Persuasive Essay On Physician Assisted Suicide

Physician assisted suicide is something that has been debated all the way back to 1st century B.C. As opinions back then favored physician assisted suicide, opinions in the 12th-15th century did not support it, with the backup of the hippocratic oath. As the years progressed opinions on this subject flipped back and forth. Today, the opinion on physician assisted suicide is on it’s favor. However, there are only five states that allow this practice.

Is suicide every okay? Most would say definitely not. But if a person has been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer and the only few months of life left that they have will be filled with hospital visits, medications and treatments that only bring more pain? If that person was able to die at home peacefully going to sleep in their own bed with their family, friends and loved ones by their side would that still be viewed as wrong or immoral?

Most people do not think about death very often, or even at all, if they are young, strong, and healthy. For those diagnosed with a terminal illness, those thoughts are always lingering. How will one die is probably the most common thought that runs through people’s mind. Recently, in some states, that question may now have an answer. Currently, in six states, there are new laws that allow aid in dying, also known as physician-assisted suicide.

In 1789, the Constitution was finalized by the people of the United States. Inside, the Constitution states the rights between the individual states and and the central government, known as federalism. Unfortunately, because the terms were so broad, it caused major controversy over multiple subjects, one of them being assisted suicide. If one is terminally ill, should they have the ability to go forward with a physician assisted suicide procedure?

Assisted Suicided Every 16.2 minutes, there are people in the world that take their own life by killing themselves.(Purity, 9) There are are over 40,000 people every year that commit suicide.(Purity, 10) Suicide is the leading cause of death for those of the age of 15-24 years old.(Purity, 13) However, coming up in the media through the last 20 years has been the idea of ending your life by assisted suicide. Assisted suicide is the practice of ending someone 's life.(Newton, 7) A terminal illness is when you have a disease that will end your life within the near future.

Everyone’s life has a start point and an end point. We all feel love, sadness, pain and illness. Some are fortunate enough to never have to deal with a life threating or terminal illness. Others are not as fortunate and must deal with the daily struggles of that illness. On October 27th 1997, Oregon enacted a law that legalized physician- assisted suicide for terminally ill patients.

Every debate is brought about by someone who is willing to do whatever needs to be done to get their side heard. Dr. Jack Kevorkian brought the issue of physician assisted suicide to the forefront of American media during the mid to late 1990s. Kevorkian started out as a physician and became interested in this topic once his mother passed away from cancer. She had no one to help her end her pain and suffering. During Kevorkian’s younger years doctors were even unwilling to prescribe enough pain medication to assist a terminally ill patient with the pain.

The idea of physician assisted suicide is one that has almost always been meet with an uncomfortable stare, even though public opinion has increased since it first became a well known issue in Northern America. Real drive for the movement started in the 70’s when about 53% of the population supported the movement, a large advance from the mere 37% at the start of the 50’s (Drum). As of now, roughly 70% of the entire population support the idea of having the option of Assisted Suicide, yet only four states have passed legislation in the support of ‘Right to Die’ laws. Most of this hesitation to pass the laws is because the ethics behind the idea of assisted suicide have long been viewed as twisted, and this has been because of false information or just a plain lack of knowledge about the subject. Assisted Suicide, no matter how controversial, should be open for the decision ultimately to be that of the individual themselves without the input of anyone else, as the decision to die is the most personal that one can make and should not be skewed by misconceptions or false information.

What is Physician assistant suicide? Physician assistant suicide occurs when a physician facilitates a patient's death by giving the information to enable a patient to overdose. Giving the patient information about the lethal dose knowing the patient might commit suicide. Physician assistant suicide is one of the most ethical issues discussed in the medical field. If a Physician gave a lethal drug it would be euthanasia.

The price to pay for assisted suicide costs a lot more than just money. Some of the elderly or sick people believe that they would become a financial burden to their friends and loved ones. In fact, in one of the states where assisted suicide is allowed, a poll was taken. The poll revealed that 66% of citizens would only consider assisted suicide because of being a financial burden on their loved ones. One person even says “If I had terminal cancer, I had a few weeks to live, I was in tremendous amount of pain - if they just effectively wanted to turn off the switch and legalize that by legalizing euthanasia, I'd want that” (Key).

The Right to Die 1) Introduction a) Thesis statement: Physician assisted suicide offers patients a choice of getting out of their pain and misery, presents a way to help those who are already dead mentally because of how much a disease has taken over them, proves to be a great option in many states its legal in, and puts the family at ease knowing their love one is out of pain. i) The use of physician assisted death is used in many different countries and some states. ii) Many people who chose this option are fighting a terminal illness.

Many people think that there are too many problems with physician assisted suicide. Physician assisted suicide is a procedure that allows physicians to prescribe their patients a lethal medication that they can inject themselves with in order to die on their own terms. There are specific requirements that the patients must meet in order to receive this medication. Physician assisted suicide is only for patients that have life threatening illnesses and do not have much time left to live. It is legal in numerous places around the world including certain places in the United States.

Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide Imagine you are sitting in a courtroom. A member from congress approaches the podium and clears his throat. He announces that congress is passing a new law that states that every single citizens life now belongs to the government. This would take away our basic human right, the property of our very own life.

Euthanasia, also known as assisted suicide, is the act of permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured patients. This is never suggested by the caretaker rather than requested by the patient or their family. Few areas such as the Netherlands have already legalized this practice. This debate, as split as a fork in the road, is over whether or not this approach should be legalized worldwide on stances regarding religion, ethics, and self choice.     I see this as being extremely unethical on both religious and social morality levels.

Everyone has the right to choose to live or die. Death is part of life that can 't be avoided. This is a natural phenomenon in the process of life is birth, aging, illness and death. Euthanasia, in some words "Mercy Killing or Physician assisted Suicide. " Euthanasia is to help patients who despair and cannot be cured to die peacefully and to have free from suffering.