Physician-assisted Suicide is Murder Essay - 3584 Words

Jeanette Hall once had the desire to die; a desire so strong, she even asked her doctor for help. Jeanette lives in Oregon, where assisted suicide is legal. On July 17, 2000, Jeanette was rushed to the Portland hospital only to be given a maximum time of survival: six months. She had been diagnosed with an inoperable form of colon cancer. Jeanette had a fear of losing her job, not being able to care for her loved ones, paying hospital bills, and suffering. It was her choice to die and was prepared to reject chemotherapy and radiation, but thankfully, Jeanette’s doctor, Dr. Kenneth Stevens, encouraged her to fight. Jeanette claims, â€Å"If he [Dr. Stevens] believed in physician-assisted suicide, I would not be here 13 years later to†¦show more content†¦The difference between the two methods is the initiation or act of death; euthanasia, the doctor initiates death, whereas in physician-assisted suicide, the patient willingly takes the medication, therefore, committin g suicide with the help of the doctor’s prescription (Marker 1). Because euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide are relatively similar in purpose and function, they will be used in correlation to each other when discussing the use and concerns. With states having the option to choose legalization, the few that have the law in place limit its use to terminally ill patients (Ardelt 5). Terminal illness is defined as a disease that cannot be cured or adequately treated and is expected to result in death of the patient within a short time (Benjamin 4). Most recent is Vermont, which legalized assisted suicide in May 2013, making legalization relevant to today’s society and issues with the possibility of more states legalizing these methods (Benjamin 3). With millions of patients being diagnosed with terminal illnesses, such as cancer, heart disease, and fatal accidents, both those patients and their families are exposed to the compelling aspects of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide (Swarte 2). Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide should not be legalized in the United States due to safety concerns, economic challenges, and society’s outlook on theseShow MoreRelatedPhysician Assisted Suicide is Murder E ssay1061 Words   |  5 Pagestake a life away. No person nor doctor should perform assisted suicide, it is taking away the most incredible thing we experience: life.    Those who support euthanasia may believe it is okay to practice this so called type of medicine, because their patients are terminally ill and by ending their life, they are not ending some beautiful gift but instead ending the patient’s misery. Another argument by people in favor of assisted suicide is that if the patient and the family both agree, thenRead More Physician-Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia are Murder Essay1903 Words   |  8 PagesEuthanasia is Murder      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On June 4, 1990, Janet Adkins committed suicide. She killed herself under the supervision of a man named Jack Kevorkian. Again and again, Kevorkian set up machines and killed patients that were supposedly terminally ill. He escaped punishment for years, but on March 26, 1999, Kevorkian was incarcerated for second-degree murder. (Online,99) He had developed many friends and many enemies. One of his followers was a woman who had developed coronary artery disease. HerRead MoreEssay about Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide are Murder995 Words   |  4 PagesAssisted Suicide is Murder    If suicide is a right, then it is one that has remained undiscovered throughout the ages by the great thinkers in law, ethics, philosophy and theology. It appears nowhere in the Bible or the Koran or the Talmud. Committing suicide wasnt a right a thousand years ago, and it isnt one now. Thats why most societies, including our own, have passed laws against it (Callahan, pg. 71). Assisted suicide is murder! In all of history, there are only three circumstancesRead More Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide: Nice Words for Murder2054 Words   |  9 Pages12 days later (on the day after Christmas) she died. Note well, she did not die of the coma. She died of starvation. She was 33. Or consider Dr. Jack Kevorkian, who let Janet Adkins, a 54 year old sufferer of early Alzheimers, use his homemade suicide machine to kill herself. She pushed a button which released lethal fluids into her body. He has likewise administered death to dozens of others. Is this the direction we want our society to go? Is life valuable only when it is healthy? Are we theRead MoreThe Rights Of Physician Assisted Suicide1347 Words   |  6 PagesThe Right to Die By: Antony Makhlouf Antony Makhlouf PHR 102-006 Contemporary Moral Issues Final Paper The Right to Die Physician-assisted suicide, also known as euthanasia, has been a hot topic as of late. If you do not know what this is, physician-assisted suicide is the taking of ones life. This usually occurs when a patient is in a irreversible state, and must live through a tube. With multiple cases occurring in the past, current and the more to occur the in the future, this looksRead MorePhysician Assisted Suicide Should Be Legal1325 Words   |  6 PagesThe topic of physician-assisted suicide has become very controversial because of the ethical questions. The physical state of health of the patient, the patient’s personal life, and even the financial pressure of the patient are all factors to consider when contemplating whether or not to legalize this controversial cause of death. Physician-assisted suicide regarding medical ethics states that a physician cannot legally give any patient a lethal injection to end their life, but they can take theRead MoreEthics of Euthanasia Essay1475 W ords   |  6 Pagestype of relief from this hardship, even if that relief is suicide. Euthanasia or assisted suicide is where a physician would give a patient an aid in dying. â€Å"Assisted suicide is a controversial medical and ethical issue based on the question of whether, in certain situations, Medical practioners should be allowed to help patients actively determine the time and circumstances of their death† (Lee). â€Å"Arguments for and against assisted suicide (sometimes called the â€Å"right to die† debate) are complicatedRead MoreEthical Considerations in Dealing with Changes in the Healthcare System929 Words   |  4 Pagesconsideration that creates controversial discussion is the subject of physician-assisted suicide. Physician-assisted suicide is described as the act in which a physician provides the means necessary for the client to perform the act of suicide. The issue of physician-assisted suicide is viewed through many different perspectives. T he topic of physician-assisted suicide has been debated since the development of medicine. Physician-assisted suicide was first legalized in the United States in Oregon in 1997.Read MoreAssisted Suicide Should Not be Legalized1633 Words   |  7 PagesAssisted Suicide Should Not Be Legalized Throughout the course of history, death and suffering have been a prominent topic of discussion among people everywhere. Scientists are constantly looking for ways to alleviate and/or cure the pain that comes with the process of dying. Treatments typically focus on pain management and quality of life, and include medication and various types of therapy. When traditional treatments are not able to eliminate pain and suffering or the promise of healing, patientsRead MoreEuthanasia: A Way To Save Patient Lives. Some Argue That1423 Words   |  6 Pagesargue that physician assisted suicide (PAS) or Euthanasia is murder due to the decreasing value of life and the permitting doctors to kill. Societal and law change began first in Oregon, in 1994, when the Death with Dignity Act was passed. This act allows an Oregon resident, that has a terminal illness and fits a specific criteria, to have a lethal dose of medication to end their suffering. To date, five other states have joined Oregon in the legalization of physician assisted suicide in the United