1. Assisted Suicide Speech
Good morning Eniayo,
First of all, I want to let you know that you picked a great topic that most people try to avoid
talking about. As healthcare professional we have brought great benefits to the community we
serve; However, we cannot entirely solve the pain and distress of the dying process. What makes
this a debatable topic is that every person deals with death in their individual way. According to
Murphy (2017) assisted suicide is only for those individuals that have a terminal illness as well as a
prognosis of six months or less to live. Personally, I'm not for it, nor am I against it. I can
understand from the individuals who are suffering from a terminal illness and sees this option as
their only way out. On the other hand, working
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2. Assisted Suicide Persuasive Speech
Title: Why should we give terminally ill patients the right to assisted suicide?
Specific Purpose: To persuade the audience to support assisted suicide in hospitals. Introduction I.
Attention–getter: Imagine that you have been diagnosed with a terminally ill disease, you are in
constant pain and there is literally nothing than can cure you. But, you are unable to end your
suffering because it's illegal so you must patiently wait to die.
II. Thesis: There are constantly people who find themselves in pain, they are literally on their
deathbed and they are unable to do anything.
III. Credibility Statement: I have done a lot of research about this topic in the past and I feel like I
am knowledgeable enough to inform you about what is going on in regards to this.
IV. Thesis/Preview: Today I will be talking to you guys about 2 different problems pertaining to
assisted suicide and why it is necessary. First, I will speak on how people suffer a lot, and how
value of life is diminished. Following that I will conclude my speech by providing a solution to a
problem. Transition: To start off, people who have terminal illnesses tend to suffer a lot.
Body
I. Main point #1 According to StatisticBrain.com, "55% of terminally ill patients die in pain." A.
The problem here is that people are already burdened with an illness and on top of that, it is a long
and painful process that they must endure. 1. They experience discomfort and they feel terrible in
general. 2. Brittany Maynard was 29 when she decided to proceed with assisted suicide. She had
brain cancer and she could no longer tolerate the pain. "There is no treatment that would save my
life, and the recommended treatments would have destroyed the time I had left" (Bever). B. It is
important to take into consideration what the person desires. Although it may seem too extreme to
end your life, we are not feeling what the ill person is feeling so we cannot judge their decisions. 1.
It is easy for people to be against this but once again we must try to understand where the patient is
coming from. a. In this case, she was told that she only had six months to live which is not a long
time. After considering treatments she
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3. Thesis Statement For Assisted Suicide Essay
Name: Yesica Arce Mendez
I. Introduction
A. Current Problem: In many societies, many believe assisted suicide should be legal.
B. Population/Area of Focus: Community/Society and family or people personally going through
this process.
C. Key Terms: Euthanasia, Physician Assisted, Voluntary,Suicide
Thesis Statement: Although people may be suffering and on the verge ofdeath, assisted suicide
should be illegal because there are many options to look upon then just looking at death.
II. Major Point 1: Health may improve
A. Minor Point 1: One may take medication to improve health and help maintain their health at a
decent balance.
B. Minor Point 2: There is also an option of pain management.
Source: Heide, A. V. (2013). Handbook of Clinical Neurology: Ethical and Legal Issues in
Neurology. Chapter 15 – Assisted...show more content...
Major Point 3: Unconsciousness
A. Minor Point 1: Many patients can't decide for themselves and it is not fair for family members to
decide for them.
B. Minor Point 2: It may be referred as murder, having the patient unconscious.
Source: Weisstub, D. N., & Mishara, B. L. (2016). International Journal of Law and Psychiatry.
Premises and Evidence in the Rhetoric of Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia, 36(5–6), 427–435.
V. Major Point 4: Doctor may take control
A. Minor Point 1: Doctors may try to prevent from helping patient.
B. Minor Point 2: Doctors are forced and have an obligation to relieve patients which means many
doctors can be wrong about the information they collected.
Source: Noll, R. C., & Solomon, L. M. (2008). Gender Medicine. Physician–assisted Suicide and
Euthanasia: Disproportionate Prevalence of Women among Kevorkian's Patients, 5(2), 110–114.
VI. Conclusion
A. Restatement of Thesis: Overall with current situations happening around the world Euthanasia
and Assisted suicide has become a very controversial topic, however there are many interpretations
that should be looked upon before deciding that huge decision.
