Introduction
Physician-assisted suicide, or physician-assisted death, refers to “the process that allows terminally ill adults to request from their physician, receive from their pharmacist, and take a lethal dose of medication to end their life,” (Death with Dignity, n.d.). Although seemingly similar to euthanasia, physician-assisted death is different in that it tends to refer to situations where the patient does not act with autonomy. Physician-assisted death is still controversial and is illegal in most states. However, Oregon, Washington, Vermont, California, and Colorado have legalized physician-assisted death, and several other states have… Continue Reading...
Topic: Is physician assisted suicide morally acceptable when a person is suffering from a painful, incurable, terminal condition?
Physician-assisted dying has become a contentious issue that pits the rights of the patient for autonomy and self-determination against the principles surrounding the practice of medical care. Seven states have passed laws that allow physicians to help terminally ill patients by offering medications that hasten death (Whitcomb, 2018). However, the American Medical Association and other organizations disapprove of physician-assisted dying. This paper will outline the arguments on both sides, focusing on two online articles.
Article… Continue Reading...
Is physician-assisted suicide ethical if the patient requests medical assistance in terminating his or her own life?
Introduction
In the U.S., the Supreme Court ruled in Washington v. Glucksberg (1997) that physician-assisted suicide is not protected by the Constitution. However, in other parts of the world, physician-assisted suicide is accepted socially and legally; and in the U.S., a patient who is terminally ill may engage in assisted-dying procedures, which are legal in six states and are legally differentiated from suicide (Buiting, Dieden et al., 2009). If one sets aside the legalistic… Continue Reading...
Assignment 1: Is physician-assisted suicide morally acceptable when a person is suffering from a painful, incurable, terminal condition?
Premise 1: Physician-assisted suicide is not morally acceptable under any circumstances.
According to the American Medical Association (2018), “permitting physicians to engage in assisted suicide would ultimately cause more harm than good,” (p. 1). The reasoning behind the AMA’s position is threefold. First, the AMA (2018) claims that physician-assisted suicide is “incompatible with the physician’s role as healer,” (p. 1). Second, the AMA points out that there are too many ways the process can be… Continue Reading...
of life through a greater acceptance of death. A related issue is physician-assisted suicide. When physician-assisted suicide is legal, nurses may have this option presented to them by patients, creating ethical dilemmas. This paper will examine multiple sides of the end-of-life issue, showing that while there is no easy or “right” solution, individual cases should highlight the means by which nurses can always ascribe to their professional duties and the ethical standards of the profession.
Point of View: Quality of Life Over Quantity
Legal Issues
With the exception of physician-assisted suicide laws and liability torts, there are no clear legal guidelines for… Continue Reading...
withdrawal and withholding of treatment to sustain life, hydration and nutrition issues, assisted suicide, and no code decisions (McCabe, M. S. & Coyle, 2014).
It is the responsibility of the acting administrator of an LTC facility to make sure that they maintain an approach that is in line with the ethics of decision making. Further the administrator has to implement decisions that are morally upright (Thorns, 2010). The administrator must have sufficient facts, knowledge, and experience concerning Mrs. Beaudoin’s conditions and the expected outcome. Furthermore, the administrator ought to be willing to collaborate and communicate perfectly with the colleagues in order to… Continue Reading...
