Death is a natural process that will be experienced by everyone at some point, desirably at the end of a long, well lived life. The reality is that no one knows when that time will come or how it will happen. Unfortunately, for the terminally ill, death is in the near future and it is a sobering reality. Therefore, when that time comes, people need to know that they will have options, and the assurance that death does not have to be an agonizing end. They can choose to endure the annihilating pain that comes with the disease and allow it to take its natural course or choose to put an end to it, surrounded by those who love them. For the terminally ill the decision of ending their lives with compassion should be a fundamental right, a personal …show more content…
In contrast, Kevin Drum, also a California resident and son-in-law to Harry, will not have to face such devastating and cruel choice of dying prematurely because in “2016 California passed the bill in support of assisted suicide” (Drum 30). Drum, who is also suffering from “myeloma” (27) and currently facing the fight for his life, finds comfort in knowing that when the time is right he will not have to die alone. As a result, the passing of the “assisted suicide” (Drum 28) bill will allow people like Drum to be aided by a physician in ending their suffering when the pain is too unbearable. The bill comes too late for Harry but Harry’s case highlights the need for such legislation throughout the nation. Consequently, the passing of this bill provides people with options and the confidence of knowing that when things are too much to handle there will be help available. Drum affirms, “I will ask my doctor for a prescription sedative that will kill me on my own terms¬—when I want and where I want” (60). Therefore, the passing of the “physician-assisted suicide” (Drum 28) bill will provide countless others the choice of ending their suffering surrounded by those who love them while enjoying as much as possible all the time they have
It provides a competent patient with a prescription medication to use with the primary intention of ending his or her own life. Physician-assisted suicide has its proponents and its opponents. This procedure is not to be taken lightly. All patients pursuing PAS should be evaluated. It is required that “...a patient's request for assistance with a hastened death should generate a thorough evaluation of the patient's motives and attempts at ameliorating the patient's suffering”(NCBI).
“Be smart, be strong, live honorably and with dignity, and just hold on” (Fray). Physician assisted suicide or better known as Death with Dignity isn’t your everyday topic or thought, but for the terminally ill it’s a constant want. The Death with Dignity isn’t something that all people or religions are in favor of and nor is the act passed in all states in the United States. Only three states in the U.S. today, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington offer their residents the option to have aid in dying as long as all the requirements are met. Death with Dignity doesn’t effect just the terminally ill person, but as well as family and friends around them creating many conflicting thoughts when opinion if Death with Dignity is truly moral and a choice
In the short essay “One Dying Wish,” author James Duffy explains the importance of letting terminally ill patients decide whether they want to continue their lives or find peace and die. Patients and their families struggle immensely by the patient staying alive. Watching the patient suffer through the pain and losing hope. Duffy’s thesis is that terminally ill patients should have the choice to die in peace, without being medicated beyond hope. Duffy explains that terminally ill patients are in pain, and the idea of keeping them alive knowing there isn’t hope for them is wrong.
Some examples of a terminal illness include cancer, stroke, and ALS. Many people disagree with assisted suicide, but it is the better choice for those who do not what their disease to change who they are. The main arguments to allow this in our country is that the tremendous amount of pain and suffering of the patient will end, euthanasia, and health care costs will be reduced. Some people may choose to live their life with dignity and end their life in dignity, but assisted suicide would allow the choice to be their own. The pain a person can go through is a tremendous amount, especially those who are dying from a terminal illness.
Most people would never contemplate whether or not to end their family pet’s suffering, so why can’t people be as sympathetic to their family and friends? In today’s society, the legalization of physician-assisted suicide is one of the most debatable topics. The debates on physician-assisted suicide go back and forth between whether or not patients, specifically terminally ill patients, should have the right to die with the aid of doctors. Opponents believe physician-assisted suicide is morally and ethically wrong for patients to end their lives, and they believe it violates basic medical standards. However, proponents of physician-assisted suicide believe it is a humane and safe way for terminally ill patients to resolve their agony.
