suicide, it the attempt is botched, all fingers point back to the doctor. Making life ending decisions is like having a double-edged sword. Where are the respect for the patients’ ethics and morals? The greatest good would be to decrease the suffering of the patient and making death a smooth transition at all
There is always a choice of physician-assisted suicide if the patient is breathing and of sound mind. Moreover, a patient having a less than ten percent chance of living, physician-assisted suicide should be an option. Physicians are healers of disease and injury, preservers of life, and relievers of suffering. Determining the ethical responsibilities of physicians when patients wish to die requires a close examination of the doctor’s role in society (JAMA, 1992-vol 267, No. 16).
Although the patient must be competent to have voluntary euthanasia performed at their request, it is not ethically acceptable for involuntary euthanasia to be administered since the patient is not competent and decisions would be carried out by a surrogate (JAMA, 1992-vol 267, No. 16).
According to Kant, 2008 making a false promise is something that could never will to be universal law. Promising a patient that conceding to the life –saving medications will prolong life with little pain is not adhering to the code of medical ethics and moral reasoning. However, the patients’ right to die as they wish should be the top priority. The choice should be to only endure severe pain if that is the decision of …show more content…
The downfall would be if life continued after all attempts were stopped, people would then question the ethics and morals of the physician. It is foreseeable why doctors often take a back seat to physician-assisted suicide, it the attempt is botched, all fingers point back to the doctor. Making life ending decisions is like having a double-edged sword. Where are the respect for the patients’ ethics and morals? The greatest good would be to decrease the suffering of the patient and making death a smooth transition at all