Physicians’ role is not only to preserve life but also …show more content…
(Baumrucker, Stolick, Carter, Mingle & Oertli, 2011) Patients may to choose to request physicians aid in dying to ease or alleviate the tremendous amounts of suffering and pain. When it comes to terminally ill patients with uncontrollable symptoms, what we have at stake is a patient’s perceived loss of dignity and their autonomy. (Ersek, 2005). Some patients may desire to proactively take matters into their own hands and shape the end of their life. For such patients, taking the action to end their life is a better choice than to passively wait for death to occur. (Ersek, 2005).
According to Smith (2011), physician aid in dying should be a right that is granted to all citizens of this country who are suffering from degenerative fatal or very painful conditions causing them to be unable to enjoy or live their lives as other healthy people. (Smith, 2011) There are definitely several debates about this ethical topic and it should not be up to ethicist to determine certain decision for the ill and the infirm. (Smith, 2011) Having access to physician aid in dying lets patients maintain control over their unique situations and to end life in a merciful and an ethical …show more content…
As described earlier, advanced cases of AIDS, cancer and certain terminal illnesses are usually painful and enduring. The patients who are suffering from these illnesses can only survive for a long time due to the use of advanced treatment but often times the treatments themselves can be crippling. The point being made here is that these patients are people who are suffering and do not see a light at the end of the tunnel. These patients are aware that death is close and they are sure that until death arrives, the rest of their time here with us will be spent being in a lot of pain and putting their families through so much pain as well. As a result of this, physician aid in dying will not only alleviate the patient’s pain but also the family’s. (Physician-assisted suicide,