It has been 21 years and physician-assisted suicide is still one of the biggest legal issues today and in the Supreme Court. “When Sue Rodriguez took her case to court, she changed the very nature of the decision-making process that might affect how she would live out her final days and how she would die. She tried to change the law of the land” (Bereza). This impacted today’s society and law; in fact the federal government will appear in front of the BC Court of Appeal later this month for discussion of the band on assisted-suicide. The crucial debate on this controversial topic continues to
Physician assisted suicide has been an intensely debated problem for years but if used properly, could be an effective way to help those who are suffering at the end of their life. Countless people have been advocating for physician assisted suicide for years and the most famous advocate for assisted suicide was Dr. Jack Kevorkian. He was a pathologist but received the nickname Dr. Death after it was estimated that between 1990 and 1999 he assisted 130 terminally ill individuals in their assisted suicides (“Jack Kevorkian”). Dr. Kevorkian is considered a crusader for physician
The Death with Dignity Act has two arguments: those who believe we have the right to choose how and when we die, and those who believe we do not possess that right; that we should not interfere with the natural order of life. Every year, people across America are diagnosed with a terminal illness. For some people there is time: time to hope for a cure, time to fight the disease, time to pray for a miracle. For others however, there is very little or no time. For these patients, their death is rapidly approaching and for the vast majority of them, it will be a slow and agonizing experience.
When you hear the word death or you hear that someone has died today in the news or on the television I know a lot of people think “Man, I feel sorry for the family that they have to go through that.” or they thank god that it was not them or their family members.” Sadly though people try to push away death and push away the fact that everyone dies at one point in time. This is even truer when they witness their own family member in the hospital with a critical condition that the doctors cannot fix even with modern medicines on the doctor’s side. Another such time would be when a person’s family member is diagnosed with an incurable sickness that is fatal.
The medical field is filled with opportunities and procedures that are used to help improve a patient’s standard of living and allow them to be as comfortable as possible. Physician assisted suicide (PAS) is a method, if permitted by the government, that can be employed by physicians across the world as a way to ease a patient’s pain and suffering when all else fails. PAS is, “The voluntary termination of one's own life by administration of a lethal substance with the direct or indirect assistance of a physician.”-Medicinenet.com. This procedure would be the patient’s decision and would allow the patient to end their lives in a more peaceful and comfortable way, rather than suffering until the illness takes over completely. Physician assisted suicide should be permitted by the government because it allows patients to end their suffering and to pass with dignity, save their families and the hospital money, and it allows doctors to preserve vital organs to save
The dying patient no longer has quality of life, they have lost their independence, are lonely, are forced to endure inevitable pain, are publicly humiliated, are suffering immensely, and are forced to watch their loved ones grieve because of them. It is an innate Constitutional Right to choose how to die, since we all will die. There comes a point when the poking and prodding becomes too much, when the patient wants to just die in silence in the loving arms of their
Life is a matter of choice. People should have the power to control what happens to their bodies, and that they should not be forced to suffer through horrible pain until their body finally just gives out and dies. Some terminally ill patients are in terrible pain and have a very poor quality of life, and they would rather end it as opposed to living life in a way that they would not enjoy. Humans have the right to end their life when they want to. The elderly and those suffering from severe debilitating illnesses, who may be depressed
The Right to Die has been taking effect in many states and is rapidly spreading around the world. Patients who have life threatening conditions usually choose to die quickly with the help of their physicians. Many people question this right because of its inhumane authority. Euthanasia or assisted suicide are done by physicians to end the lives of their patients only in Oregon, Washington, Vermont, Montana, New Mexico and soon California that have the Right to Die so that patients don’t have to live with depression, cancer and immobility would rather die quick in peace.
In addition, when a terminally ill patient undergoes voluntary active euthanasia, this will save a significant amount of healthcare resources which would have been used to prolong the patient’s life. As a result, the resources can then be used to potentially save patients who have curable medical conditions, consequently producing a significant amount of satisfaction within the health care system (Guedj et al., 2005, p.315). Therefore, medical assistance in dying is morally acceptable as it produces the greatest good for the greatest number of people in society (Collier & Haliburton, 2015,
That since palliative care, already exists, that should provide relief of the pain and suffering. While this is a good reason, it is not the whole case. “Patients that has no hope of getting better or in so much pain, should have the right to end their lives on their terms.” When pain is to bearable or they are no chance of getting better, need the right to euthanasia to end their lives on their life own terms. People should have the right to end their own terms, when the suffering and pain is too