Physician Assisted Suicide

There are several benefits associated with physician assisted suicide, one of the principal reasons for assisted suicide is that it alleviates suffering for those with a chronic illness. There are so many patients out there suffering from chronic illnesses such as cancer, stroke, heart disease and countless other illnesses. There gets to a point when the doctors are no longer able to treat the conditions and the patient essentially gets put on comfort care. For assisted suicide to become legal, there is a certain protocol that the Commission on Assisted Dying stated the states must follow. Some aspects of this protocol are that the patient has to be terminally ill and mentally stable and they have to want this decision for themselves, (Sanders, …show more content…
The patient must also have a prognosis of less than 6 months, that way it confirms that the patient won’t likely heal. Oregon was the first state to pass this law and results show that the majority of patients that have requested assisted suicide have been those with chronic illnesses, on hospice care such as those with cancer (death with dignity). The patients who have received this have been well-educated on the topic and are certain that this is what they wanted. Patients have the right to choose the health care that they want, they can choose whether or not they want a certain procedure and can also deny health care that they don’t believe in. Assisted suicide should be seen as a treatment these patients are choosing, rather than a death. As health care workers, we want the patient to have the most peaceful and desirable death possible. These patients have been suffering from a disease that has taken over their life, they begin to feel hopeless and as though they have no control, “Rather, data from Oregon indicates that 80-90% of those who initiate the protocol cite loss of control and loss of dignity as major factors contributing to their decision” (death with …show more content…
These illnesses can eventually lead to not only physical deterioration, but also mental deterioration. With some diseases, the patient completely loses who they are, forgetting who their family is and who they are themselves, “Disease can ravage the mind and body, rendering a person unrecognizable to him or herself and to loved ones” (Diloreto, 2000). When someone is no longer able to function how they used to be and can’t carry out the roles that they have such as being a parent, spouse, or friend, they aren’t living their life to its full potential. Giving assisted death as an option could make it not only easier for the patient, but their family as well because they won’t have to watch their loved one slowly deteriorate and they would know that it is what the patient wanted for themselves. There is a lot of controversy on whether certain health care providers would feel comfortable with assisting in a suicide, if medically assisted suicide were to become legal, it would still be the physician’s choice whether or not they want to do

Show More