Physician Assisted Suicide Should Be Legalized - 2000 Words

Is it appropriate for an individual to end their life through physician-assisted suicide in developed countries, specifically in the United States? Physician-assisted suicide (PAS) is the voluntary termination of one’s own life by the administration of a lethal substance with the direct or indirect assistance of a physician. The assistance of a physician for a terminally ill patient to commit their own suicide, has been a much debated topic in developed countries. It is a much bigger topic in developed countries than in developing countries due to the advances of medicine. It is argued that physician-assisted suicide shouldn’t be legalized because of religious and moral reasons. Additionally, PAS is incompatible with the doctor’s role as a healer. However, physician-assisted suicide should be legalized because patients should have the option to choose if they want to end their life. It is a way for people to be able to die with dignity and without indefinite suffering. Medical advances in developed countries has saved the lives of more individuals than ever before. Developments in the field of medicine have benefited terminal patients by reducing their pain and suffering. Medical advances can however prolong the death of a patient when they are in the final stages of dying. Many argue that this has resulted in patients not being able to end their life with dignity, particularly individuals who understand they are terminally ill. Terminally ill patients can liveShow MoreRelatedPhysician Assisted Suicide Should Be Legalized1487 Words   |  6 Pagesthat physician assisted suicide should be legalized in the case of a chronic illness, where the patient must take a large amount of drugs to heal themselves and or to subdue pain, and where the patient is living a life that is less fulfilling, or diluted, from their life before. Physician assisted suicide can be to patients who are suffering and wish to end their life, with the help of a physician so the patient could feel more comfortable or safer. As mentioned in class, physician assisted suicideRead MorePhysician Assisted Suicide Should Not Be Legalized905 Words   |  4 PagesPhysician-assisted suicide is when a terminally ill patient requested a physician to facilitate the patient death by providing the necessary lethal dose of a drug which enables the patient to perform the life-ending act. Provided that, Physician assisted suicide has been part of the debate about improving end-of-life care for terminally ill patients for decades. As a result, physician assisted suicide may be viewed morally wrong by some people, but morally permissible by another. Even though, physicianRead MoreShould Physician Assisted Suicide Be Legalized?1426 Words   |  6 PagesPhysician assisted suicide is also known as assisted suicide. It is a very controversial procedure. It is not favored by many. However, in present day society is little bit inclined towards assisted suicide. There is ongoing debate on the legalization of assisted suicide. The main reason to oppose of assisted suicide is the fear of mistreatment of the patient, abuse of power and so on. In contrary, many see assisted suicide as a way to decrease pain in the end of life. Read MorePhysician Assisted Suicide Should Be Legalized1181 Words   |  5 Pagesenduring the pain because it would be illegal to kill you. A survey taken in the United States has shown that 54% agree to physician assisted suicide or euthanasia. Euthanasia preserves rights of an individual, brings an end to the pain, and provides death with dignity. Even though others may disagree and say that its religiously incorrect, physician assisted suicide should be legalized. In the United States, we have certain human rights and that includes the right to choose to end our lives. UnderRead MorePhysician Assisted Suicide Should Be Legalized943 Words   |  4 Pagesto commit suicide, but his mom resuscitated him both times. Therefore, Danny decided to starve himself to end his suffering once and for all (Grimminck). People such as Danny, cancer, and ALS patients, who are battling terminal illnesses, deserve the right to choose when enough is enough. Physician assisted suicide should be legalized because it’s the compassionate thing to do, people deserve autonomy and because it is a better alternative. People may argue that physician assisted suicide is wrongRead MoreShould Physician Assisted Suicide be Legalized?1343 Words   |  6 PagesPhysician Assisted Suicide Should Be Legalized? Should people have the right to kill themselves if they’re on the verge of dying? People are allowed to kill themselves in everyday life, so why can’t a person who knows that there is no way he will be able recover from his illness choose to end his life on his own terms? Many people don’t support and agree with assisted suicide. Even though many people don’t believe in physician assisted suicide, there are people suffering when they shouldn’t haveRead MorePhysician 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 assisting patients to end their lives. There are many good alternatives to physician-assisted death availableRead MorePhysician Assisted Suicide Should Not Be Legalized2412 Words   |  10 Pagesmonths. Physician-assisted suicide should not be legalized because not only is it unethical overall, but it leads to a slippery slope regarding normalized euthanasia, and power wrongfully resting in the hands of someone else to decide another person’s time of death. It is understandable that one person can go through sufficient amounts of serious pain that they would consider death. There are not a great amount of options one can take, but one in particular is physician-assisted suicide. AccordingRead MorePhysician Assisted Suicide Should Not Be Legalized1763 Words   |  8 PagesPhysician assisted suicide is legal but it is always subject to change. How does this make you feel? Do you agree with this choice or not? There are only 4 states in the U.S. that makes this legal. Oregon, Montana, Washington, and Vermont are the only states that have made this legal in the U.S. People are actually putting their lives into someone else’s hand who mind you gets paid for what they are doing. They are letting someone who is getting paid to do what they are doing decide if theyRead MoreEuthanasia/Physician Assisted Suicide Should Not be Legalized1343 Words   |  6 Pagesforget how euthanasia murdered that beloved man, my grandfather. Euthana sia/Physician assisted suicide should not be legalized in the United States. The definition of murder is â€Å"killing intentionally and with premeditation†, how is euthanasia any different? (Miller) Not only is it morally wrong, but logically and ethically as well. Human life is not anyone’s to take and destroying it is devaluing a gift given to us. â€Å"Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death among Americans† and making it lawful would