Death with Dignity Physician Assisted Suicide Essay

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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 Against



The first article is an opinion piece published by the American Medical Association. While this article is not scholarly and does not even provide a binding or governing tenet for the medical profession, it is nevertheless authored by a credible source. The authors argue that the goal of medical care is to preserve or extend life, not to terminate it.



Premise 1: Physician-assisted dying “would cause more harm than good,” (American Medical Association, 2018, p. 1).



Premise 2: Physician-assisted dying is “fundamentally incompatible with the physician’s role as healer, would be difficult or impossible to control, and would pose serious societal risks,” (American Medical Association, 2018, p. 1).



Conclusion: Physician-assisted suicide is not morally acceptable, even when a person is suffering.

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Evaluation of Article: This article fails to substantiate the primary premises, and offers no evidence or even logical reasoning to support the claims. It is highly likely that the American Medical Association is biased against physician-assisted death because of fears of legal liability and not because of the desire to actually help patients. The American Medical Association counts on its own brand and perceived credibility, but fails to provide adequate evidence or reasoning in favor of their position. For example, the article mentions the need for respecting patient autonomy but does not indicate how patient autonomy can be respected in cases where a person is suffering from an incurable terminal condition.



Article in Favor



An article published by the organization Death with Dignity outlines the terminology used in physician-assisted dying. The purpose of the article is to better inform the public about what is meant by physician-assisted suicide, but ultimately the authors are in favor of legalized physician-assisted….....

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References

American Medical Association (2018). Physician-assisted suicide. https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/physician-assisted-suicide

Death with Dignity (n.d.). Terminology of assisted dying. https://www.deathwithdignity.org/terminology/

Whitcomb, D. (2018). California judge tosses state’s physician-assisted suicide law. Reuters. May 15, 2018. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-california-assistedsuicide/california-judge-tosses-states-physician-assisted-suicide-law-idUSKCN1IH00B

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