Reflection 1- Death with Dignity Scenario and Reflection PDF

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Death with Dignity Scenario and Reflection Katherine Do West Coast University Melanie Lavelle PHIL 434- Medical Ethics and Issues September 1, 2021

What are the key points of contention on this topic? The main point of this topic was to inform people about physician-assisted suicide. Physician-assisted suicide “is suicide by a patient facilitated by means (such as a drug prescription) or by information (such as an indication of a lethal dosage) provided by a physician aware of the patient's intent” (Merriam Webster, n.d.) There are many different standpoints on whether physician-assisted suicide should be legal or illegal, and whether it is morally right for doctors to do this process. What side of the argument (stance) do you take on this topic? I believe that people should have the choice of whether or not they want to end their life. I feel this way because people have the right to make their choice on if they want to continue suffering or not. Sometimes bearing through all the pain and suffering is not worth it and they would rather lay to rest. "By adding a voluntary option to the continuum of end-of-life care, these laws give patients dignity, control, and peace of mind during their final days with family and loved ones." (Death with Dignity, 2021) People that are near their time also do not want to feel like a burden to their family. The doctor should listen to their patients because keeping the patient around for the family’s sake would cause a lot of financial burden once the person has passed. What strong points does the other side of this topic have? The strong points the other side had would be the sanctity of life. Many people that are against physician-assisted suicides have religious points of views on life. People that are against PAS believe that life should be protected at all cost and suicide is morally wrong. The people that are opposed to physician-assisted suicides don’t want doctors to play God by ending someone’s

life with intention. They believe that one should pass away of natural causes and not try to end their life before their time is up. The opposing side also believes that doctors are supposed to save lives and not end them. What were the three most important things you took away from the topic? The three most important things I took away from this topic would be to stay aware of what is happening in the medical field. This made me open my eyes because it made me realize that not everyone agrees on certain topics. All things medical advances so fast, so it is best stay current with the rules and laws. Another thing I learned from this was that physician-assisted dying is not available/legal in most states. This is due to it being unethical/non-moral. The last thing would be going through PAS doesn’t mean a painless death. Depending on each patient, the medication varies and it won’t always be a peaceful death. Which ethic theory would you apply to this topic to defend your stance? The ethic theory I would apply to this topic would be utilitarian. Utilitarian’s would believe in this because going through physician-assisted suicide enables the patient to choose their time of death and the person would die with honor or dignity. I believe physician-assisted death relates to this theory because they are thinking about the effects of their action. This means that they are thinking about their well-being and the well-being of their family. It may seem sad for the patient’s family at first, but they need to realize that their family member is no longer suffering.

References Death with dignity acts - states that allow assisted death. Death With Dignity. (2021, April 7). https://deathwithdignity.org/learn/death-with-dignity-acts/. Merriam Webster. (n.d.). physician-assisted suicide. The Merriam-Webster.Com Dictionary. Retrieved August 30, 2021, from https://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/physician-assisted%20suicide...