B. Next
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4. Assisted Suicide Essay
The legalization of assisted suicide has been a controversial topic that has created a divide within
the medical community, as well as the general public, for many years. Assisted suicide occurs when
a patient decides to take their own life, with help from their doctor. The doctor can end the patient's
life without causing any additional pain or suffering. While some believe that assisted suicide
should be legal for patients who are suffering from a terminal and painful condition, others argue
that it is unethical and going against the doctor's oath to help and not harm their patients. As the
average life expectancy age increases, people are living longer while also having to live with more
serious illnesses. As a result, lives are...show more content...
The ten areas included, symptoms, social supports, communication with health providers, spiritual
meaning, care needs, end of life plans, economic burdens, sociodemographics, preferences regarding
end–of–life care and euthanasia and assisted suicide, and stress of the interview (Ezekiel et al.,
2000). The findings from the surveys showed that in hypothetical scenarios, 60.2% of the
terminally ill patients supported euthanasia or assisted suicide, despite the fact that only 10.6%
of the patients seriously contemplated it for themselves (Ezekiel et al., 2000). Many factors play
into individuals choosing not to take their own life, even if they believe that others should have
the right to. For example, the patients that had loved ones present in their lives were not as likely
to take their own lives, but the patients that were alone, causing them to be depressed, as well as
the patients who needed more intense care, were much more likely to see euthanasia or assisted
suicide as a legitimate option (Ezekiel et al., 2000). 58.7% of the caregivers supported the use of
euthanasia for their patients who were in pain (Ezekiel et al., 2000). After the surveys were
completed, follow up interviews were conducted six months later in order to see how the patients
and caregivers views might have changed (Ezekiel et al., 2000). The study concluded that the
surveys done proved that a large majority of terminally ill patients, as well as their
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5. Assisted Suicide Ethical Essay
Assisted Suicide is a way to let terminally ill patients choose to end their pain and suffering by using
medication that ends their lives peacefully. The first Right–to–Die organization began in 1980 and
was founded by Derek Humphry. The purpose of this organization was to help terminally ill patients
die peacefully. The topic ofeuthanasia, or assisted suicide, is very controversial because of the
different customs, morals, and religions that are present in society. The practice of medically
assisting one in ending their life is not legal in most of the United states, however, it is legal in five
states.
Oregon, Vermont, Washington, California, Colorado, and Washington D.C. have made assisted
suicide legal. Before considering euthanasia,...show more content...
Some believe that this is the right thing to do for terminally ill patients who are suffering, while
others think this is a form of murder. When a beloved pet is ill and suffering we tend to "put it to
sleep", so why can't humans have the same options. The idea that assisted suicide is unethical is
because it is viewed as murder, but the opposite side believes it is ethical because you are getting rid
of the suffering.
Personally, I believe that assisted suicide is the right choice for some terminally ill patients.
However, before making a stand in this, you must first understand the forms of euthanasia. One must
first give consent to be euthanised. This is considered Voluntary Assisted Suicide. After consenting,
the way of going about this is decided. Passive, when a doctor ups the amount of strong painkillers,
or Active, the act of giving one a dose lethal medication, are the two different forms of assisted
suicide.
For now assisted suicide is not a legal act in all states nor all other countries. As the debate of
ethical or unethical continues, more people will become educated on the topic. If one chooses to
agree or disagree is a personal decision and should not be a issue, however, this should not make the
other side wrong. I believe that all terminally ill patients should have the choice of assisted
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6. Assisted Suicide Summary
Assisted Suicide
Introduction and Summary Assisted suicide is a form of suicide where someone helps dying
patients suffering from health problems die by taking medicine prescribed by their doctor to help
them die in peace without suffering. In October 2015, California Governor Jerry Brown signed a
bill to make assisted suicide legal in his state after the death of a California woman named Brittany
Maynard (McGreevy, 2015). The Catholic Church was fighting Jerry Brown because they did not
want the bill to pass since suicide is against religious teachings (McGreevy, 2015). The California
Governor made the decision to sign the bill based on a person's right to decide when and how to
die (McGreevy, 2015). California joined Oregon, Washington and Vermont in making this legal.
Other states such as New York, New Jersey, Tennessee, Connecticut, the District of Columbia and
Maryland are trying to pass legislation to make assisted suicide legal (McGreevy, 2015).
