End of Life and Quality of Life Issues
Autor: flydallas • August 10, 2014 • Research Paper • 885 Words (4 Pages) • 1,260 Views
END OF LIFE
End of Life and Quality of Life Issues
Michelle Sutton
Ethics and Decision Making in Health Care
1801 N. Greenville Avenue #3232
Richardson, TX 75081
Telephone: 469-766-2904
Email: mssutton02@aol.com
Instructor: Dr. Jeff Ritter
Should Physicians Be Allowed to Assist in Patient Suicide?
Should physicians be allowed to intentionally kill their patients by either assisting in ending the patients life or providing the means to end the patient’s life? A patient should be allowed to naturally due with medicine or medical technology can’t stop the process. It opens a different discussion when the patient is caused to die through assisted suicide. Looking at exactly what physician assisted means, it involves when the physician provides his patient with a means to kill himself. Usually this method occurs by an overdose to the patient or prescription medication.
Should a patient have a right to die with dignity other than their illness reducing them to an invalid? Is prevention of this type a suicide a violation of the patients rights and freedom? A patient should have the right to die with dignity. Oftentimes a patient loses the ability to care of themselves or are unable to perform the daily activities of living. I personally feel that we should die with our pride and dignity in tact. There is also no law that permits any person from the right to committing suicide. Is this justifiable if the patient’s family agrees with the patient to honor their request upon dying?
Is a physician that assists patients with suicide considered guilty of murder? It depends on what side of the argument that you are on. Some feel that the physician should assist terminally ill patients with suicide. Others would say that its not a physicians job to end a patients life but to assist the patient with living. From the patients perspective, they may feel that they are a burden on their family and increasing medical bills. And the patient could also very well lack judgment on making the decision to end his or her life.
Pain and suffering are the common symptoms of reasons why patients want to end their life. They seem to express a desire to die and would like assistance from a physician. This seems like some a cry for help. As explained earlier some patients may feel coerced to die or feel that they wouldn’t want to be a burden to the family member leaving them the worry and anxiety to have to make
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