ipl-logo

Ethical Dilemma In Physician Assisted Suicide

1448 Words6 Pages

Ethical Dilemma Something that western society has always put an emphasis on autonomy of the individual. The purpose of physician assisted suicide being legalized is to put an emphasis on the individual and their wishes. Immanuel Kant believed that humans were born with a natural instinct of right and wrong. According to Kant, the act of suicide to escape a difficult situation will be ruled immoral (Friend, 2011). The end would defy self-love and self-preservation so Kant permits no exceptions because the act of killing will never become a universal law of nature (Friend, 2011). However, Kant believes that autonomy is the soul core of human dignity (Kant, 1785). Killing people typically violates a person’s autonomy, but not upholding their …show more content…

Oregon has the strictest laws put into place when it comes to physician assisted suicide. The patient must be at least 18 years old, cognizant enough to make their own medical decisions, suffering from a terminal illness that will lead to death within 6 months, a request form with two signatures from witnesses: one of which cannot be a relative, the patient must wait fifteen days before they get the prescription and the patient can rescind a request at any time (Barone, 2014). These laws leave little wiggle room for a patient to abuse physician assisted death. Between 1998 and 2006 candidates for physician assisted suicide were also required to complete a psychiatric evaluation before they could obtain the prescription medications (Steinbrook, …show more content…

When looking at previously implemented end-of-life care, is physician assisted suicide any different? Patients are able to sign do not resuscitate paperwork which mean that there will be no resuscitation if their heart happens to go into an abnormal heart rhythm or stop all together. Do not resuscitate, do not intubate, and the ability to discontinue care at any time per patient request are all implemented in order to uphold an individual’s autonomy (Bailey, et. al., 2012). If DNRs, DNIs and respite of all care can be ruled ethical if it is the patient’s wishes, why can’t physician assisted suicide? End of life decisions all lead to one ultimate thing,

Show More
Related

  • Physician-Assisted Suicide Cons

    764 Words  | 4 Pages

    The topic of Physician-assisted suicide, or physician aid-in-dying, is a highly debated topic, especially when it comes down to whether this action be legal or not. The definition of Physician-assisted suicide can be defined as the act of intentionally killing yourself with the aid of a medical professional, such as a physician. The practice of Physician-assisted suicide still remains illegal in forty-five states excluding the states of Oregon, Vermont, Montana, California, and Washington. Although states have tried to make this practice legal, the practice of Physician-assisted suicide has become a crime in most. The practice of Physician-assisted suicide should not be illegal.

    Read More

  • Physician Assisted Suicide Case Study

    623 Words  | 3 Pages

    Summary: Governor Jerry Brown has recently signed a bill which legalizes physician assisted suicide in the state of California. By doing so, California is following Oregon, Washington, Vermont, and Montana in becoming the fifth state in the US to legalize such medicine (ProCon, n.p., n.d.). Drugs like this will only be offered to terminally ill patients, and will require the patient to reaffirm that they want the drug several times with waiting periods between each in order to be sure that this is something that he or she wants to do. It is also expected that many hospitals will refuse to offer this drug to patients because it could bring bad publicity and have a negative effect on patient relationships (Lovett & Perez-Pena, 2015). There are a lot of arguments against this bill, for example, people claim that terminally ill patients might be talked into accepting

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay: Oregon's Death With Dignity Law

    1554 Words  | 7 Pages

    This poll also found that 56 percent of Americans believe that physician assisted suicide is a morally acceptable act regardless of its legality, and only 37 percent believe it is morally wrong. Additionally, 62 percent of adults agree that a person has a moral right to suicide” (Ralph A Capone). Other states including Oregon, that have passed death-with-dignity laws include Vermont, California, Colorado and Washington. There is a death with dignity bill that is slated to go before the Maine Legislature in support of physician assisted suicide.

    Read More

  • Physician Assisted Suicide Case Study

    566 Words  | 3 Pages

    First, Oregon was the front-runner in the world of physician-assisted suicide in the United States. In 1994, the state of Oregon passed the bill of a terminally ill individual’s right to die by lethal injection. Shortly after the passage of the bill, Oregon received their first challenge in the courts. In the case of Lee v. Oregon State, doctors and patients challenged Oregon, stating that the law violated the Constitution’s 1st and 14th amendments, as well as many other federal laws (Devlin, 1996). Due to this challenge in the courts, there was a temporary hold on the law.

    Read More

  • Arguments Against Physician Assisted Suicide

    1322 Words  | 6 Pages

    As assisted suicide became more accepted, more people have died. “Oregon, which passed its Death with Dignity Act through a voter referendum in 1994 and began allowing the practice in 1998, has the longest track record. The number of Oregonians who choose physician-assisted suicide has been slowly climbing; 673 cases were recorded between 1998 and 2012. In 2012, the 77 cases reported to the Public Health Division amounted to about 0.2 percent of the total deaths recorded in the state” (Karaim 2013 para 14).

