The Ethical Dilemma Of Assisted Suicide - 1626 Words

There is a very controversial ethical dilemma in the realm of medicine. It is the ethical rock bottom to some, while for others it marks an escape from their doomed state. This controversial topic is called â€Å"Physician-Assisted Death†, also sometimes referred to as â€Å"Assisted Suicide†. This issue is often an emotionally charged one, as many patients who request this type of service are terminally ill and wish to die peacefully, without pain, and with their dignity intact. Assisted death is not however legal for anyone who is not terminal, â€Å"if someone has a chronic illness that is not terminal, that individual is not eligible for assisted suicide under any proposal in the U.S., nor under the Oregon Death with Dignity Act.† (Golden, 2014) Many requests for assisted suicide are usually for one of the following reasons: â€Å"Being afraid of what the future may hold, experiencing burnout from unrelenting disease, having the wish and need for control, ex periencing depression, or experiencing extremes of suffering, including refractory pain and other symptoms.† (Pereira, 2011) Our current patient is Mr. William Blake. Mr. Blake is 68 years old, married for 40 years. Father and Grandfather too many children. He is a retired school teacher and Sunday school teacher. Mr. Blake has terminal lung cancer, and does not wish to die at the end of a long and drawn out battle with his disease. Mr. Blake has been healthy most of his life, except for his habit of smoking which has caused himShow MoreRelatedThe Ethical Dilemma of Assisted Suicide for Nurses878 Words   |  4 Pagesin a way that is abiding with the ethical responsibilities of the nursing profession and quality in nursing care. The Code of Ethics has excellent guidelines for how nurses should behave, however; these parameters are not specific. They do not identify what is right and wrong, leaving nurses having to ultimately make that decision. Ethics in nursing involves in dividual interpretation based on personal morals and values. Nursing professionals have the ethical accountability to be altruistic, meaningRead MoreNurse Jackie And Assisted Suicide1364 Words   |  6 PagesJackie and Assisted Suicide Ethical dilemmas exist everywhere around us in everyday situations. Something as simple as picking up a piece of trash off the floor to whether you should use a previously written paper from a separate class for a current assignment in this class. It exists in reality and even on television shows. How, then, do people resolve these ethical dilemmas and how do they defend their decisions? Nurse Jackie is a television series impregnated with ethical dilemmas, especiallyRead MoreEthical Dilemmas Of Utilitarianism And Deontology1368 Words   |  6 PagesSponsler 11/4/15 Ethics Considering Ethical Dilemmas through Utilitarianism and Deontology Kant’s theory of deontology and Mill’s theory of utilitarianism provide starkly different approaches to assigning moral value to ethical dilemmas, two modern dilemmas being commercial surrogacy and physician-assisted suicide. This essay will expound upon the process of deciding moral value within each ethical theory and then apply this decision process to the two ethical dilemmas. Arguments will be posited in supportRead MoreThe Ethics Of Assisted Suicide1526 Words   |  7 PagesAbstract Physician assisted suicide, otherwise noted as â€Å"PAS,† has existed for many years, however has made a controversial appearance in legislation recently. Patients’ and their end of life decisions have shaped the way PAS has been portrayed today. Nurses play an important role in the everyday life of transitioning patients, which places them at the forefront of assisted suicide. Nurses must have clear and defined rules when it applies to assisted suicide, and what they can do if thisRead MoreUtilitarian And Virtue Ethics Of Physician Assisted Suicide1314 Words   |  6 PagesPhysician Assisted Suicide Physician assisted suicide or PAS is a controversial topic in the world today. But the important question is, should physician assisted suicides be allowed in cases such as: the patient’s suffering is far too great and there is no chance of them getting better? This is a highly debated issue, that has activist groups on both sides fighting for what they think is the right thing to do. Physician assisted suicides can stop the excruciating pain a patient is in, especiallyRead MoreThe Ethical Dilemmas Of Euthanasia Essay1638 Words   |  7 PagesThe Ethical Dilemmas of Euthanasia in Canada with the Legalization of Physician-Assisted Suicide This systematic analysis of the professional literature will explore the ethical dilemmas that Canadian medical professionals face while considering euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide, the latter of which was made legal in Canada on June 17, 2016 (Chochinov and Frazee, 2016). This paper will discusses the conflicts that healthcare professionals are faced with when looking at the quality of lifeRead MoreEuthanasia and Assisted Suicide1645 Words   |  7 Pagesphysician-assisted suicide are actions at the core of what it means to be human - the moral and ethical actions that make us who we are, or who we ought to be. Euthanasia, a subject known in the twenty-first century, is subject to many discussions about ethical permissibility, which date back to as far as ancient Greece and Rome. It was not until the Hippocratic School removed the practice of euthanasia and assisted suicide from medical practice. Euthanasia in itself raises many ethical dilemmas – suchRead MoreP hysician Assisted Suicide, When Is It Acceptable?1709 Words   |  7 PagesPhysician-Assisted Suicide, When is it acceptable? Assisted suicide had raised issues of great importance in the society particularly the most controversial of all, the physician assisted suicide in the health care field. Since Oregon and other states implemented the legalization of physician assisted suicide, the debates continues. The U.S. Supreme Court decisions in 1997 and the Pain Relief Promotion Act of 2000 (H.R. 5544) have kept these topics on the policy of the national agenda, along withRead MoreThe Legal Ethics Of Assisted Suicide1130 Words   |  5 Pagessignificant reexamination and for the most part, experience continued support of the legal system. Ethical/Legal Model The issue of assisted suicide places the advanced practice nurse in a precarious ethical and legal position. While the goal of the nurse is to provide care for the patient and to provide appropriate and safe responses to patient requests, assisted suicide is quite the dilemma in regards to a request to perform acts considered illegal with criminal implications and forfeiture of licensureRead MoreThe Ethical Dilemma Of Euthanasia Essay1515 Words   |  7 Pagesthat suffering is so great, the only release from that suffering is death. That is not murder. That is no suicide. That is mercy† (McDonald, 2015) This quote from Lecretia Seales husband helps to put many peoples situations into context when it comes to the debate of euthanasia or assisted suicide. The ethical dilemma in this case is that of Lecretia Seales request to die of assisted suicide in 2015. This deals with a current issue not only as Seales’ appeal to the New Zealand high courts for law