Doctor-Assisted Suicide
An issue of great controversy boomed in the United States approximately ten years ago. Doctor-assisted suicide was brought to the attention of Americans in the mid-1980s, but did not become the issue it is today until the nineties. The question of whether to "live the remainder of one's life in pain or die with dignity," became apparent. The idea that physicians could prescribe medication to terminally ill patients to end their suffering for good by putting them to rest was presented. This idea struck some Americans as opportunity for relief, and others as an appalling violation of morals....and the controversy began. Doctor-assisted suicide has repeatedly shown up on ballots across the country for the past ten years. However, because of the complexity of the issue a consistent decision has not been reached or followed for any length of time. Doctor-assisted suicide is not as simple as one may think. It is not just a physician prescribing pills to any unhappy, ordinary Joe. There are general guidelines to the process. The guidelines may differ from state to state, but the main ideas are the same. Major guidelines are: The patient must be terminally ill, which can be defined as having no more t
If the idea of allowing doctor's to assist in their patients' suicide is adopted throughout the nation there is the possibility the law could expand. This is one thing Americans fear. Some feel that if doctor-assisted suicide is accepted it will soon be available for anyone instead of just the terminally ill. They are afraid that someone will easily be able to end their own life because they are unhappy with the cards life has dealt them. On the other side of that there are the consequences of the law not being approved. If doctor-assisted suicide is not approved many people will suffer. They will live every minute of their lives in excruciating pain and have to endure the hardships of a long, drawn-out death. There is also the possibility that more and more people will begin to take suicide into their own hands and do it illegally. Doctor-assisted suicide is always going to be controversial. There are too many moral issues and details involved for it not to be. There is no way to get all the groups in the country to agree. The issue involves such a serious end result that there are many strong opinions out there. With doctor-assisted suicide there will always be at least two counter opinions. For every argument there is a counter argument and it all depends on perspective. han six months to live; At least two independent physicians must agree on the diagnosis and prognosis of the patient; There must be a mental health examination that proves the patient to be mentally stable; and Civil and criminal immunities are provided to any parties assisting the patient, as long as all rules are followed. One group, called The Hemlock Society, is really what began this controversy. They were the first ones to present the issue of doctor-assisted suicide. Derek Humphry founded the Hemlock Society in 1980. It is the oldest and largest organization of it's kind, consisting of over 27,000 members from across the Unite
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Approximate Word count = 1307
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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