Legalizing Physician Assisted Suicide Across The United...

Legalizing Physician-Assisted Suicide Across the United States Physician Assisted Suicide (PAS) has grown into quite a contentious topic over the years. According to Breitbart and Rosenfeld (1), physician-assisted suicide can be defined as â€Å"a physician providing medications or advice to enable the patient to end his or her own life.† One may find many articles that are written by physicians, pharmacists, patients, and family of patients who receive PAS; from there, it is possible to gain a better understanding of what PAS is and how it has become a rising issue in the United States. For readers who have not heard about PAS and what it entails, it is important to understand that this is a debatable topic that should be approached lightly and non-aggressively in the United States when factors such as offering terminally ill patients the right to end their suffering, the likelihood of overall healthcare cost to decrease, and the comparison of palliative care to physician-assisted suicide are examined. Currently, PAS is legal in six states: Oregon, Washington, California, Vermont, Montana, and Colorado (as of the 2016 election). It all started in the 1990’s when Dr. Jack Kevorkian went on an individual endeavor to legalize PAS in the state of Michigan (Strate, et al. 23). Kevorkian’s pursuit led the issue to the Supreme Court where it was examined in a religious, medical, and right-to-life point of view (24). By June 1993, the Michigan Commission on Death and Dying (MCDD)Show MoreRelatedPhysician Assisted Suicide Should Not Be Legalized1194 Words   |  5 Pagessubject of legalizing physician-assisted suicide is hotly debated these days. There have been many high profile cases including Dr. Jack Kevorkian in the 90’s to the young Oregonian Brittany Maynard who ended her life just this year. Physician-assisted suicide is currently legal in Oregon, Washington, and Montana. However, even where legal, it is unethical for medical professionals to engage in assistin g patients to end their lives. There are many good alternatives to physician-assisted death availableRead MoreArgumentative Essay801 Words   |  4 PagesAcross the nation and world assisted suicide is an issue that has been gaining attention for several years. With famous cases such as Jack Kevorkian it has become a household term and everyone has an opinion. There are strong cases on both sides, but the bottom line is while it may sound good for the present, it is not for the future. Assisted Suicide should not be legalized in Alabama as the negative outcomes far exceed the positive outcomes in the areas of impact on society, politics and medicalRead MoreArgumentative Essay : Physician Assisted Suicide Essay1095 Words   |  5 PagesArgumentative Essay: Physician Assisted Suicide, Should it be Legalized? Physician assisted suicide is requested by the terminally ill, typically when the pain from the illness is too much to handle and is not manageable through treatments or other medications. Assisted suicide is more of a broad term for helping someone die a good death, physician assisted suicide is where a medical doctor provides information and medication and the patient then administers the medications themselves. EuthanasiaRead MoreEuthanasi Euthanasia And Euthanasia1483 Words   |  6 Pagesexplained through this quote, Euthanasia and medically assisted suicide to present a real danger. Although society refuses to see these dangers, euthanasia creates countless problems that shake society. Euthanasia remains a conditional based issue; therefore, the laws created rely on weak ideas that allow for easy manipulation, as can be seen through the mistakes and laws of the Netherlands and Belgium who legalized Euthanasia. Medically assisted suicide and Euthanasia use unethical ideology, and legalizationRead MoreDeath Of The United States Should Legalize Active Voluntary Euthanasia1200 Words   |  5 PagesThe democracy of the United States should legalize active voluntary euthanasia (AVE), active non-voluntary euthanasia (NVAE), and physician-assisted suicide/death (PAS/PAD), in cases where the patient has a terminal illness, unbearable pain, or are in a vegetative state with no chance of being revived. AVE is defined as â€Å"the intentional and painless ‘mercy driven’ termination of a consenting rational person’s life†¦Ã¢â‚¬  NVAE is conjugately defined as â€Å"the termination of an incompetent individual s existenceRead MoreSiya Kumar. Dying With Dignity. . Imagine Yourself With1360 Words   |  6 PagesMaynard died on November 1st, 2014 by taking lethal medication prescribed by her doctor. Her death was peaceful and happened the way she wanted it to, which could only be possible with the help of physician assisted death. Physician assisted death and voluntary euthanasia should be legal in the the United States because if a person has the right to life, then they also have the right to death, it helps terminally ill patients to escape the pain that awaits them, and it can be safely regulated by governmentRead MoreA Brief Note On Euthanasia And The United States882 Words   |  4 Pagesrequest from the person. Euthanasia itself been around for as long as the history of medicine. This euthanasia is enormous and have long history in the United States. This so called euthanasia, started in 5 B.C. in Ancient Greece. Hippocratic Oath believed to have been written by Hippocrates. The Hippocratic Oath is an oath historically taken by physicians stating they will practice medicine ethically and honestly. However, most doctors tend to ignored this rule and basically did whatever they wantedRead MoreAssisted Suicide : A Controversial Issue880 Words   |  4 PagesAssisted suicide is a very controversial subject in the healthcare world and like most things there are a lot of areas that are not written in black and white. Though assisted suicide is only legal in five states it is still practiced all across the United States. In most cases, little to no information is provided to the families and the terminally ill patients on what assisted suicide truly is and what it not. It all has to do with the intent, but most conversations are reduced to a wink or nodRead MoreThe Controversial Issue Of Legalizing Physician Assisted Suicide1962 Words   |  8 PagesIntroduction The topic of legalizing Physician-assisted suicide (PAS) has long been a controversial issue in Canada and has recently received increased attention. In 1993, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled the provisions of the Criminal Code prohibiting assisted suicide. Two decades later, the Supreme Court of Canada began to deliberate whether to uphold or strike down the law prohibiting doctor-assisted suicide. On October 15th (What is the year), the nine justices of the Supreme Court heard impassionedRead MoreEuthanasia in the United States2720 Words   |  11 PagesElderly in the United States Hannah Pate An issue facing much of today’s elderly and terminally ill populations is that of euthanasia and physician assisted suicide. Several countries, most notably the Netherlands, has legalized euthanasia and physician assisted suicide leading to what is now referred to as â€Å"death tourism†. People from across the world are traveling to place with legalized euthanasia, like the Netherlands, in order to end their lives through assisted suicide. Some political