Preview

Euthanasia Or Physician Assisted Suicide

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
956 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Euthanasia Or Physician Assisted Suicide
When talking about either Euthanasia or Physician-assisted suicide it is considered taboo and it is not with a so-called normal and sane persons reasoning. The issue is that we really don’t know much about it or what pain that the person who has chosen one of these path to come to the decision to end their life on what can be on their own terms. I personally never been affected this or known anyone who has been affected by the controversial subject. When it comes to how I might personally feel about the issue, I am always pro-choice. People should have the right to make their own choice if they are mentally competent in doing so. Not all choices might be good choices but this is where helping services come into play. Euthanasia is a deliberate …show more content…
Most religions disapprove of euthanasia and there are those that forbid it. The Roman Catholic Church is one of the most active at the opposition of euthanasia. There are many reasons for religions to oppose euthanasia. There are religious views such as God has forbidden it; Human life is sacred and special. Hinduism and Buddhism see life as part of a cycle in which we are born, live, die and reborn over again. The goal is to be liberated from this cycle and every time you reset the cycle you are making progress towards liberation. This issue has a big relation to the field of social work because there will be times when you will have to step in when a client is considering physician-assisted suicide or euthanasia. Since there are not many states that this type of action is legal, you as a social worker will have to give the best care possible. I believe that there will questions ask about this issue and maybe you will not feel that it is your duty to help a client in end his or her life. Being a social worker you will have to put your own views and beliefs aside in order to give the best care …show more content…
European court held this ban for assisted suicide in order to protect those that are vulnerable. There were cases of husbands assisting with suicide and they were not prosecuted but Mr. Pretty did not want to risk. In English law a person who aids, abets, counsels or procures the suicide of another can receive a punishment up to 14 years in prison (Freeman, M. 2002). Unfortunately, Diane died from her illness before the decision could be made. When counseling a person who has decided to end their life by physician-assisted suicide or euthanasia. There are a few things as a social worker you want to cover in order to give proper care. I would take steps like finding out the legality issues with this type of decision since there are states that it is illegal to perform and the state that currently resides in it is not legal. Evaluate the mental state of the client to ensure that the client is capable to making this type of decision. I want to stay neutral with this type of case and I want the client to make the right choice for him or her if they are deemed competent and

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    I believe that the reason physician assisted suicide is such a controversial issue is because people don't make wills that tell hospitals what they want to be done with their body in case certain unfortunate things are to happen to them. This leaves their families arguing amongst each other and the hospitals on what is the right thing to do for the patient. Personally, I don't believe that somebody should be on life support if they can't even feel,think, or eat on their own. All it is, is torchering their body by making it stay in one position at all times. For example, the Terri Schiavo case in Florida, she was on a feeding tube for about 15 years because her family believed that she was still…

    • 301 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Physician assisted suicide, or PAS, is a procedure which involves a doctor knowingly and intentionally providing a person with the knowledge or means to commit suicide. Including the counseling of a lethal doses of drugs, prescribing such lethal doses or supplying the drugs. Should these physicians assisted suicide method be legal? If a person has the mental ability to make decisions regarding their health care, then they have every right to be able to make that choice. When a person is given the option to choice whether or not they live or die, it gives them the chance to die with a sense of dignity and pride. There has been many different opinions and discussions when it comes to the topic of whether or not assisted suicide should be legal,…

    • 1342 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Laws against euthanasia and assisted suicide are in place to prevent abuse and to protect people from unscrupulous doctors and others. They are not, and never have been, intended to make anyone suffer. Activists often claim that laws against euthanasia and assisted suicide are government mandated suffering. This claim would be similar to saying that laws against selling contaminated food are government mandated starvation. In a society as obsessed with the costs of health care and the principle of utility, the dangers of the slippery slope are far from fantasy.…

    • 912 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Euthanasia is the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable disease which is cutting a person’s life too short. The concept of physician assisted suicide always provokes a moral predicament for many people all over the world, mostly because it gives someone the freedom to choose whether to live or die. Euthanasia has been debated for many years, on one hand people believe euthanasia is a negative action because suicide is not a way out, but on the other hand people also believe assisted suicide is the only option for a patient who suffers from great pain that will only get worse. Euthanasia or physician assisted suicide should be legalized and people shouldn’t worry about whether or not if they feel it’s immoral or not.…