Assisted Suicide Options I think assisted suicide should stay illegal because doctors and physicians
are then responsible for providing prescription medicines or other means to patients who want to
die. Assisted suicide is the wrong way for a person to die. The Catholic Church is against assisted
suicide because it is against...show more content...
The Final Exit Network provided her directions in how to die with doctor–ordered medicine and a
helium balloon tank (Kiefer, 2011). In April 2007, Jana Van Voorhis died from assisted suicide
while helped by anesthesiologist, Lawrence Egbert, and retired Scottsdale Community College
professor, Franklin Langsnar. They were both charged with aiding suicide (Kiefer, 2011). This trial
took six months using testimonies and evidence. The jury was unable to reach an agreement so both
Egbert and Langsnar were acquitted for the crime of assisted suicide (Kiefer,
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7. Assisted Suicide Essay
Is the role of a medical professional to ensure the health and comfort of their patients, or to help
them end their lives? Since Dr. Kevorkian assisted in the suicide of Janet Adkins in 1990,
physician–assisted suicide (PAS) has been one of the most controversial issues in the medical field
today. While some view it as an individual right, others view it as an unethical issue that goes against
medical ethics and religious values. Mr. H. M. is an elderly man who is diagnosed with terminal lung
cancer and no chance of improvement. After excruciating pain and suffering, he has decided to
request physician–assisted death in his home state of Oregon. Oregon's Death with Dignity Act
(DDA) states that terminally ill patients are allowed to use...show more content...
Although a patient's choice of suicide symbolizes an expression of self–determination, there is a
great distinction between denying life–sustaining treatments and demanding life–ending treatments.
The right to self–determination is a right to allow or reject offered treatments, not to choose what
should be offered. The right to refuse life–sustaining interventions does not correlate with a right to
force others to hasten their death. The inability of physicians to inhibit death does not mean that
physicians are allowed to help induce death.
Religion plays an important role in the issue of physician–assisted suicide and euthanasia. Most of
the major world religions are against suicide in all forms, even in the cases of pain and suffering.
The Bible says, "Thou shall not kill." This was meant for everyone, not just for specific people.
Doctors have the power to save people who are sick and at the end of their lives. They work hard to
help people, not kill people. If physicians tell a family there is absolutely no chance for a patient to
survive, the family will most likely believe them.
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8. Argumentative Essay On Assisted Suicide
Assisted suicide is a topic that has ignited a severe debate due to the controversy that surrounds its
implementation. Assisted suicide occurs when a patients expresses their intention to die and request
a physician to assist them in the process. Some countries like Oregon, Canada, and Belgium have
legalized the process terming it as an alternative to prolonged suffering for patients who are bound to
die. Unlike euthanasia where a physician administers the process, assisted suicide requires that the
patient voluntarily initiates and executes the process. Although there exists concession such a
process is important to assist patients die without much suffering, there has emerged criticism on its
risk of abuse and as an expression of medical...show more content...
However, there is immense criticism on the morality of the process, especially because the process
denies a patient the right to natural death. The critics of the assisted suicide procedure argue that
such a process devalues human life and tends to promote suicide as an alternative to personal
suffering. By claiming that the procedure allows terminally ill patients to initiate dignity at death is
flawed because the purpose of medical profession is to ensure a dignified life. According to the
physicians' code of ethics and the Hippocratic Oath, physicians are not allowed to do harm to their
patients because their role is to allow a dignified health for members of the community.
Consequently, legalization of Physician Assisted suicide that requires physicians to assist the
patients to die is against their medical ethics. Quill, Cassel, & Meier (2010) provide that although the
patients voluntarily ask the medical practitioners to assist in the process, the practitioners have a role
to advise the patients against such a procedure. Besides, such a premise is bound to raise awareness
of suicide as an alternative to suffering within the public domain, which may encourage such
behavior among healthy members of the community that feel that they enjoy the freedom to make
such a decision. On this basis, the negative moral implication of assisted suicide makes its
legalization unworthy in the
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9. Persuasive Essay On Physician Assisted Suicide
The word suicide gives many people negative feelings and is a socially taboo subject. However,
suicide might be beneficial to terminally ill patients. Physician– assisted suicide has been one of the
most controversial modern topics. Many wonder if it is morally correct to put a terminally ill
patient out of their misery. Physicians should be able to meet the requests of their terminally ill
patients. Unfortunately, a physician can be doing more harm by keeping someone alive instead of
letting them die peacefully. For example, an assisted suicide can bring comfort to patients. These
patients are in excruciating pain and will eventually perish. The government should not be involved
in such a personal decision. A physician– assisted suicide comes with many benefits for the patient.
