Essay on Terminally Ill Patients and Physician Assisted...

Terminally Ill Patients and Physician Assisted Suicide For hundreds of years a doctor was sworn into practice with the Oath of Hippocrates. Although in the present time parts of the oath have oath has come into question on how they should be interrupted. To do no harm, the question is what does one consider harm? With our modern technology in medicine our medical community has the ability to prolong a persons life for quite awhile. So the question now is to prolong a persons life that is suffering or basically alive from life support harmful? Or is ending that persons suffering harmful? Death is just another part of life. We are born, we live and then we die. But who is the one that decides when, where and how we die?†¦show more content†¦A lot of people say that with acceptable amounts of pain medication that the need or want to die will be removed from the patients mind. Some advocates for patients rights say that patients are people and not cases. They need to be cared for emotionally, spiritually, and medically if possible. It is the doctors responsibility to maintain a persons life until their body can no longer function despite efforts from the medical staff#8230;. or is that really what their responsibilities consist of? There of course is a point where it no longer becomes feasible to keep someone on life support. The financial, emotional, and physical burden on the patient and family members is overwhelming. Should it be expected of them to keep up that sort of care when there is no hope for recovery? Of course not! that is the first thing my conscience tells me to say. So is it not harmful to keep those who are in great pain and /or are terminally ill alive? Who are we with our medical technology the judges on how long a person or family should suffer because of our personal or moral beliefs? I once heard it said that when someone was ready to die they did despite the attempts by the physicians. So should we use our time and money to try to prolong the suffering of someone who i s ready to go or should we provide them with the means they request to content them at their final end? I personally feel that this is not a social responsibility or a legalShow MoreRelatedPhysician Assisted Suicide For Terminally Ill Patients1814 Words   |  8 Pageschanges the outlook on life, leaving the choice of either living life to an inevitably painful death or ending the suffering by seeking a different medical option. A person who is terminally ill requires rigorous treatments to slow down the process of death, but there is an alternative option. Physician-assisted suicide continues to gain attention and is being legalized across the world. The process in the United States is slower, yet a few states have already authorized it. People undermine thisRead MorePhysician Assisted Suicide Should Be Legal1325 Words   |  6 PagesThe topic of physician-assisted suicide has become very controversial because of the ethical questions. The physical state of health of the patient , the patient’s personal life, and even the financial pressure of the patient are all factors to consider when contemplating whether or not to legalize this controversial cause of death. Physician-assisted suicide regarding medical ethics states that a physician cannot legally give any patient a lethal injection to end their life, but they can take theRead MoreAssisted Suicide Should Be Legal Essay1490 Words   |  6 PagesThe process of assisted suicide, or physician-assisted death, is a hotly debated topic that still remains at the forefront of many national discussions today. Assisted suicide can be described as the suicide of patient by a physician-prescribed dose of legal drugs. 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Terminally ill patients go through massive amounts of medication, all sorts of therapy, and unimaginable pain. Because of this, the patient will often ask their physician to help them commit suicide. In 2014, Brittany Maynard, 29, was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer and is a known person that died by prescribed lethalRead MorePhysician Assisted Suicide : Controversial Healthcare And Political Realms Alike1218 Words   |  5 Pages Physician-Assisted Suicide Elissa Munoz-Tucker University of Arizona Abstract Physician-assisted suicide is controversial in healthcare and political realms alike. Currently, this end-of-life option is practiced in five states within the United States. Social concerns regarding assisted suicide revolve around ethical quandaries; providing the means to a patient’s death is contradictory to ethical principles of healthcare providers. 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