Preview

The Ethics Of Euthanasia Or Physician Assisted Suicide

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
369 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Ethics Of Euthanasia Or Physician Assisted Suicide
Bioethics is the exploration of the moral integrity behind recent scientific innovations. One exploration that stands in the lime light is euthanasia, or physician assisted suicide. Some argue euthanasia is morally wrong, defying nature and devaluing human life. Others argue that euthanasia is a right, inherent to each individual.
The decision for euthanasia is a pure moral decision; one that brings with it both positive and negative consequences. The main leading argument is that it allows those who will severely suffer to alleviate their pain before they ultimately pass. This assisted death puts less of a strain on medical supplies and allows the patient to die rather than remain in pain. Contrary, some argue that we do not have the humane

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Physician-assisted suicide raises many ethical and moral issues. For patients who advocate for PAS, they acknowledged that the act promotes human dignity, autonomy, and is a humanizing act to end their suffering. PAS is an act of healing for the terminal sick to help end their daily struggles and many see it as a dignified choice. It is evident from patients’ voice and Dr. Byock testimonials strikes the heart of the senseless need to keep the terminal ill alive. Along with the inevitable deaths comes costly medical expenses that can better serve to improve the country and the communities’ welfare.…

    • 188 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Euthanasia is the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable disease which is cutting a person’s life too short. The concept of physician assisted suicide always provokes a moral predicament for many people all over the world, mostly because it gives someone the freedom to choose whether to live or die. Euthanasia has been debated for many years, on one hand people believe euthanasia is a negative action because suicide is not a way out, but on the other hand people also believe assisted suicide is the only option for a patient who suffers from great pain that will only get worse. Euthanasia or physician assisted suicide should be legalized and people shouldn’t worry about whether or not if they feel it’s immoral or not.…

    • 2132 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Majority of people all around the world want to have a choice before a death and they are in favor of legalization of euthanasia and physical-assisted suicide.…

    • 2846 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Should physicians be granted the power to intentionally end the lives of their patients? Recent proposals to legalize physician-assisted suicide have raised this question and triggered intense legal, medical and social debate. For some individuals, the debate is fueled by their fear that medical technology may someday keep them alive past the time of natural death. However, this concern is unfounded for mentally competent adults who have a legal right to refuse or stop any medical treatment. It is also important to recognize that today's health care climate lends itself more to undertreatment than overtreatment.…

    • 289 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Physician assisted suicide is a highly controversial ethical dilemma that is receiving a lot of press in society recently. The issue is an emotional debate whether a terminally ill or disabled person has the right to end their existence with the support of their physician, which affects not just the patient, but their families and health care providers. Physician assisted suicide has legal ramifications as well. One argument in favor of Physician assisted suicide alludes to that the patient has the right to end their life with dignity. An opposing argument is if a physician participates in assisted suicide this goes against the “American Medical Association (AMA) Code of Ethics”. A physician and nurse are respected within the community to…

    • 1996 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Physicians assisted suicide can be defined as the voluntary termination of one's own life by administration of a lethal substance with the direct or indirect assistance of a physician (Snyder 2001). In order to truly explore the ethical dilemma of physicians assisted suicide we must first understand and grasp the base meaning of the term, as well as let go of any prior misconceptions we may have surrounding the topic. The process of physician-assisted suicide is different than you might imagine. Before I had researched this topic I had the inaccurate impression that physician assisted suicide was a procedure similar to that which you would imagine for an animal being put down or euthanized. As many of us unfamiliar with the topic might believe,…

    • 1407 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    But, an opponent to euthanasia and physician assisted suicide worries about a slippery slope, what terminal patient’s rights could be abused. Beyond the opposition to euthanasia based on apprehension about latent abuse is the threat of the so-called slippery slope. According to Jeffrey’s theory, legalization of euthanasia and physician assisted suicide would be followed by involuntary euthanasia, involving patients whose individual desires could not be evaluated due to pressure from family or financial circumstance or believe that patient is burden on society (p. 123). It would be a sign of non-voluntary euthanasia. Other people can put to death many terminal patients who understand the circumstance even do not want to die. Legalization of…

