The case had 14 appeals, numerous motions, petitions and hearings in Florida courts, five suits in the Federal District Court; Florida legislation struck down by the Supreme Court of Florida; a subpoena by a congressional committee in an attempt to qualify Terri for witness protection; federal legislation and four denials of certiorari from the Supreme Court of Florida (Jacoby 2005). The courts continued to hold that Terri was in a permanent vegetative state (PVS), and an autopsy showed that most of Terri's brain had atrophied.
Leeb outlines the responsibility of social workers to be knowledgeable in policy and law concerning end of life decisions. Sensitivity to ethical and moral considerations is also urged. Cultural differences may be encountered in such situations, as well.
A final discussion of the Oregon Death With Dignity Act reminded the reader that the bill is important for having been passed by a majority of the voting public, and for giving terminally ill patients choices about whether they can end their life or not if they wish. The bill reflects the ambivalence of society on the subject of whether an individual has the right to control the time and manner of their death, and whether society needs to upheld sanctity of life at all times.
Dr. Jack Kevorkian
Dr. Jack Kevorkian is currently serving out a 10-25-year sentence for assisting the death of a terminally ill patient in Michigan. In 1987 he advertised in Detroit papers that he would help other ill patients to commit suicide, although he himself would not kill them. He subsequently assisted nearly 100 patients in voluntary euthanasia, by attaching them to a device that released drugs into the patient's system. The patients themselves pushed the button that allowed this to happen. He was hindered in his attempts by the medical profession that revoked his medical license after the first two deaths.
1990 article by Kevorkian was entitled "The Last Fearsome Taboo: Medical Aspects of Planned Death" appeared in Medicine and Law. In it, he argued that modern society, facing the longstanding prohibition against planned death, was "subjected to unrelenting paternalistic control based on moral codes that are rapidly becoming obsolete." He called the medical profession "physically (philosophically) retarded, drifting aimlessly without a coherent or even workable ethical code." It was Kevorkian's theory that the medical profession did not have an ethical code at all, but should because it should allow the death of those who suffer, rather than trying to keep them alive. (Betzold, 1993, p. 14)
In 1998 the broadcast of 60 Minutes featured a film of Kevorkian administering a lethal injection to Thomas Youk, an adult male with full decisional capacity in the final stages of ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) who had provided his fully-informed consent on the day of his death. Following the broadcast, the district attorney brought murder charges against Kevorkian, claiming he had single-handedly caused the death.
Kevorkian had been tried numerous times in Michigan for assisting in suicides, but had been acquitted before the Youk case. He had also gained public support for his cause. In this 1999 case involving the death of Youk, he was charged with second-degree homicide and for delivery of a controlled substance. He was not tried for assisted suicide, which was an area of law in flux, but for homicide, which is an area of law that is relatively fixed. During the trial, Kevorkian dismissed his attorneys and represented himself (pro se). The judge ordered a criminal defense attorney to remain available for information and advice, as Kevorkian encountered great difficulty in presenting evidence and arguments because of his inexperience with law.
The Michigan jury found him guilty as it was proven he had directly killed a person, as his patient was unable to do it himself because of his debilitating illness. On September 29, 2005, MSNBC aired an interview...
A patient can rescind a request at any time and in any manner. The attending physician will also offer the patient an opportunity to rescind his/her request at the end of the 15-day waiting period following the initial request to participate. (Oregon "Death With Dignity" FAQ) Additionally, there are reporting requirements, on the part of the physician. The state has consciously set about to track the utilization of the law
This is based on the theory, posed by citizens, that certain individuals afflicted with terminal illnesses should have the legal right to hasten their death. As a result, individuals that acquire these disabilities often view death as an extremely viable solution. The target population that the Oregon Death with Dignity statute involves are those that are terminally ill. There are both long and short-term effects of the statute on the rest
Death Penalty+ Annotated Bibliography It has been theorized and even proven that many laws that are in place in America are the product of JudeoChristian religious beliefs, practices and writings, that have over the years been toned down to better meet the needs and standards of the U.S. society. There is a clear sense that some penalties for breaking the law have little if any effect on crime committed in the
death: suicide, euthanasia and the death penalty. Looking at certain aspects of each and discussing the issues concerning society. Also providing a sociological out look and economic basis for the arguments. Death: Three Chances Suicide is not a new phenomenon it has been around as long as mankind. The causes of suicide have been discussed on many occasions, and different theories have merged regarding the reason for which someone would commit
The United States is one of the few industrialized, democratic nations in the world which still permits capital punishment on a state-by-state basis. Not all states have the death penalty but executions are still carried out in the United States and the punishment remains controversial. Despite the singularity of its status internationally, the death penalty has historically been a popular policy in the United States, even though it has been hotly
Sometimes history needs to be rewritten so as to comport with modern sensibilities. Today, we live in an era where the average life span has been increases as a result of modern technology; however, sometimes our lives our being prolonged (e.g. given more quantity) at the expense of quality of life. The founding fathers of our nation did not have such technological and ideological issues to debate. In fact,
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