Understanding The Details Of Physician Aided Death

By Ruthie Calderon


Death is not something that people like to dwell on, especially their own. Assisted suicide is a topic of controversy in many regions. This refers to suicide that is committed with the support, such as information and supplies, of physicians. Sometimes this is called physician aided death and the doctors who do it intentionally provide their patients with the means to kill themselves.

This kind of aid might come in varying forms. Typically it involves the doctors given patient counsel about dosages of drugs that are lethal. They may go beyond this by prescribing this dosage or supply to the individual. This type of assistance in death is not the same as euthanasia or mercy killings. A key difference is that these involve physicians administering the lethal dosage to patients.

Patients consent to and request this type of death. Generally, they self-administer what is needed to die. Many consider or choose this option. This brings up topics like ethics, religion, law, society and morals because it is essentially suicide and murder.

It might be hard for people to understand why a person might choose to die in this matter. Most people who feel this way have a life-limiting or chronic illness. They may have lost hope in living a happy life again or having control. The pain and discomfort cannot be fixed through what is offered in modern medicine. The request of aided death may be the only way a person feels that he or she has control again. They can decide on when and how they die.

This is a legal practice in certain regions, including Japan, Australia and Columbia. Most other areas have outlawed this controversial practice. People who are in pain and suffering greatly might feel as if this in the only solution they have. They might even welcome death, despite the wishes of their loved ones.

A lot of patients who are in these situations want an improved quality of life. They might feel as if they cannot achieve it. Sometimes the physical suffering is just too much. They may be frustrated knowing there are no solutions available to them, no treatments that doctors can give them to make them better. In some cases, they already have a shortened life expectancy and waiting around to die is not ideal.

Opponents often note medical ethics, prejudices against disabled, roles of medical physicians, slippery slope argument, public safety and religious ethics. It is recommended that people learn all that they can about this by doing their research. Numerous resources provide information on the topic, including the arguments placed by opponents and proponents. The stories of people who have chosen this may also be used for educational purposes.

Knowledge is key when it comes to forming an opinion on this. Many do not agree with this, but many do. Those who disagree may not know what it feels like to have the mental and physical struggle that people who make this decision have. They are often chronically and terminally ill, and feel hopeless. Suicide, in any form, may be difficult for people to accept.




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