If a person is terminally ill and wants a physician assisted suicide, then they should receive one.
Physician– assisted suicide was first popularized in 1997 by the Oregon Death with Dignity Act
(ODDA) . This act states that a physician has the power to prescribe a lethal amount of medication
to terminally ill patients. However, the patients must have the knowledge of upcoming death. In
order to receive the medication the patient must, be over eighteen years of age, a resident of Oregon,
and must orally ask for the prescription twice. The oral requests must be fifteen days apart. The
patient's physician and a consulting physician must agree that the patient is mentally capable of
making such a
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10. Assisted Suicide Essay
A large percent of terminally ill patients ponder their impending death, no matter the diagnosis.
Mental illness or degenerative disabilities are the majority of the cases involved in 'assisted–suicide,'
which is the process of ending their life with help from another person. Assisted suicide, despite
the chronic or degenerative illness, has caused great controversy. The debate arises when the
question about whether or not the practice should be legalized is asked. Some say that every
person has a God given right to do what they want with their bodies, when they want to do it. Others
say that palliative staffs should be focusing on studying better ways to eliminate pain and make the
process of passing on easier and more endurable....show more content...
Physicians and doctors deem requests for death made by people who are 'not mentally adept' not
rational, well thought–out decisions. As Mr. Buchanan includes in his article, Waiting Around to Die,
"...We want to limitsuicide to those who are unarguably rational..." (Buchanan, 2). This calls for
the medical staff to go to the next of kin; a mother, a father, a brother, a sister, anyone who can be
held accountable for the person with a disability. But no one can say that another person should
decide the fate of someone else. If a doctor cannot do it, certainly no one else should be deciding.
Lest the actual patient grants the permission to someone else to decide, none other than the patient
himself should be deciding the fate of said person. At that point, the permission would not even be
taken seriously because of the person's lack of 'adeptness'. One also has to take into account that the
elderly are included in this labeled group. Quite contrary to belief, a study established that
end–of–life issues, such as terminal illnesses and autonomy loss, "did not turn out to be the common
causes of real–life suicide among the elderly" (Buchanan, 30). When the decision about whether the
patient is to die to end suffering or not is put into the hands of another human being, the right to
choose to die is not being handled correctly. The idea that is being expressed
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11. Persuasive Essay On Assisted Suicide
Assisted Suicide
Every day on TV, in movies, and in music there is a phrase that has been asked a lot, "Who wants
to live forever?" This is such a common question and many people say "no," these people want to
live out a shorter life than eternity. Some may ask "why?" Well here is the reason. When someone
gets terminally ill and death is unavoidable, but allows a short duration life in suffering, they don't
want to sit there suffering they want to move onward to their eternity. When someone is no longer
feeling fit to live we should allow them to leave this world.
Everyday people are suffering and they are not allowed to be put out of their misery. At the same
time people are suffering and being forced to continue, Animals enter a suffering state and they are
allowed to stop hurting and stop living. As a group of people leading a motion known as the "Aid
in Dying" movement have recorded 51% of people who responded to a poll inquiring about the
lawfulness of assisted suicide said that, when the patient and their family are with it then, the doctor
should be allowed to end a suffering patient's life painlessly (Eckholm 1,4). Even though bigger
movements have been founded on smaller groups. So with that being said, then should it not be
legal to do so?...show more content...
According to their law "the law does not require that the ingestion of the drug need not be witnessed"
("Physician–Assisted Suicide Is Wrong."). This is an understandable hesitation. But some people
wouldn't want their loved ones to witness such a thing because they wouldn't want their family or
friends to watch the life flee from the body of the suffering person. Some people fear that family
members will take advantage of assisted suicide if the family member stands to gain something
major from the
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12. Persuasive Essay On Assisted Suicide
Physician Assisted Suicide: The Right to Choose
Who dictates how you live your life? How does one define life and when that life should end? If
you become terminally ill, would you like the choice to choose how your life ends? In the United
States, assisted suicide, is a highly–debated issue. On one side, there are many in support of allowing
a person the right to end their life with dignity at the time of their choosing. While others believe, it
is a moral right to sustain life and leave a person's exit from this world to a higher power. The two
opposing viewpoints have both compassionate reasons and disadvantages; nevertheless, a person's
human rights as an individual are the most important aspect to uphold.
