My Ethical Views on Physician Assisted Suicide Essay

My Ethical Views on Physician Assisted Suicide Physician assisted suicide is immoral in the case of people who are alive and desire to terminate their life. However, there are extreme cases when hastening the dying process is justified in the circumstances of individuals who are in intense physical impairment. Physician-assisted suicide is defined as the practice where a physician provides a patient with a lethal dose of medication, upon the patients request, which the patient desires to use to end his or her life. The Harvard Medical School conferred that we are dead when there is permanent loss of consciousness in the higher brain, even though one may not be flat lined.†¦show more content†¦Improperly managed physical symptoms can add to physician error and end a life too early when an individuals suffering can be eased in other manners that could prolong life. Death is one of the most feared experiences a person will ever face. The suffering that is associated with death may outweigh the actual suffering the patient feels, and doctors may overlook this due to the faà §ade the patient may play in order to exercise their right to die. Another aspect of physician assisted suicide is this procedure devalues the lives of those who are disabled. A family may feel that it would ease their financial burden if their loved one committed suicide and desired to aid them in the process. However, if those are not the true wishes of the individual, how can we put a price on a persons life, the only chance we will ever have to partake in this experience? For a medical doctor, there is a sense of obligation to the individual to ease their suffering. The conflicting problem is that the assisted suicides cannot be effectively and properly regulated; the lines are too fuzzy as to where we can draw the limitations. A rights ethicist would argue the moral questions that it is the duty of physicians to do no harm#8230;and those rules are justified by reference to a general conception of personal and social welfare. The rights that are weighed desire to balance the risks to be taken against the possible good that could be attained throughShow MoreRelatedEthical Considerations in Dealing with Changes in the Healthcare System929 Words   |  4 Pagessociety, ethical considerations are becoming a major factor in dealing with changes in the healthcare system. A topic of consideration 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. The topic of physician-assisted suicide has beenRead MoreThe Ethical Issue Of Physician Assisted Suicid e1580 Words   |  7 Pagesvice and virtue, this paper explores the relevance of Aristotle’s moral philosophy in modern day and will be applied to the contemporary ethical issue surrounding physician assisted suicide. By exploring Aristotle’s work through primary and secondary sources, this paper will discuss the greater good and happiness as it relates to not only the patient or physician, but as a member of a greater social circle and that of society because to Aristotle the role of the individual is less important than theirRead MoreThe Ethics of Euthanasia Essay1742 Words   |  7 Pagesmisery, however in the state of North Carolina, physician-assisted suicide is illegal. Luckily, her father passed away this year and is finally free of pain and suffering. However, if physician-assisted suicide was legal, her father would not have had to suffer as long as he did. Before we explore the sides of physician-assisted suicide, let’s go over exactly what physician-assisted suicide entails. When the topic of physician-assisted suicide comes up, many individuals believe it is the sameRead MoreWhat Is Black And White Anymore? Death With Dignity Laws994 Words   |  4 Pagesmentally competent, terminally ill adults to request a prescription medication from their physician for hastening their death. Commonly also described as physician-assisted suicide, Physician-assisted dying, aid in dying, or medical aid-in-dying. (death with dignity, n.d.) This includes clearly the establishment of the needed knowledge intentionally as well as knowingly to an individual so that he or she can commit suicide. This knowledge may involve counseling the person on the lethal drug doses in termsRead MoreThe Ethical Considerations Of Ethics1132 Words   |  5 PagesEthical Considerations Ethics is one of the most important considerations when making a decision about end of life. It is also where the most controversy lies as arguments, using ethical theories, can be made for and against laws on end of life. â€Å"Ethics has at least two primary functions: to guide our actions, and to provide justification for the guidance given† (Schuklenk et al., 2011, p. 42). A duty-oriented ethicist would be against euthanasia and physician assisted death. They believe â€Å"weRead MoreSymptoms And Treatment Of Terminally Ill Patient Essay1612 Words   |  7 Pagestheir loved ones linger in pain and physician-assisted suicide provides this exact opportunity for the patient to truly experience and cherishes the last moments, painlessly. A terminally ill patient should be able to decide whether or not they want to continue fighting, especially when they feel that the suffering is not worth the fight anymore. No one should make that decision for them or prohibit them fro m making it. Consider that physician-assisted suicide brings the patient an end to pain andRead MorePhysician Assisted Suicide Should Be Legal935 Words   |  4 Pagesdiscusses the ethics of physician-assisted suicide. In the process of physician-assisted suicide, a doctor purposefully provides a terminally ill patient with the means to take their own life. This is often confused with active euthanasia; however, they are not the same thing. In euthanasia, the doctor administers the lethal drug to the patient, but in physician-assisted suicide, the patient must take the lethal drugs themselves. There is much debate over physician-assisted suicide today. Some peopleRead MoreA Death Of One s Own968 Words   |  4 Pagesmake decisions on his own. All of these individuals present different, yet similar issues regarding end of their life care. This film describes the importance of advance directives, the arguments surrounding physician assisted suicide, and this prompted me to form my own opinion on preparing my own directives and thoughts on these tough decisions. This film explains the legal role of advance directives in end of life issues. An advance directive is â€Å"a written document directing how medicalRead MoreNew Client. Professor__. English___. 2/28/17. The Implications1182 Words   |  5 Pagesdebate regarding the rights of an individual to make that choice. The article â€Å"A Doctor-Assisted Disaster for Medicine† loosely examines the negative implications of assisted suicide laws on patients. Toffler’s article sheds light upon how the law has changed the relationship between patients and their medical provider. Toffler suggests that many individuals are forcefully driven to pursue physician assisted suicide as treatment. In result, many mentally ill patients are wrongfully admitted to a procedureRead MorePhysician Assisted Suicide And Euthanasia1707 Words   |  7 PagesPhysician-assisted suicide or PAS are deaths caused by a lethal dose of drug, such as barbiturate, that is prescribed by a physician. The physician does not administer the drug; instead, the patient is responsible for getting the prescribed drug in the pharmacy and taking the medication to end his or her life. This alternative option applies to patients who can make informed decision, suffer from an incurable illness, and experience intolerable symptoms (Canadian Virtual Hospice, 2015)).[Extra bracket]