    • 2132 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Euthanasia is very controversial and in most countries illegal. Even though it is illegal there are a lot of people who think that it should be legalized. Euthanasia is when a medical professional administers medicine that will end the patient`s life. People would make the option to have this done if they were suffering or if they had someone in their life who come make the decision for them when they could not , then that person would. This would put them out of their misery and they would pass away shortly after.…

    • 1136 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    most others. Some examples of people being against it would be that it demeans the value of human life, which the human life could have many different views as people understand the concept of actually doing it. Anyway, in many cases, many religions do not allow the potential suicide and the killing of others. Also it would violate the Hippocratic doctors oath. Some people also believe that someday a miracle might actually happen. Lastly people think that doctors are given too much power, and by some miracle might be wrong or unethical. Also people think that assisted suicide could be mandated for economic reasons. Wesley J. Smith, a consultant for the International Task Force on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide, said that he could explain in three words why people should oppose physician assisted suicide, he said HMO, which in English terms means Health Maintenance Organization. People don’t realize the costs of the drugs they are taking in an assisted…

    • 1218 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    1). Physicians have sworn an oath which does not allow them to take part in the killing of people. Individuals against euthanasia believe that physicians should not take part in directly causing death because they will not be able to keep it under control. Euthanasia would never be legalized without regulations and controls in place. If euthanasia were legalized then doctors would not be breaking any oaths or laws. Physicians are knowledgeable professionals who can provide their patients with all of the information needed to make an informed decision. Physicians should be treated with respect and not judged when they have not done nothing for you to think otherwise. The option of euthanasia would only be given to those who are terminally ill so that they can make their own decision and not prolong suffering and pain for themselves and their families. Gibson explains that “human life is sacred and it is wrong to kill another human” (2008, para. 3). Those against euthanasia believe that it devalues human life and we should only “[do] unto others as we would have others do unto us” (Gibson, 2008, para. 7). Euthanasia gives patients the freedom and respect to make one final decision in their life when they are not able to make any others. This actually shows that they value their life enough to not suffer unnecessarily. They want other to remember them when they were happy and not in pain. Euthanasia can also give patients a chance to donate organs which again shows that they really do value human…

    • 991 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Jack Kevorkian also known as “Dr. Death,” a name given to him due to his efforts in helping over 130 terminally ill people commit suicide, was one of the first physicians to make euthanasia and physicians-assisted suicide (PAS) what it is today. Since the 1990’s his methods have been criticized by many due to evidence showing that some patients were not terminally ill. He was a pioneer and it is due to his efforts that PAS is becoming more accepted today. He invented different devices to perform PAS, note Dr. Kevorkian was not the one to “flip the switch” that began this lethal process, which took only six minutes; instead it was the patient, aware of the timer that would release potassium chloride after they became unconscious, who started the process. Dr. Kevorkian wanted to give people the option choose between living in pain or putting an end to it in their own terms.…

    • 2906 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Physician Assisted Suicide

    • 2492 Words
    • 10 Pages

    In the medical field there are massive amounts of treatments for various diseases. Some treatments are going to help the patient feel more comfortable; however, some are going to counteract the problem, and others are going to help kill the patient. Physician assisted suicide is defined by medterms.com as “the voluntary termination of one 's own life by administration of a lethal substance with the direct or indirect assistance of a physician.” Any person wishing to undergo assisted suicide in Oregon must be at least 18 years of age and have a terminal illness. This illness must be within its final stages and leave the patient with less than six months to live. Within these six months a patient can request the treatment, but must orally request twice, and provide a written request once as well. In order to receive this treatment, however, a second physician must give a second opinion on the length the patient has to live. In her article, “Physician-Assisted Suicide: Compassionate Liberation or Murder?” Vicki Lachman talks about the option that patients have to request a lethal dosage of medication. She explores the moral conscience of nurses, the ethical and moral issues, and the legal issues that surround a patient’s request for lethal dosages.…

    • 2492 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    End of life medical issues are a very sensitive subject for doctors, patients, and family members. Some support the patients’ right to terminate their own life. Euthanasia loosely called physician assisted suicide is when one takes deliberate action to end life when faced with persistent suffering and certain death (Medical News Today, 2012).Many feel that patients should not have to suffer unjustly when faced with serious pain and debilitating illness. Often times it is just as difficult for family members to stand by and watch loved ones suffer. As someone that has witnessed both my grandmothers die on hospice care in the last six months, I know that watching someone die can be more painful than losing them all together. With as much compassion as I have for people in pain, I do not believe people have the right to end their lives whenever they chose. I oppose euthanasia and physician assisted suicide (PAS) because I believe that it is a doctor’s duty to keep patients alive, it may create financial and ethical issues when it comes to patients and insurance companies, and God should be the only one who decides when ones journey has been completed.…

