Physician Assisted Suicide; A Viable End-of-life Directive

Today, most states do not honor the wills of their terminally ill citizens wishing to end their suffering with dignity and compassion. Even with accurate identification of terminal illness prompting legality of some end-of-life directives, most terminal patients must adhere to conventional symptomatic treatments imposing slow physical and mental deterioration without regard to other feasible options. Information garnered from the experience of Oregon’s legalization of physician assisted suicide illuminates the feasibility of this end-of-life option. Physician assisted suicide is beneficial for terminal patients choosing to circumvent imminent mental and physical indignities; therefore this end-of-life option should be legally executable devoid of prosecution. Today’s medical science makes available accurate identification of terminal illness, predictions of associated pain and suffering, as well as timeline towards diminishing quality of life. Method and accuracy o f palliative prognostics in terminal illness is actively studied in the medical academic arena. Maltoni et al.’s 2012 study concludes survival probabilities using the Palliative Prognostic Score (PaP) method has been extensively validated resulting in high accuracy and reproducibility (p. 446). This greater understanding of life expectancy supports the means for a medical plan of action specific for the patient as defined by the patient, family, and physician. With acknowledgment of terminal illness,Show MoreRelatedIntroduction: . I.Imaging Being Sick For Many Years, Trying1469 Words   |  6 Pagesrapidly. If you were given the choice to end your life, would you do it? II. Medical advances have increased the length of the average life innumerably, by prolonging death, but this involves challenging medical ethics. Keeping a large number of very ill people alive with these medical technologies, there is also a possibility of suffering; discomfort and diminished quality of life. III. Physician assisted suicide is the intentional ending of a person’s life to relieve their pain and suffering. ThoseRead MorePhysician Assisted Suicide Thesis Statement1679 Words   |  7 Pagespatients’ requests for physician-assisted suicide are now a viable possibility. Knowing the pathways to answering to those patients, as their requests for assisted death persist, is upmost importance. As of June, 9th 2016 California became the fifth state to allow physician-assisted suicide. The California’s End of Life Option Act authorizes any individual 18 years of age or older, who has been diagnosed as terminally ill and fits specific criteria, to solicit administration of assisted dying drugs at theRead MoreThe Philosophical Theories Of Euthanasia And Ethics1464 Words   |  6 Pagesphilosophers, Aristotle and Kant, offer two differing views on the morality of euthanasia. Margaret P. Battin’s â€Å"Euthanasia: The Way We Do It, the Way They Do It† offers three countries’ perspectives on and laws regarding euthanasia and/or physician assisted suicide, as well as evaluations and critiques of their policies. To determine which of these points of view has the most pertinence, all of these arguments will be outlined and consequently analyzed, both separately and in relation to each otherRead MorePhysician Assisted Suicide And Euthanasia Essay1177 Words   |  5 Pages Polk State Physician Assisted Suicide RETURNING DIGNITY TO THE TERMINAL CASES Melissa Kubic ENC 1102-69320 COLLEGE COMPOSITION II Fatin Morris Guirguis Ph.D. November 21, 2016â€Æ' Ezekiel Emanuel once said, â€Å"Physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia have been profound ethical issues confronting doctors since the birth of Western medicine, more than 2,000 years ago.† Physician assisted suicide (PAS) should be available as a dignified option for the terminally ill because it can be built inRead MoreEuthanasi An Incurable Form Of Cancer Essay1488 Words   |  6 Pagesto end suffering† (â€Å"Euthanasia†). Fully healthy people take for granted their autonomy, privacy, and dignity provided by full functioning bodies. Some people, however, are not so lucky. Chantal Sebire is one of those unlucky people, suffering from esthesioneuroblastoma, an incurable form of cancer that has causes her a consistent overload of pain and has taken three of her senses: sight, smell and taste (Schpoliansky). Schpoliansky goes onto explain Sebire went to court to request a physician helpRead MoreEnd Of Life Issues : Assisted Suicide Essay2445 Words   |  1 0 PagesEnd of Life Issues: Assisted Suicide The legal complexities regarding death and euthanasia are currently being worked through in the courts and state legislatures. Those in favor of assisted suicide argue that it is the ultimate right of self-determination and it upholds the individual’s right to make decisions about his or her dying process. Proponents believe that long-term suffering should not have to be endured and that individuals deserve the right to death with dignity and without excessiveRead MoreThe Death Of A Doctor986 Words   |  4 Pageswords and despite trying all the medical options available there was just no relief. Life is sometimes unfair and we are faced with tough decisions, what if a you had the opportunity to do the things on your bucket list, make amends with family or friends and when you got to the point that you couldn’t stand the pain and agony anymore you could say goodbye and take a pill and go to sleep and it would be the end of suffering. I believe that voluntary active eu thanasia is morally acceptable for terminallyRead MoreThe End Of Life Options1288 Words   |  6 Pagessuite. These advances carry with them prolonged life, lengthening our lives. But as our lives lengthen we find ourselves confronted with the undeniable truth that in the cat and mouse game of life and death, death always wins. As, we arrive at the tail end of the bell curve of life, we find ourselves overcome with pain and suffering. In an attempt to alleviate suffering, alternatives are sought. The first chapter examines the background of the end of life options available in California for a personRead MoreThe Ethics Of Executions Should Be Legal954 Words   |  4 Pages The first thing to remember is that all doctors must adhere to the Hippocratic Oath which requires them to do no harm to their patients. However, the bounds of this oath are widely debated on cases that span Do-Not-Resuscitate directives, physician-assisted suicide, executions, and anything that results in the death of a patient. In the case of executions, AMA policy states that it is â€Å"unethical for doctors to be involved except in a peripheral way† (Tanner). The AMA’s stance prohibits doctorsRead More The Terri Schindler-Schiavo Case Essay5755 Words   |  24 Pagesopportunity to recover, and that with treatment she can enjoy a reasonable quality of life. The legal battle continues today with doctors disagreeing about Terri’s medical status, prospects for recovery and appropriate interventions. In the meantime, Terri remains attached to a feeding tube, spending her life in a medical institution totally incapacitated and unable to participate in the decisions concerning her very life. Framing the Issue This emotionally charged case has strained the limits of