    Read More

  • Physician Assisted Suicide Ethical Dilemma

    669 Words  | 3 Pages

    This legislation has faced criticism from persons that warn of abuse, loss of integrity to the profession of medicine, and a lack of respect for the sanctity of life (Starks PhD). Supporters point out that the act of physician assisted suicide is one that happens far more than the general public cares to think about; legislation decriminalizing this act allows the opportunity for transparency ensuring safety checks along the process, autonomy and compassion for the patient, as well as help for mentally ill persons seeking physician assisted suicide (Starks

    Read More

  • Physician Assisted Death Argumentative Essay

    814 Words  | 4 Pages

    Physician-assisted death is the practice in which a physician provides a mentally competent patient with the means to take his/her own life, usually in the form of prescribing death-dealing medications. It first became legal in the United States in Oregon in 1998. It is now legal in four other states: Washington, California, Montana, and Vermont. In order for one to exercise their right to die this way, the law states that the patient must be at least 18 years old, be mentally competent, be diagnosed with a terminal illness that will lead to death within six months, and must wait at least fifteen days before filling the death-dealing prescriptions. This controversial practice has raised the question of whether or not it is ethical for a physician

    Read More

  • Essay On Physician Assisted Suicide

    852 Words  | 4 Pages

    “Legislation that allows people to end their lives automatically creates incentives to seek death as a cost-saving option. The elderly and infirm are seen as burdens and can easily be disposed of. Suicide becomes the easy way out.” (Ben Broussard) Most of the time physicians are against the idea of physician assisted suicide because it goes against their job description and personal beliefs.

    Read More

  • Thesis Statement For Physician Assisted Suicide

    522 Words  | 3 Pages

    Patients have the right to the kind of treatment they want. 3) Conclusion a) Physician assisted suicide can help treat the terminally ill how they would like to be treated. b) The long history of assisted suicide speaks for itself in the matter of if it should be legal or

    Read More

  • Physician Assisted Suicide Argumentative Essay

    1228 Words  | 5 Pages

    Many people think that there are too many problems with physician assisted suicide. Physician assisted suicide is a procedure that allows physicians to prescribe their patients a lethal medication that they can inject themselves with in order to die on their own terms. There are specific requirements that the patients must meet in order to receive this medication. Physician assisted suicide is only for patients that have life threatening illnesses and do not have much time left to live. It is legal in numerous places around the world including certain places in the United States.

    Read More

  • Deontological Ethics: The Ethical Ethics Of Assisted Suicide

    1252 Words  | 6 Pages

    Assisted suicide is a rather controversial issue in contemporary society. When a terminally ill patient formally requests to be euthanized by a board certified physician, an ethical dilemma arises. Can someone ethically end the life of another human being, even if the patient will die in less than six months? Unlike traditional suicide, euthanasia included multiple individuals including the patient, doctor, and witnesses, where each party involved has a set of legal responsibilities. In order to understand this quandary and eventually reach a conclusion, each party involved must have their responsibilities analyzed and the underlying guidelines of moral ethics must be investigated.

    Read More

  • Ethical Dilemmas Of Euthanasia

    1153 Words  | 5 Pages

    Ethical Dilemmas Euthanasia, or physician-assisted suicide, is currently legal in four states (Eareckson Tada, 2015). This has become a controversial issue in our modern society. Many people support the desire to have death with dignity on their own terms, while others do not think doctors should be placed in the position to end their patient’s life. People with a Christian worldview see euthanasia as an ethical dilemma, that concerns their core beliefs, and affects how they resolve the dilemma, which involves consequences and benefits from the resolution, and the resolution differs in comparison to another worldview option. Joni was a vibrant and physically healthy teenager when a diving accident with her friends left her as a quadriplegic.

    Read More

  • Ethical Issues Surrounding Euthanasia

    1009 Words  | 5 Pages

    Killing is unnecessary once we take a life without cause what makes us as humans value another human. Choosing to take one’s own life demeans the value of human life. Once we start to get into that habit of killing each other off because someone cannot take it what will

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Euthanasia Is Wrong

    516 Words  | 3 Pages

    You are taking away someone’s life. “In Oregon, Vermont, Washington, Montana, and California it is still legal for physician assisted suicide by court order,” (“State-by-State Guide…”). It should be illegal everywhere. All of the doctors should have to serve the death penalty for helping in this sickening act. Some say that they request to be put out of their misery.

    Read More

  • Euthanasia Persuasive Research Paper

    1507 Words  | 7 Pages

    Diseases mutate, incurable cases proliferate despite contemporary improvements in the field of science and technology. It does not give the likelihood in sparing an individual’s life or to mitigate their agony. Therefore, a question is most often asked “Which is considered the kinder act, to preserve or to end a suffering life?" Euthanasia has been one of the greatest controversies of all times among medical, biblical, sociological,

    Read More

More about Ethical Dilemma In Physician Assisted Suicide

Open Document