Physician Assisted Suicide Case Study

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Abstract This essay dissects the intricate ethical and legal barriers surrounding an individual's right to die. The tragic story of Nancy Cruzan, who lingered in a persistent vegetative state after a traumatic automobile accident. This essay reflects on the limits of medical intervention, an incompetent individual’s ability to consent to decisions, and what happens if they are incapable. While acknowledging the emotional toll and complexity of this situation, this essay attempts to explain the necessity for judicial impartiality grounded in law and fact.

Cruzan V. Director, Missouri Department of Health, 1990 Every individual should have access to life saving medical assistance, no matter their situation. No one should be denied the right to live for their age, gender, race, or viewpoint. However, …show more content…
Cruzan V., Director, Missouri Department of Health, illuminated the complex ethical and legal considerations surrounding an individual’s right to die and the use of artificial life support. In 1983, Nancy Beth Cruzan was driving an automobile when she lost control and was ejected approximately 35 feet from the vehicle. Upon arrival, paramedics restored a heartbeat and were able to get an accurate indication of a pulse, but were not successful in getting her to react to any mental stimulation. Doctors discovered shortly later that her cerebral cortex was damaged, and that she would not be able to advance to a higher brain function than her current “persistent vegetative state.” The patient was kept alive via artificial nutrition and hydration from a life support machine belonging to the Missouri Department of Health. Cruzan’s parents requested authorization from the state court system to take their daughter off of artificial life support. The court then ruled that someone in a state such as Cruzan’s, had a right to choose whether they wanted to prolong their life using

Physician Assisted Suicide Case Study

some opt to allow nature to take its’ course, others seek a faster and far less painful method. Euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide can help those who wish to minimize their suffering and is a choice I believe individuals should have. Dr. Jack Kevorkian was a physician and pathologist who resided in the state of Michigan. An avid and outspoken supporter of euthanasia or assisted suicide, Kevorkian earned the moniker, “Doctor…

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Physician Assisted Suicide Case Study

The days of not sleeping, the buildup of anxiety, stress, guilt and the thought of not being good enough, allowed the thought of suicide to play around in her mind. The overwhelming sense of disappointment and the urge for an escape lead her to the medicine cabinet; she has lost all hope. She watches the pills, watches away, watches them again but walks away. Suddenly, the negative…

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Physician Assisted Suicide Case Study

This paper intends to argue that Pat’s driving accident is more punishable even though it is a clear case of circumstantial moral luck. According to Nagel, moral luck is present whenever we judge others due to a particular event that is not completely under their control (P. 2). In this scenario, Pat was not in control of Muff, the poodle that suddenly crossed the road when he was driving. At first glance, Pat and John must have the same sentence since the only difference in their incidents is not…

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Physician Assisted Suicide Case Study

eighteen year old, White, upper class, male who lives with his parents and attends high school. Presenting problem: Client has expressed a desire to “be more in control.” Following the accidental death of his older brother, the client attempted suicide and was subsequently hospitalized. His desire for “more control” stems from the helplessness that he felt during the traumatic event as well as his perceived lack of interpersonal control and his inability to regulate his emotions as he returns to…

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Physician Assisted Suicide Case Study

between refusing medical treatment and physician-assisted suicide. According to Chemerinsky, the Court distinguished that a person who refuses a medical treatment would die from the underlying disease, letting nature takes its course, while a person requesting physician assistance to die by obtaining a lethal medication would die from the medication (887). The Court emphasized the line between the withdrawal of medical treatment and physician-assisted suicide are significantly distinct from one another…

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Physician Assisted Suicide Case Study

“Someone call 911”, I said, when I saw a girl fall down the stairs lying unconscious. The nurse at Rockdale County High School assisted with the situation. My friend Fred and I held her so she wouldn’t hurt herself any more than had already been done. The nurse notified us that this girl has epilepsy (meaning that a person has had two or more seizures, but it’s not contagious & is not caused by mental illness or mental retardation). I didn’t pay too much attention to what the nurse was saying because…

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Physician Assisted Suicide Case Study

Ganzini, 2011). The right to die or physician-assisted suicide has an impact on the ethics of end-of-life medical patients, vulnerable patients, medical professionals, and society (Snyder, 2001). This policy does change the standards that are set in medical care. Physician-assisted suicide has been prohibited by the medical code ethics because it does not adhere to the concept of beneficence and nonmaleficence (Snyder, 2001). This policy contradicts the role of physicians to protect, provide care and treat…

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Physician Assisted Suicide Case Study

Thesis: Physician assisted suicide should be a fundamental right under the New Mexico Constitution for competent adults who are terminally ill and in the final stages of their illness to end the suffering and die with dignity. Morris v. Brandenburg, is a New Mexico case that focuses on physician assisted suicide. The plaintiffs are Dr. Katherine Morris, Dr. Aroop Mangalik, and uterine cancer patient, Aja Riggs. The plaintiffs argue in favor of physician assisted suicide saying the New Mexico…

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Physician Assisted Suicide Case Study

The report by investigator Richard McElrea says that Smith’s constant battle to satisfy tough sales targets was liable for the Great Depression that ultimately resulted to his suicide. The bank employee’s medical condition was triggered by stress, and therefore the principal explanation for stress was his work. Smith was still and receiving treatment for depression at the time of his death. Smith 1st developed his depressive health…

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Aphasia And Physician-Assisted Suicide Case Study

the capability to read, write, make inquiries and commands reveals the significance. Much of this skill exists in in the left hemisphere of the brain, thus if damage occurs, language is altered. The patient in the case analysis, Mr. Brown displays an acquired condition, the case study reveals he inherited a deformity of his vascular system, surgery was vital because any defects can progress rapidly with age. From prior knowledge, surgery is risky concerning the arteries and blood vessels, as a result…

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