The Death With Dignity Act and Physician Assisted Suicide Essay

The termination With Dignity work on and Physician Assisted Suicide creationAccording to the American Medical Association (1996), physician-assisted self-annihilation (PAS) occurs when a physician facilitates a unhurrieds death by providing either the means or the information necessary to aid in the patient performing the life- prohibiting act. PAS has had a long and arguable history dating back to the ancient Greeks and Romans. They believed that there was no reason to prolong life if continued pain and suffering was the only prognosis. The term euthanasia, in fact, stems from the Greek meaning a good death. It was non until Hippocrates and his Hippocratic Oath, cautioning against deadly medicine towards patients, that a different view was seen. Early Christians held the opinion that suicide or martyrdom was an honorable or noble end to wholenesss life, a way to make the ultimate sacrifice for God. Countering that view, Augustine of Hippo condemned suicide as existence a mo rtal sin, going against Gods law of Thou shall non kill. As medicine has evolved and progressed exp adeptntially since those ancient whiles, lives may very well hit from an increase in length but may non always equate to an increase in the quality of life. PAS is one possible solution to this dilemma, albeit one with many ethical and sanctioned debates concerning it. Literary reviewPresently, PAS is legal in the United States in three states - Oregon, which was the first in 1997, and then Washington and meitnerium both following in 2009. The Death with Dignity Act (DWDA) was proposed in 1994 in Oregon as a way for physicians to legally assist terminally ill individuals who wished to end their suffering and choose their own time of death. It was initially stalled in the Fed... ...doption of such measures as the DWDA are a real possibility. When that time comes, nurses allow surely find themselves dealing with this issue more frequently. redden though it may be legal at that point, the nurse will be the one who has to decide as an individual their personal interpretation of the primary care for concept of to do no harm. Works CitedCode of ethics for nurses. (2001). Retrieved from www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/EthicsStandards/CodeofEthicsforNurses/Code-of-Ethics.pdfLachman, V. (2010). Physician-assisted suicide Compassionate liberation or murder?. MEDSURG Nursing, 19(2), 121-125.Rose, T. (2007). Physician-assisted suicide Development, status, and nursing perspectives. Journal Of Nursing Law, 11(3), 141-151.Volker, D. (2007). The Oregon experience with assisted suicide. Journal Of Nursing Law, 11(3), 152-162. The Death With Dignity Act and Physician Assisted Suicide EssayThe Death With Dignity Act and Physician Assisted SuicideIntroductionAccording to the American Medical Association (1996), physician-assisted suicide (PAS) occurs when a physician facilitates a patients death by providing either the means or the information n ecessary to aid in the patient performing the life-ending act. PAS has had a long and controversial history dating back to the ancient Greeks and Romans. They believed that there was no reason to prolong life if continued pain and suffering was the only prognosis. The term euthanasia, in fact, stems from the Greek meaning a good death. It was not until Hippocrates and his Hippocratic Oath, cautioning against deadly medicine towards patients, that a different view was seen. Early Christians held the opinion that suicide or martyrdom was an honorable or noble end to ones life, a way to make the ultimate sacrifice for God. Countering that view, Augustine of Hippo condemned suicide as being a mortal sin, going against Gods law of Thou shall not kill. As medicine has evolved and progressed exponentially since those ancient times, lives may very well benefit from an increase in length but may not always equate to an increase in the quality of life. PAS is one possible solution to this dil emma, albeit one with many ethical and legal debates concerning it. Literary reviewPresently, PAS is legal in the United States in three states - Oregon, which was the first in 1997, and then Washington and Montana both following in 2009. The Death with Dignity Act (DWDA) was proposed in 1994 in Oregon as a way for physicians to legally assist terminally ill individuals who wished to end their suffering and choose their own time of death. It was initially stalled in the Fed... ...doption of such measures as the DWDA are a real possibility. When that time comes, nurses will surely find themselves dealing with this issue more frequently. Even though it may be legal at that point, the nurse will be the one who has to decide as an individual their personal interpretation of the basic nursing concept of to do no harm. Works CitedCode of ethics for nurses. (2001). Retrieved from www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/EthicsStandards/CodeofEthicsforNurses/Code-of-Ethics.pdfLachman, V. (2010). Physician-assisted suicide Compassionate liberation or murder?. MEDSURG Nursing, 19(2), 121-125.Rose, T. (2007). Physician-assisted suicide Development, status, and nursing perspectives. Journal Of Nursing Law, 11(3), 141-151.Volker, D. (2007). The Oregon experience with assisted suicide. Journal Of Nursing Law, 11(3), 152-162.