    • 293 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    There has been a heated debate on whether assisted suicide is good or bad. Dying with dignity involves euthanasia, letting an individual die with a painless and a peaceful end. Dying with dignity involves euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide, giving the terminally ill the right to end their suffering resulting from their illness. People with terminal illnesses deal with uncontrollable and often very painful medical issues that come with being terminally ill. Many people debate whether it is murder or if it is illegal to hasten the death of a terminally ill person. Euthanasia can help people who are suffering from an illness. It impacts not just the individual but their families and friends as well. Those suffering are often unable to use…

    • 343 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Physician-assisted death is the act of intentionally providing medical patients with the measures to be able to commit suicide. The requirements behind this medical procedure usually include a patient who is terminally ill and consenting to the procedure. The method to perform this procedure is through a lethal dosage of drugs prescribed by a physician. However, to individuals in the United States, the procedure is constantly borderlining on whether it can be classified as relief from dying or murder.…

    • 418 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    If you were told you had a terminally ill disease and only had one more year to live, filled with suffering, what would you chose to do? This question leads us to the sensitive and controversial topic of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. Euthanasia can simply be defined as physician-assisted death for terminally ill patients. This issue has stirred debates that have drawn attention to the complex issues concerning the ethical implications of end-of-life care. Supporters of euthanasia argue that they seek only to prevent unnecessary suffering while the critics maintain that it is unethical to end an individual’s life. However, many public opinions have reported that over 80% of the general population support amendments in the law to…

    • 889 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Euthanasia, “also called mercy killing. The act of putting to death painlessly or allowing to die,as by withholding extreme medical measures, a person or animal suffering from incurable ,especially painful,disease or condition.” (Dictionary) . Physician assisted suicide is a personal choice patients in great pain chose to find relief. By law in most places of the world, it is illegal for a doctor to take part in helping someone end their own life. A doctor or physician can go to jail for many years or possibly even for life for doing what their jobs are supposed to be dedicated to - helping people. It should be common sense to realize it is one’s own civil right to decide what to do with his or her own body, life, and fate. If a person would…

    • 915 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Most individuals, especially those fond of medical dramas, know of the Hippocratic Oath and its primary obligation of doing no harm; however, the vow physicians take before graduating medical school is being challenged by physician assisted suicide, also known as PAS. Individuals diagnosed with a terminal illness that causes pain and suffering towards the end of life will pick a date to painlessly die before their disease progresses too far. As this practice becomes more widespread, arguments over the ethics of medical doctors aiding in the suicide of their ill patients have erupted. Some argue that in doing so, doctors violate the Hippocratic Oath while stripping the patient of their personal autonomy. Those who support the decision to commit…

    • 1418 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Physician assisted suicide is a debated ethical topic in the science community. “Physician assisted suicide is the term used by the public and in the medical literature to describe the voluntary self administration of lethal medications prescribed by a physician expressly for the purpose of ending ones life” (Chin, Hedberg, Higginson, and Fleming). Physician assisted suicide is not a widely accepted topic, thus it is only legal in 5 states. There are many laws that are associated with PAS, describing what is and isn't allowed to happen between terminal patients and their doctors. Specifically, in Oregon they have the Death with dignity act, which allows PAS to be used in certain circumstances. “The law states that, in order to participate,…

    • 1126 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Why is there not a legal right to either, physician-assisted suicide or euthanasia in all 50 states? “The fundamental issue is whether society should ever permit any form of assisted suicide” (Bachman et al, 1996). Besides society taking an interest in whether or not preserving human life is wrong or a fundamental right, physicians’ opinions vary across state to state.…

    • 60 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Every life is precious”... wise words from Rick perry in which many people believe. But there are some, who believe different. They believe that life can be taken by anyone at any time, on purpose. My teammate and I believe physician assisted suicide should not be legal in the United States. Think about all the amazing and talented people we have in this world. Albert Einstein, a German physicist had many accomplishments throughout his lifetime. The most notable award was the Nobel Prize in Physics and he also had a high influence on the philosophy of science. Martin Luther King Jr.; one of the leaders of the civil rights movements. Without his influence in the U.S., who know where our society would be today. Charles Darwin,…

    • 1794 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays