Physician Assisted Suicide Arguments Both Sides
Introduction: Why Is Physician-Assisted Death Controversial?
Physician-assisted suicide, or physician-assisted death, is now legal in four American states as well as in several countries including Canada and the Netherlands (Appelbaum. 2016). Generally, physician-assisted death applies to patients diagnosed with a terminal illness. The request to terminate the life prematurely is based on the patient’s tremendous suffering. In Canada, for example, “pphysicians whose patients disclose a wish to die must always be listening for underlying deep sorrow,” (Chochinov, 2016, p. 253). However, it can be difficult if not impossible to determine whether a patient’s expression of sorrow is temporary, influenced by physical pain or exacerbated by underlying mental illness. Physician-assisted suicide can also be framed as a moral issue, with some physicians claiming that assisting a patient to die goes against the tenets of the medical profession (American Medical Association, 2018). This paper uses two scholarly articles to evaluate the two opposing views on the ethics of physician-assisted death.
Presentation of Argument In Favor of Physician-Assisted Death
In an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Quill, Back & Block (2016) argue that physician-assisted death is justifiable under certain circumstances. The authors use a case study to prove their point that physician-assisted suicide is not a black-or-white...
References
American Medical Association (2018). Physician-assisted suicide. https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering- care/physician-assisted-suicide
Appelbaum, P.S. (2016). Physician-assisted death for patients with mental disorders. JAMA Psychiatry. 2016;73(4):325-326. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2015.2890
Chochinov, H.M. (2016). Physician-assisted death in Canada. JAMA. 2016;315(3):253-254. doi:10.1001/jama.2015.17435
Death with Dignity (n.d.). Terminology of assisted dying. https://www.deathwithdignity.org/terminology/
Quill, T.E., Back, A.L. & Block, S.D. (2016). Responding to patients requesting physician-assisted death. JAMA. 2016;315(3):245-246. doi:10.1001/jama.2015.16210
Whitcomb, D. (2018). California judge tosses state’s physician-assisted suicide law. Reuters. May 15, 2018. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-california-assistedsuicide/california-judge-tosses-states- physician-assisted-suicide-law-idUSKCN1IH00B
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 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
Physician-assisted suicide is a humane approach to dying and should be adopted legally in all states. Anyone who is terminally ill should have the right to choose how they die, specifically since they face death every day. Physician-assisted suicide is no more harmful than other methods of patient care that address patients needs, rights and desires. Given the fact that most terminally ill patients have a limited life to live,
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
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
Perhaps the most reasonable objection to physician-assisted suicide relates to the subjective element of quality of life and the degree to which that perception (on the part of the patient) is susceptible to temporary influence, such as from clinical depression or temporary physical pain or disability. To overcome that objection, it would be necessary to outline objective principles and guidelines capable of allowing physician-assisted suicide in justifiable situations while
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now