Euthanasia is a broad term for physician assisted suicide-taking the life of a hopelessly ill or injured individual in order to end his or her suffering, it represents a serious ethical dilem

A major problem for the rest of the United States to allow physician assisted suicide is the current status of euthanasia in Europe. In Holland, where euthanasia is legal, doctors were responsible for the deaths of 11,800 people in one year, more than one-half without patient request or permission (Dr. Kevorkian’s Final Solution 19). With an astonishing nine percent of all deaths in Holland coming from euthanasia many questions regarding the regulation of physician assisted suicides have been posed. Switzerland also has a death with dignity act that allows the practice of assisted suicide. Unlike most countries, Switzerland has allowed this for over 60 years. It differs greatly from all of the other places that condone assisted suicide in the sense that the actual death can be assisted not only by a doctor but also by the professionals in a group named EXIT, named after the book Final Exit, The Society for Human Dying in Switzerland.

Hippocrates contradicts himself by stating that a physician should follow a regimen, which according to his ability and judgment, he considers for the benefit of his patients. If alleviating the pain and suffering is thought to be in the best interest of the terminally ill patient then there may be no choice but to participate in assisted suicide.

death of a patient (Oath). Therefore, physician assisted suicide of any form is in direct violation of the very code of ethics that all doctors are supposed to obey. The argument against the oath is that

Kevorkian used a machine, dubbed the Meritron, which he devised in 1989. The patient would push a plunger triggering a dosage of sodium penthothal and potassium into their veins (Suicide Machine 7). Another problem with Kevorkian’s assisted suicides was that not all his patients were

On April 15, 1975, Karen Ann Quinlin, who was then 21 years old, was taken ill. She had difficulty breathing and friends had to summon a rescue squad. She was transported to Newton Memorial Hospital in Newton, NJ. She was in an unresponsive state and showed evidence of brain damage. On April 24, 1975 she was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit of St Claire’s Hospital in Danville, NJ. Here she remained until June 9,1976 (Quinlin 3). Before this date her father had been through rigorous court battles in order to be appointed Karen’s legal guardian giving him the power to order doctors to wean her off the respirator back in May of 1976. So on June 9th she was moved into the Morris Nursing Home where her new physician came to the conclusion that Karen would never return from her comatose state to a cognitive state and that there were no circumstances that would warrant the use of heroic or extraordinary measures to prolong her life. Eventually Karen’s body just wound down and she quietly passed away (Quinlin 3).

Some topics in this essay:
Paul II, Death Honor, Mary Schindler, Medical Technicians, Dignity Act, Quill MD, Hemlock Currently, Dying Switzerland, Final Exit, Final Solution, assisted suicide, terminally ill, physician assisted, assisted suicides, physician assisted suicide, showdown 46-47, final exit, death dignity, brain damage, death dignity act, casting 56, die dignity, terminally ill people, book final exit, help terminally ill,