Consider the practice of physician assisted suicide. Explain whether or not this practice is ethical and why. If you believe it is, explain what requirements should be met before such a request be granted (age, terminal diagnosis, level of pain, etc.)
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Write My Essay For MePhysician-Assisted Suicide
Physician-assisted suicide refers to the act of intentionally killing oneself with the help of a healthcare professional. It is a practice that is carried out on terminally ill patients who are suffering from chronic pain and require around the clock pain medication to get by. Therefore, it offers relief not | PLACE YOUR ORDER NOW AT writtask.com | pain (Sulmasy & Mueller, 2017). Physician-assisted suicide also gives the patient autonomy over their health and quality of life by giving them a chance to end their life painlessly and peacefully. I believe that it is an ethical practice since it fulfills the requirement of beneficence, a fundamental principle in healthcare.
While it is an ethical practice, several requirements need to be met for physician-assisted | PLACE YOUR ORDER NOW AT writtask.com | as terminally ill, meaning that they have less than six months to live, and there is no hope for a cure. Secondly, the patient should be of sound mind when making the request. They should have the mental agility to understand the consequences of what they are asking for and what they are planning to do (Emanuel et al., 2016).
Thirdly, the patient has to make two verbal requests, which should be two | PLACE YOUR ORDER NOW AT writtask.com | or she has to make a written request in the presence of two witnesses and two doctors. The two doctors that should witness the process are consulting and attending doctors. They are responsible for verifying that the patient meets all the set criteria and qualifies for the procedure.
References
Emanuel, E. J., Onwuteaka-Philipsen, B. D., Urwin, J. W., & Cohen, J. (2016). Attitudes and practices of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Jama, 316(1), 79-90. 10.1001/jama.2016.8499
Sulmasy, L. S., & Mueller, P. S. (2017). Ethics and the legalization of physician-assisted suicide: An American College of Physicians position paper. Annals of Internal Medicine, 167(8), 576-578. https://doi.org/10.7326/M17-0938