Because so many other countries in the world look toward the Netherlands and their assisted suicide policies, medical officials there continually review and revise (if necessary) the guidelines to keep stringent watch over physicians and patients. Many other countries that are considering their own assisted suicide laws keep track of what happens in the Netherlands, and alter their own legislation accordingly.
The Netherlands policies are not perfect, but they indicate that a terminally ill patient who wants to die with dignity has the right to do so, and that practices regulating the system can work, and work effectively. Other countries, such as Columbia, have legalized physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill patients, and the Northwest Territories in Australia briefly legalized it, and then banned it again. Many Australians are working to legalize it again.
Here in America, many people believe physician-assisted suicide is a viable option for the terminally ill. A New York Times editorial stated, "Many patients would welcome the option of ending intense and hopeless suffering with the help of a skilled physician who can insure a professional approach'" (Palmer 107), and many American doctors agree. University of Washington doctors Braddock and Tonelli state, "Surveys of individual physicians show that half believe that PAS is ethically justifiable in certain cases. [...] Surveys of physicians in practice show that about 1 in 5 will receive a request for PAS sometime in their career. Somewhere between 5-20% of those requests are eventually honored" (Braddock and Tonelli). Thus, the issue of physician-assisted suicide is never far from the surface in America. Until we take a firm stand on this issue, and allow physicians to aid their terminally ill patients, countless Americans...
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
Assisted suicide is a suicide committed by someone with assistance from someone other than themselves, many times a Physician. Assisted suicide is typically delivered by lethal injection. The drugs are setup and provided to the patient and the patient has the choice as to when they deliver them by pressing a button themselves. This is a controversial topic that has both proponents and opponents for various the reasons. The most
Physician-Assisted Suicide Every person has basic rights to their own health and well-being. However, during tough times when an individual is suffering dramatically, there are ethical concerns whether or not they should be allowed to commit suicide with no other options. Although this is a patients' right to autonomy, it becomes unethical for a physician to assist in such demands, as physicians have a moral obligation to perform with beneficence and
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
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 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,
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