Currently, six states have enacted the death–with–dignity law allowing a terminally ill patient the
right to choose how their life ends after obtaining permission from those in authority. In 44 states,
state law prohibits assisted suicide and an active participant considered as committing a criminal
offence. The U.S. Supreme Court protects a patient's liberty to refuse medical treatment, but
continues to side with the government's interest in preserving life outweighing a person's right to
assisted–suicide. According to the U.S. Code, "Assisted suicide, euthanasia, and mercy killing have
been criminal offenses throughout the United States and, under current law, it would be unlawful to
provide services in support of such illegal activities." (U.S. Code)
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13. Assisted Suicide Speech
In an article from The New York Times, it says that this last Friday, the California State Legislature
approved a bill that will allow assisted suicide. Doctors are helping, or "assisting", their patient in
committing suicide so that person won't have to suffer with the illness that they would endure
through until their eventual death. Many people are arguing that it's just not moral while supporters
of assisted suicide say that it's the person that has been diagnosed with the illness that has the
ultimate say. Senator Hannah–Beth Jackson says, "We are talking about giving people a choice...,"
and that "They want to be able to transition out of this life with their dignity." I think that assisted
suicide, although it may seem immoral, will
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14. Argumentative Essay On Assisted Suicide
Physician assisted suicide does not lead to abuses or down the hypothetical slope. Peter Rogatz, a
physician, states that requesting someone to be taken off a ventilator is socially acceptable. What
is the difference between assisted suicide and ending a ventilator? Does one have to be in coma or
brain dead to allow him to die with dignity? These are the questions that patients and society are
asking today. Rogatz asks these questions from a physician's point of view and explains the pain that
he has seen through suffering patient's eyes. These questions alone are one factor that Rogatz is
sickened by because he does not understand what in the world the difference should be between
these two tragic events. The next point Rogatz explains is that people should see assisted suicide as a
merciful end rather than killing. The word killing has such a strong meaning and that does not
have any place in the right to die debate because killing is intentional without consent (134).
Rogatz believes that the physicians who understand the plea for assisted suicide are doing good
not harm. More often than not, the physicians responding to assisted suicide will handle the
situation correctly. Rogatz does accept that there will be someone who will abuse this power, but
that will not happen with everything physicians have as guidelines. According to Rogatz,
physicians also have a strict criterion to even think about mentioning assisted suicide. The patients
must qualify for assisted suicide. This factor alone also helps to eliminate abuses because
physicians only can administer to a select number of terminally ill patients (134). Assisted suicide
is not an act of murder and does not lead down a hypothetical slope. Assisted suicide is a personal
situation which has led to controversy. One expert has done extensive research on personal
influences regarding assisted suicide. Daniel Lee, a professor of ethics at Augustana College,
believes that there is no physician influence on the patient's decision regarding assisted suicide. The
choice to have a physician administer a lethal prescription is the individual's decision and no one
else's. Opponents argue the slippery slope argument, which warns that allowing voluntary euthanasia
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15. Pro Assisted Suicide Essay
The right to assisted suicide is an intricate topic posed upon those in the United States and several
other countries throughout the world. Assisted suicide proposes a controversy of whether or not a
person has a right to solicit death through the help of a licensed physician. This issue has sparked an
intense moral controversy. Assisted suicide has become apparent in various places around the world
such as the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Oregon and Washington (Humphry).
The increasing legalization of assisted suicide creates an even bigger controversy because it
disrespects the beliefs of many who are pro–life. But, the act of legalizing assisted suicide in
countries and states shows that people are starting...show more content...
