| dc.description.abstract | This work intends to defend the need for the United States to adopted a law such as Holland’s Euthanasia Law to ensure the best possible medical interventions and options are provided to all. Medicine gives those who can receive it, the ability to improve their health and overall life. However, for those who are suffering from a terminal illness or incurable disease, it can only offer them a degree of comfort. Though for some of those suffering, comfort isn't enough and instead, they desire to end their life. This desire is something that should be considered a natural right for everyone however, currently Physician aid in dying or assisted suicide, is only legal in the states of Washington, Oregon, California, Vermont and Bernalillo County, New Mexico. The need for physician-assisted suicides or physician aid-in-dying, has long been a debated topic. What has failed to be realized though, is some providers already participate in some form or type of aiding their patients in dying. They allow for other types of end-of-life interventions to occur such as withdrawal of live support like mechanical ventilation, and refusal of artificial nutrition and hydration, and treatments are legal in the USA and less controversial in our society. However, there is no true difference in the patient deciding when to die and with a provider/family deciding to remove the patient from support? In this paper, the major focus is on the evidence that supports the need for physician aid-in-dying. Oregon was the first state to enact the Death with Dignity Act in October of 1997 and data shows the growth of support for physician-assisted suicides has continued to increase. Furthermore, with the continuing climb in healthcare costs, the need for physician-assisted suicides has never been more apparent.
Keywords: Autonomy, physician-assisted suicide, physician aid-in-dying, terminally ill, right to die. | en_US |
