Download Euthanasia and Physician Assisted Suicide

Euthanasia and Physician Assisted Suicide ( speech)
Euthanasia and Physician assisted suicide is the most controversial issues of the
legal and medical profession. Euthanasia (“a good death by Greek definition) is the
painless ending of a person’s life for reasons of mercy.1Physician assisted suicide is the
act in which a physician provides the means for suicide, usually a prescription for a
lethal dose of drugs, to someone who is terminally or incurably ill. The patient must take
the final action that causes his or her death such as swallowing the drugs2. But what
about euthanasia constitutes a good death? Is it a good and painless death when the life in
someone’s body is squeezed from them due to lethal drugs? Many feel that euthanasia is
a great alternative to end the suffering in one’s last day. Other’s feel the euthanasia is a
sin, that it directly violates the rights of the patient, as well as their religious beliefs. Yet
many feel as I do, that euthanasia if legalized is immoral, unconstitutional, and would
harm society. This form is considered homicide in all states excluding Oregon who
passed the “Death with Dignity Act” in 1994. ( read Power point presentation) slides 1-8
The Act legalizes physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill people under certain
conditions, this law required that the Oregon Health Division was to collect information
about the patients and physician’s who participate in legal physician assisted suicide and
publish an annual –statistical report. Yet on the other hand Washington state as well as
many other states passed laws that banned all forms of euthanasia and physician assisted
suicide as illegal.
1
2
The American Heritage Dictionary 4th edition, Pg 279
Euthanasia contempory issues 2002
This would entail removing life support, stopping medical procedures,
medications, and not performing CPR basically allowing the person to die. This is usually
carried out on the terminally ill or those who are in a persistent vegetative state i.e.
massive brain damage, as well as those who are in a coma. Many people are in favor of
passive euthanasia because it simply allows the person to die naturally. Yet there are
people who feel that it is a violation of the right to live. In this case a patient should have
a living will stating how they would like to be treated in such cases. (read slides from
(10-13))
An advance directive is any of several types of legal documents that competent
adults may is to state their wishes about health care decisions to be made on their behalf
if they become incompetent. And a living will is a legal document in which a competent
adult specifies medical treatments to be given or withheld if he or she becomes
incompetent, in other words a form of an Advance directive. Those documents are
ignored and the right of the patient is violated. The primary cause of death in both forms
of euthanasia is lethal dosages of morphine through and intravenous drip.
What is the reasoning that people use when they decide that their life
should be ended promptly? Some might decide because they are and have been depressed
over a long period of time, chronic pain because of a terminal illness and they feel that
it’s better to die quickly than waste way and last many realize that they will die soon and
want control over the process. But what about euthanasia and PAS is moral? I firmly and
whole heartedly believe that it’s immoral illegal and would harm society
For example take passive Involuntary euthanasia the patient has expressed his/her
will to live through various legal documents such as a living will and advance directives.
Yet the doctor and family members stop all forms of life support and violate the patients
expressed will to live at all costs. Secondly euthanasia directly violates medical ethics. A
prime example would be the very well known Hippocratic Oath, which is supposed to
have been written by the Greek physician Hippocrates who lived during the fourth
century it is still considered a major statement of medical ethics and physicians often
recite it when graduating from medical school. The Hippocratic Oath states: “I will use
treatment to help the sick according to my ability and judgment…I will not give poison to
anyone asked for it now will I make a suggestion to that effect.”3 Meaning that in all
forms of euthanasia active passive voluntary and involuntary is a direct violation of this
oath which is the standard of all medical ethics.
Now weather euthanasia is constitutional and should be legalized is an issue that
courts in the U.S. face constantly.
Further more in Quill v. Vacco Chief justice Rehnquist explained how PAS is
legally and morally different from medical practices of letting die both in the intention of
the actors and the causality of their actions. In the case of Nancy Cruzan the justices
decided that homicide and suicide are excluded from medical practice. From the
perspectives of the Supreme Court all of the justice’s feel and believe like that of the
country the Euthanasia and PAS is unconstitutional because it is a direct violation of the
patient’s rights.
In all actuality the legalization of assisted suicide would have a enormous impact on
those who can not speak for them selves and those who have an interest in the demise of
the patient would benefit. For example who is to protect the poor child without insurance
from being killed by his doctor because he is a burden to the state and hospital? Even the
Rich man who can afford the high cast of health insurance but because the cost of an
3
Physician Assisted suicide, “physician assisted suicide is immoral” issue 5, Suimasy Daniel p.
extended stay in the hospital the his insurance company tells the doctor who is being paid
by the insurance company end his patient ‘s life despite his will to live in a sense the
insurance company become active lobbyist who dictate how the lives of a patients and the
care of the patient is carried out. And trust me the Insurance companies are going for
what ever is cheaper and the Doctor’s will listen to who ever is shelling out the most
money. Not only will the lives of the innocent but the privileged will be at risk all who
are created equal under the declaration of independence but because of the social
standing one is favored over the other and in fact nether of the patients who both deserve
the same treatment are even given a chance to heal and become will. And isn’t it the Job
of the doctor to help and heal a patient with whatever cost or mean not to aid in their
demise. And no one ever thought that it is shown thought hasty that there has been mass
genocides such as the Nazi extermination of Jews the genocide of affricans in the Sudan
all of these and more are considered extreme forms of euthanasia and yet if the law states
that a fetus passed the third trimester is a viable tissue and that the killing of the fetus is
homicide than so is the termination of the life of one who has organs blood and can think
which is way past the third trimester Then the killing of a human who is fully alive to
some extent is absolutely considered homicide.
In closing the truth about euthanasia and Physician assisted suicide is that in all
actually, if killing a childs is homicide then so is the untimely murder of an adult or child.
Plus who is to distinguish the difference between PAS and murder of a family member
for the benefits of insurance .Lastly the right to live and the will to live and the will to
love is a strong urge than that of the dying. But in all actuality it is the doctor’s job to
preserve life not to take it. As the Hippocratic Oath states … I will use treatement to help
the sick according to my ability and judgment … I will not give poison to anyone who
asked for it nor will I make a suggestion to that effect. Then that is how true wholesome
medicine should be practiced.