Assisted suicide must not be confused with euthanasia. There are two forms of euthanasia, passive
and active. Active euthanasia is similar to assisted suicide in that it requires lethal substances to cause
death in a patient. But, euthanasia differs from assisted suicide through passive euthanasia. Passive
euthanasia entails the death of a person from the withdrawal of treatments necessary for the
continuance of life. In the United States, passive euthanasia is legal. How is it moral to allow the
suffering and torture of a patient from withdrawal of treatment, and immoral to inject a lethal dose
that causes a quick and painless death? When a family's dog is found to be suffering and dying we
do not just sit and watch the dog as it's dying, we take it to the vet to be put down which relieves it
from pain. So why is it moral to allow a human being starve to death, when a simple lethal injection
can cause a quick, painless, and dignified death. Suffering is surely not a pleasant way to die. I
believe that a person should have the independence and freedom to decide their fate, as long as it
doesn't cause harm on others such as family, friends, and the doctors involved. Because of the rapid
and dramatic developments in medicine and technology in today's society, it has given us the power
to to save more lives, yet prolong the death of the patients whose physical and mental capabilities
cannot be
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16. Essay on Assisted Suicide and the Right to Die
Assisted Suicide and the Right to Die
The basic dilemma surrounding the subject of assisted suicide is who has the right to choose when
someone dies? There are many layers of questions and varying opinions surrounding this right. How
can our own self–determination be considered morally wrong when taken in the context of the
opinion of others? In a society that stresses individual freedoms why is it that Congress continues to
hinder doctor–assisted suicide (Keminer, 2000, p. 8)?
First some terms require clarification. Suicide is considered the intentional killing of one's self.
Homicide is determined to be the intentional killing of one person by another (Savulescu, 1978, p.
31). Euthanasia (Greek: good death) is the...show more content...
The question then becomes, how far do individual rights go in view of society as a whole?
One of the primary arguments in opposition to legalizing physician–assisted suicide is that there is
no effective way of constraining the practice so as to provide adequate protections for the poor and
the weak. There have been no hard facts to support whether this problem exists or persists. Until
more data is accumulated this argument is moot.
The practice of physician assisted suicide is not really suicide at all. There seems to be four distinct
types of cases that deal with doctor–assisted suicide. The first is when life–saving treatment is
discontinued. This includes shutting off or removing a patient from equipment used in keeping the
individual alive–including both feeding and other equipment to prolong an individual's life. The
second case involves not being placed on life saving equipment initially. The third type is that the
patient requests a lethal drug or drug dosage, which he can take at a time of his choosing. The
fourth case type is when a patient is incapable of taking the drug himself and asks the physician to
administer it.
The first two cases are legally permitted in the United States. They are also, by societal consensus,
considered morally acceptable. The doctor must ensure the lucid mental state of the patient and that
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17. Assisted Suicide Argumentative Essay
Brittany Maynard, a woman known for her advocacy in the controversial topic of assisted suicide,
officially ended her life this fall after learning of her fatal brain tumor. After complaining of
horrible headaches, she decided to see a doctor where they gave her this traumatic news. She had
two corrective surgeries to try and stop the growth of her large tumor, but they were unsuccessful.
Her doctor then suggested full brain radiation, but after months of researching this option, along with
many other, she knew her quality of what short life she had left would quickly deteriorate. With the
help of her family, friends, and newly–wed husband, she made the decision to move with her loved
ones from her California home to Oregon, where death with...show more content...
Hospice does not focus on curing, but instead reducing the pain and symptoms of the patient. The
difference is that death with dignity gives the patient an option to end their life before any of their
symptoms affect them in life–altering ways. In Maynard's case, she knew that this was definitely an
option, one she even considered, but the reality is that she could develop a tolerance to the
morphine and other medications used to diminish her side effects, which then could cause her to
still feel pain. In addition, her personality could dramatically change. There is also a possibility of
losing the ability to speak, think clearly, and many other normal functions. Being that Maynard
was only 29 and the rest of her body was generally healthy, it was very possible that her body
could fight for a long while her mind began to slip. If she chose to do hospice care, her stay would
most likely have been longer than the two to three week period that most patients are in. She also
knew that the decision to do hospice care would drag out the enviable which was something she did
not want to have to put her loved ones through (Maynard, 2015, para.
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18. Physician Assisted Suicide Essay
In homes across the world, millions of victims are suffering from fatal and terminal illnesses.With
death knocking on their door, should these people have to endure pain and misery knowing what is
to come? The answers to these questions are very controversial. Furthermore, there is a greater
question to be answered–should these people have the right and option to end the relentless pain and
agony through physician assisted death? Physician–Assisted Suicide PAS is highly contentious
because it induces conflict of several moral and ethical questions such as who is the true director
of our lives. Is suicide an individual choice and should the highest priority to humans be alleviating
pain or do we suffer for a purpose? Is suicide a purely...show more content...