    • 844 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    In the United States and countries all over the world, the topic of assisted suicide or euthanasia has become highly controversial because it is hard for people determine if it is moral or not. This became more known and debated about in the public eye in the early ninety’s by the actions of Doctor Jack Kevorkian. He assisted in the deaths of over 130 terminally ill patients all while being in the public spotlight. Assisted suicide is defined as the process by which an individual, who may otherwise be incapable, is provided with the means (drugs or equipment) to commit suicide. In some cases, the terms “aid in dying” or “death in dignity” are preferred. Many patients that are terminally ill have to suffer serious and unbearable pain day in and day out and can do nothing but try and tame the pain until their time is up. Everybody who lives wants to live their life with dignity, and in turn die with dignity. This is being prevented by prolonging the pain and suffering of the patient’s life. It should be the decision of the person whose life it is to determine whether or not they are still actually living with dignity and choose if they want to continue to suffer, affecting not only them but they’re families as well. There are only three states in the U.S. in which assisted suicide is legal, and they have a very rigid guideline to determine who qualifies as terminally ill. The first state to pass a pro euthanasia law was Oregon, followed by Washington and Montana. I believe more states should adopt similar laws because it allows patients who truly desire to end their life in dignity to do so, along with preventing patients that aren’t terminally ill and don’t fit the strict requirements from engaging in physician assisted suicide. The right to die is a fundamental freedom of all people and so is the right to end suffering, which is why it should be legalized and not frowned upon in the eyes of society.…

    • 1862 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Physician Assisted Suicide

    • 1180 Words
    • 5 Pages

    1. Imagine yourself lying in bed in constant pain, not even physically able to stand up or roll yourself over. Now imagine living through that agonizing pain every day for months. That is the sad reality of many terminally ill patients around the US, as well as the world.…

    • 1180 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Physician Assisted Suicide seems will always be an ethical issue in the medical community. People are either for it or against it. A few weeks ago during the election, the state of Massachusetts voted to allow this issue. This did not pass. Physician Assisted Suicide can come in two forms; the doctor administering medication or the doctor giving the medication to the patient. Both are considered going against the law of upholding a person’s life. Physician Assisted Suicide should not be performed; it is illegal except in one state (Oregon) and goes against the Hippocratic Oath that a doctor recites when they pass the medical boards. It is just wrong to perform this act.…

    • 884 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Physician Assisted Suicide

    • 7664 Words
    • 31 Pages

    In today's society, one of the most controversial issues is physician-assisted suicide for the terminally ill. Many people feel that it is wrong for people, regardless of their health condition, to ask their health care provider to end their life; while others feel it is their right to be able to choose how and when they die. When a physician is asked to help a patient into death, they have many responsibilities that come along with that single question. Among those responsibilities are: providing valid information as to the terminal illness the patient is suffering, educating the patient as to what their final options may be, making the decision of whether or not to help the patient into death, and also if they do decide to help, providing the lethal dose of medication that will end the patient's life. For those who believe physician-assisted suicide should be their choice, they feel it should be legalized because: they don't want to go through the suffering caused by the terminal illness; they fear the loss of their autonomy (independence); becoming a burden to their family or friends, and also the fear of dying alone. One the other hand those opposed to assisted suicide feel it goes against religious beliefs and medical ethics. They also believe that there is always the possibility that a miracle will occur and the patient will overcome the illness and also that the doctor could have provided the wrong prognosis/diagnosis to the patient. The strongest reason against physician-assisted suicide has been the idea that if assisted suicide becomes legal, it will get out of hand and target certain people in society, such as those with disabilities, or certain races.…

    • 7664 Words
    • 31 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Physician assisted suicide (PAS) should be protected by law as a right to patients that suffer from a life threatening illness, or pain so severe that they are unable to function as a happy human being. One could argue that forcing someone to remain alive in such conditions is torture, and denying the patient his natural right to die. As far as ethics go, it should not be a question of whether it is right or wrong to commit suicide, the patient will do that if he wants it badly enough. The question at hand is why any person would allow another to suffer in ways unthinkable, when there is a way for them to die peacefully. Whether the question is of the rights of the physician, the rights of the patient, or the ethics of the act, it should remain an option for any terminal patient.…

    • 698 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics