On November 1st 2014, Brittany Maynard laid in bed surrounded by loved ones. She had chosen this day to drink the fatal dose of medication she was prescribed. She no longer wanted to suffer from head and neck pains, surgeries, seizures, and stroke like symptoms she endured from her terminal brain cancer. She had to leave her home state and make a whole new life in Oregon months prior. She states,” I had to find new physicians, establish residency in Portland, search for a new home, obtain a new driver 's license, change my voter registration and enlist people to take care of our animals, and my husband, Dan, had to take a leave of absence from his job.” (5,12). Assisted Suicide also known as The Death with Dignity Act allows terminally ill patients to end their lives through the voluntary self-administration of lethal mediations, prescribed by a physician (2, 119). Assisted suicide is how Brittany Maynard chose to end her life of pain and suffering. I believe that Physician Assistance suicide should be a legal option for terminally ill patients. I am going to explain to you four major arguments on why it should be a legal option for terminally ill patients. The first argument is that the Death with Dignity Act allows terminally ill patients to die peacefully instead of suffer. The second argument is that it has strict precautions on getting it; therefore not just anyone can use it. The third argument is that healthcare costs can be reduced, and the fourth argument is that healthy organs can be donated. I will also tell you three objections on why others believe it should not be a legal option. The first objection is that it this act will allow elderly and the mentally and physically handicapped to kill themselves. The second objection is some say that this act violates the physician’s oath and would give them too much power. The third objection is that government and insurance companies may put undue pressure on doctors to avoid heroic measures or recommend the assisted-suicide process, and the fourth objection is that miracles and recovery can occur. The first argument the Death with Dignity Act if enacted, would allow terminally ill patients to die peacefully instead of suffering for months or even years.
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Taylor Purvis from Yale University states, “Americans should enjoy a right guaranteed in the European Declaration of Human Rights – the right not to be forced to suffer” (1, 268). This act is not enabled in our own state of Wisconsin. This means if you were ever diagnosed with a terminal illness you would have to move to Oregon, Washington, California, Vermont, or Montana to die peacefully. Christopher Coopes states, “From 2007-2011, an average of 30,200 residents were diagnosed with invasive cancers each year and more than 11,000 residents died of these diseases annually” (3, 37). This is just cancer alone, not all terminal illness in Wisconsin. These people sit in hospital beds and suffer through pain for months or even years. These people should be able to die peacefully on their own terms. The first objection is that some say that this allows anyone to kill themselves and this it is a slippery slope to murder. Colleen Scanlon states, “assisted suicide is a halfway house, a stop on the way to other forms of direct euthanasia” (4, 1411). The author of the source believes that this will lead to suicide in the elderly and the mentally and physically challenged in the future. He thinks that one day these types of people will be able to commit suicide with assistance. They are wrong though because the elderly and the mentally or physically handicapped are not diagnosed with a terminal illness; therefore they will not be allowed to get the prescription for assisted suicide. There is a long process in order to get the prescription that I will explain to you in the next paragraph, including having a terminal illness that will lead to death within six months. The elderly and mentally or physically handicapped have no timeline on when they are going to die. Some elderly patients may make it to one hundred years old along with some mentally or physically handicapped. The second argument is that there
Taylor Purvis from Yale University states, “Americans should enjoy a right guaranteed in the European Declaration of Human Rights – the right not to be forced to suffer” (1, 268). This act is not enabled in our own state of Wisconsin. This means if you were ever diagnosed with a terminal illness you would have to move to Oregon, Washington, California, Vermont, or Montana to die peacefully. Christopher Coopes states, “From 2007-2011, an average of 30,200 residents were diagnosed with invasive cancers each year and more than 11,000 residents died of these diseases annually” (3, 37). This is just cancer alone, not all terminal illness in Wisconsin. These people sit in hospital beds and suffer through pain for months or even years. These people should be able to die peacefully on their own terms. The first objection is that some say that this allows anyone to kill themselves and this it is a slippery slope to murder. Colleen Scanlon states, “assisted suicide is a halfway house, a stop on the way to other forms of direct euthanasia” (4, 1411). The author of the source believes that this will lead to suicide in the elderly and the mentally and physically challenged in the future. He thinks that one day these types of people will be able to commit suicide with assistance. They are wrong though because the elderly and the mentally or physically handicapped are not diagnosed with a terminal illness; therefore they will not be allowed to get the prescription for assisted suicide. There is a long process in order to get the prescription that I will explain to you in the next paragraph, including having a terminal illness that will lead to death within six months. The elderly and mentally or physically handicapped have no timeline on when they are going to die. Some elderly patients may make it to one hundred years old along with some mentally or physically handicapped. The second argument is that there