Secondly, the patient should be capable of making and communicating health care decisions for
him or herself. Thirdly, the patient must be diagnosed with a terminal illness that will lead to
death within six months. Interested patients must also provide the request for termination in
writing to the physician. In addition, physicians are expected to inform patients to alternative
means of care including hospice care and other medications. Only after precautions evaluation,
the laws then permit patients to make the ultimate life ending decision. A pathologist from
Michigan, Dr. Jack Kevorkian was one of the first to participate in PAS (Strate, Zalman & Hunter,
2005, p. 25). There are documented writings discussing the severity of his patients: "those who
seek him out have deteriorated by slow, painful degrees and wish to exit from their infernos on
Earth before they deteriorate cognitively and/or choke to death" (Zeldis's, 2005 p. 130). Many of
his patients explain how they feel their own body withdraw and turn on itself; and not even being
able to eat or go to the bathroom (Friend, Mary and Louanne, 2011, p. 116). stress that dignity and
integrity are very personal matters; it is probable that being dependent on others to perform basic
activities of daily living threaten a patient's dignity and thus determine when an explicit request for
PAS is made. Perhaps to deny someone the ability to limit their suffering is cruel. My main
argument in support of PAS bears the
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19. Euthanasia Essay
Assisted Suicide/Euthanasia
Remarkably, few have noticed that frail, elderly and terminally ill people oppose assisted suicide
more than other Americans. The assisted–suicide agenda is moving forward chiefly with vocal
support from the young, the able–bodied and the affluent, who may even think that their parents and
grandparents share their enthusiasm. They are wrong.
Thus the assisted suicide agenda appears as a victory not for freedom, but for discrimination. At its
heart lie demeaning attitudes and prejudices about the value of life with an illness or disability. All
who believe in the dignity of human beings should reject such attitudes.
When people raise their voices against this injustice, let no one...show more content...
They join efforts against assisted suicide in state and federal legislatures, and work to educate to the
dire threat posed by this agenda. Also they join wherever possible with other religious, medical,
disability rights, and public interest groups to call our nation to true compassion for the seriously ill
–– a compassion based on respect for their lives.
In 1973, the highest court in our land made a tragic error by declaring a constitutional "right" to
take the life of unborn children. That decision, too, was defended as a victory for freedom. In
reality it has led to 40 million deaths, physical and emotional suffering for countless women, and a
coarsening of our society's attitudes toward human life. It has led to the legalized killing of children
even in the very process of being born. The degradation of human life it has produced must not be
allowed to expand through assisted suicide.
No court, no legislature, no human being has the right to say that any human life is worthless, or that
any human being is of less value than another. We pray that our Supreme Court and all our fellow
Americans will realize this truth, and take the path that leads to life.
Numerous studies have established that the Americans most directly affected by the issue of
physician–assisted suicide –– those who are frail, elderly and suffering from terminal illness –– are
also more opposed to legalizing the practice than others are:
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20. Assisted Suicide Vs Euthanasia
Introduction
Euthanasia and physician assisted suicide is an act that can end someone's painful suffering by
their personal choice. Euthanasia is defined as "the act of putting to death painlessly or allowing to
die, as by withholding extreme medical measures, a person or animal suffering from an incurable,
especially a painful, disease or condition; also called mercy killing" by dictionary.com. There are
many different ways to define euthanasia. Another similar concept is physician assisted suicide,
which is," intentionally and knowingly providing the means of death to another person so that
person can use it to commit suicide" (Marker, 2006). Euthanasia has been debated for decades,
should we allow the ending of someone's life or should we attempt at prolonging their life. This
debate contains many pros and cons and many different viewpoints. The following essay will briefly
discuss some of these differences in opinions. Throughout this paper the use of euthanasia or assisted
suicide will represent the other.
History of Euthanasia In the fifth century physicians from ancient Greek and Roman backgrounds
followed the Hippocratic Oath with little conviction. There was support for physician assisted
suicide when there would be...show more content...
My grandmother was given a few weeks to live; she decided she was done with hospitals and
treatments. She wanted to die at home surrounded by those that loved her. She was sent home
and my entire family was taught how to provide care for her and manage her pain. She was given
a few weeks and within 8 days died without pain surrounded by those who love her. Although she
did not actively take a lethal dose, she did decide she was done. She decided that she would rather
die than continue fighting the inevitable. I believe that was a tough decision to make for her and for
our family to go along with her
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