¶ … Power to Kill
Ethics in modern medicine are still grounded in a document that is thousands of years old: the Hippocratic Oath. The Hippocratic Oath states, "I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody who asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect," (Tyson 1). Clearly, the Hippocratic Oath warns against the practice of physician-assisted suicide or euthanasia. Physician-assisted suicide is generally considered to be against the tenets of practicing medicine, because medicine is supposed to heal, not kill. In spite of this fact, several American states including California, Oregon, Washington, and Vermont have legalized the practice of physician-assisted suicide. The legalization follows a modern modification of the ancient Hippocratic Oath, which is not used in every American hospital but which does allow for the possibility of euthanasia (Tyson). Although it seems like a compassionate means of resolving pain, there are several reasons to oppose legalized euthanasia. One reason is medicine itself: pain can be alleviated through means other than dying. New techniques and treatments provide the means by which to provide relief without ending a person's life. Another reason is that doctors should not be in the position of "playing god," and euthanasia empowers doctors in unprecedented and dangerous ways.
Proponents of physician-assisted suicide usually claim that the practice is a last resort for people experiencing chronic pain and who have been terminal illnesses. As Zeldin points out, even in countries like the Netherlands and Belgium, where physician-assisted suicide is...
Physician-Assisted Suicide: The Kantian View Thanks to modern developments in medical technology, people in advanced countries today live longer and stay healthy until they are relatively older. The technology, however, also allows some people to hasten their death and make it relatively pain-free. As a result, many patients suffering from unbearable pain of certain incurable illnesses from time to time ask their physicians to help them commit suicide. Any physician who
Physician-Assisted Suicide, And Active Euthanasia In Favor of the Moral Permissibility of Active Physician-Assisted Suicide According to Mappes and DeGrazia, Brock's support for voluntary active euthanasia is largely based on two ethical values that he regards fundamental (402). The values in this case include the well-being of an individual and individual autonomy or self-determination. Self-determination according to Brock has got to do with letting individuals chart their own destiny, that is, allowing
Physician-Assisted Suicide Should it be permissible for one to take his life? Previously and now in many cultures, suicide has been considered as a best option in some certain situations of life. For example, in flashback we see Cato the Younger took away his life instead of living under Caesar. For stoics, suicide was a preferred and rational act and there was nothing immoral in suicide instead it was a best option
In an article in the British journal Lancet, the doctor stated that he liked Helen right off the bat, and then issued this statement: The thought of Helen dying so soon was almost too much to bear… on the other hand, I found even worse the thought of disappointing this family. If I backed out, they'd feel about me the way they had about their previous doctor, that I had
At the very least, those that hold different opinions on physician-assisted suicide should agree that medical treatment must never be at odds with moral treatment. Even though medical treatment is specialized and often differs from the way human beings usually treat each other, medical treatment should never be placed in the position where it goes against the basic moral ideals of how human beings should treat each other. As pointed out,
Physician-Assisted Suicide A Review of Relevant Literature and Popular Opinion Physician-assisted suicide has become a hot topic of late and many people think it is about these physicians becoming killers. This is not true, however, despite the opinions that many hold. The main problem is that many feel that physician-assisted suicide will give doctors too much control over the deaths of their terminally ill patients. This is not the case, however, as
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