Doctor Assisted Suicide essays

Doctor Assisted Suicide essays Throughout recent years, debate in the U.S. about doctor-assisted suicide has gradually increased. The question of whether or not a physician should be able to assist in the planned death of a fatally sick person has been argued by many different sides. Assisted suicide advocates, such as Right to Die organizations, argue that human beings that are terminally ill should have the right to end their suffering and die with dignity. Opponents of the subject, such as the AMA, claim that the idea is morally wrong and will lead the medical profession to value death, instead of preserving life. The issue of assisted death is widely acknowledged throughout the world. In fact, doctor assisted suicide is legal in the Netherlands as well as the state of Oregon, and the act also takes place illegally in the U.S. and around the rest of the world. Assisted suicide is either prohibited by law or has been prohibited by court rulings in just about every state. Attempts to legalize assisted suicide through voter initiative were defeated in California in 1992 and Washington State in 1991(issues).. Over 20 state legislatures have considered and overpowered similar laws(issues). Oregon's policy on doctor-assisted suicide differs from all other U.S. policies in that it declares the operation legal. The policy is called the Death with Dignity Act. The Death with Dignity Act allows physicians to prescribe qualified patients a fatal dosage of medicine. The patient is qualified when two doctors must judge independently that the patient has six months or less to live, patients must have explored all treatment options, witnesses must affirm that the patient seeks to die willingly and, if a person's mental competence is in question, a psychologist must confirm that the patient is neither mentally incompetent nor depressed (Oregon). When assisted-suicide is made legal many risks and unwanted conditions may become evident. People fear that if the...