Physician Assisted Suicide in United States - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 785 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2019/06/12 Category Law Essay Level High school Tags: Assisted Suicide Essay Did you like this example? In our modern day of age, we have reached a notable number of medical accomplishments that assist in lengthening the lives of so many individuals. There is a revolution in the science of extending life. We have adopted innovations that can aid of life lengthening devices in the Medical institutions throughout the United States. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Physician Assisted Suicide in United States" essay for you Create order For patients who have a realistic chance of enduring life challenges in relation to an illness or an accident, medical innovations are sciencers greatest gift to mankind. For the terminally ill, however, itrs just a process of drawn out suffering. If you were suffering from an untreatable disease, you are suffering, and wasting away. Would you like the option to pass away on your own term, when you feel you are ready to go, and you have said all your goodbyes? Physician-assisted suicide is the voluntary termination of oners own life by taking lethal medication with the direct or indirect assistance of a physician. Another term for physician-assisted suicide is called active euthanasia. The US Supreme Court believes thatrs banning physician assisted suicide does not violate your personal constitutional rights, when in fact it does (Physician-Assisted Suicide Fast Facts). While physician-assisted suicide is considered immoral and inhumane, a person should have the right to choose when they want to die. If they are able to pass the stable mental and emotional state test, they should have the right, people have the constitutional right to make their own decision at all times, and Physician-assisted suicide is legal in some states but not others. In all of the states that physician assisted suicide is legal there is an end of life act in place. Specifically, in Oregon it is called the Death with Dignity Act. Death with dignity laws, also known as physician-assisted dying or aid-in dying laws, stem from the basic idea that it is the terminally ill people, not government and its interference, politicians and their ideology, or religious leaders and their dogma, who should make their end-of-life decisions and determine how much pain and suffering they should endure (Terminology of Assisted Dying.) Within the Dying with Dignity Laws there are a number of ste ps a person has to go through once they have been approved to carry out the actual act of physician assisted suicide. First and foremost, to qualify for a prescription under the physician assisted dying laws you must be a resident of California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Oregon, Vermont, or Washington. Next, you must be at least 18 years old, mentally competent which means capable of making and communication g your health care decisions and lastly, diagnosed with a terminal illness that will, within reasonable medical judgement, lead to death within six months (How to Access and Use Death with Dignity Laws.) The basic process in which one goes through to obtain the medication after being approved starts with the first oral request followed by the first waiting period then, the second oral request accompanied by the written request, only the District of Columbia, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington have a second waiting period (How to Access and Use Death with Dignity Laws.) Once you have gone through the process and got approved you will get the prescription. Once you get the prescription itrs not all said and done you then have to work with your medication insurance to fulfill the medication. As you read previously, about the steps one has to go through to receive the lethal prescript ion you can tell that they have a very secure process. Yes, it is a difficult and lengthy process, but these states are giving people their right to assisted-suicide. So, why cant we give citizens in all states this right. Six states including California, Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and District of Colombia legalized Physician assisted suicide. Montana is the only state that has legalized physician assisted suicide vis court ruling. Thirty-Six states have laws prohibiting assisted suicide. As found on ProCon.org, Three states including Alabama, Massachusetts, and West Virginia prohibit assisted suicide by common law. The four remaining states have no specific laws regarding assisted suicide (ProCon.org.) More states are considering legalizing physician assisted suicide. Many of the states though are creating their own bills that have different procedures. Assisted suicide advocates work hard at trying to pass bill in all of the states in which physician assisted suicide is illegal. There is a Right-to-Die Movement and advocates like to point out how it is not about a doctorrs decision to end the suffering of a terminally ill, but rather about the decision by a terminally ill person t o end their own life under medical supervision (Heres the Timeline and History of the Right to Die Movement.