Death with Dignity
By ELLA BROWN
“I’m not afraid of being dead, I am just afraid of what I might have to go through to get there”- Pamela Bone
Today's medical technologies can prolong someone's life, keep someone alive even when their brain is no longer functioning, and increase the likelihood of life for those with heart failures by 37 percent. However, people who suffer from fatal or debilitating diseases often have no hope, but instead, have to go on going suffering. Those who are physically impaired and are incapable of ending their pain and are not offered the option of human euthanasia are being revoked of their basic human right to die. To many people, the idea of death is not terrifying, but rather quite peaceful. Allowing those the option to have a painless death would allow people to live the last of their lives in a peaceful state.
If the only option for someone with a terminal illness is to stay in the hospital paying the bills for the medical care comes along with it. For many people it will put their families into debt just for their family member to live a life they don’t want to and they have to suffer through it. Medical care is a lot more expensive than this one procedure. Medical care costs at the end of life are extraordinarily high, especially when including costs for nursing homes, medical care, and outpatient drugs.
The idea of the last memory of a relative being in a hospital bed medicated and in pain can be a lot worse and impressionable then if someone would be able to end their life and be seen happy. At the end of someone's life, they should have the opportunity to be seen in a happy state where they are able to cherish the better moments of their life. In order to receive the euthanasia, you must go through many different steps in order to complete the process. These include you making sure you meet the requirements or that your life is not the standard it could be and that it couldn't improve.
According to CGA.org, in Oregon the requirements in order to receive euthanasia are:
Between 1998 and 2000 in oregon there were 70 reported assisted deaths and 96 lethal prescriptions were written. Fifty-two of the reported deaths were patients with underlying illnesses, six with cancer, five with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and seven with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.
The reason behind the assisted deaths request consisted of:
By ELLA BROWN
“I’m not afraid of being dead, I am just afraid of what I might have to go through to get there”- Pamela Bone
Today's medical technologies can prolong someone's life, keep someone alive even when their brain is no longer functioning, and increase the likelihood of life for those with heart failures by 37 percent. However, people who suffer from fatal or debilitating diseases often have no hope, but instead, have to go on going suffering. Those who are physically impaired and are incapable of ending their pain and are not offered the option of human euthanasia are being revoked of their basic human right to die. To many people, the idea of death is not terrifying, but rather quite peaceful. Allowing those the option to have a painless death would allow people to live the last of their lives in a peaceful state.
If the only option for someone with a terminal illness is to stay in the hospital paying the bills for the medical care comes along with it. For many people it will put their families into debt just for their family member to live a life they don’t want to and they have to suffer through it. Medical care is a lot more expensive than this one procedure. Medical care costs at the end of life are extraordinarily high, especially when including costs for nursing homes, medical care, and outpatient drugs.
The idea of the last memory of a relative being in a hospital bed medicated and in pain can be a lot worse and impressionable then if someone would be able to end their life and be seen happy. At the end of someone's life, they should have the opportunity to be seen in a happy state where they are able to cherish the better moments of their life. In order to receive the euthanasia, you must go through many different steps in order to complete the process. These include you making sure you meet the requirements or that your life is not the standard it could be and that it couldn't improve.
According to CGA.org, in Oregon the requirements in order to receive euthanasia are:
- Must be over 18
- Must be a resident
- Able to communicate health care options (capable)
- Diagnosed with a terminal illness
- Must make two oral requests to their physician separated by at least 15 days
- Must provide a witnessed, written request to their physician
- A diagnosis and prognosis must be provided by the physician and the consulting physician
- Prescribing physician and a consulting physician must determine whether the patient is capable
- If either physician believes the patient's judgment is impaired by a psychiatric or psychological disorder, he must refer the patient for a psychological examination
- The prescribing physician must inform the patient of feasible alternatives to assisted suicide, including comfort care, hospice care, and pain control
- The prescribing physician must request, but may not require, the patient to notify his next-of-kin of the prescription request.
Between 1998 and 2000 in oregon there were 70 reported assisted deaths and 96 lethal prescriptions were written. Fifty-two of the reported deaths were patients with underlying illnesses, six with cancer, five with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and seven with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.
The reason behind the assisted deaths request consisted of:
- Fear of being a burden
- Fear of losing autonomy
- Fear of losing control of bodily functions
- Inadequate pain control
- Fear of decreasing ability to do
- Financial implications
Having to be assisted in every action you do including going to the bathroom, showering and even changing your clothes is the reality some people have to live through. However, when you look into it is this really living? What does it mean to live? A single verb that can describe the quality of one's life. To me when you use the term “to live” it means to experience life. On order to experience life, you must be able to explore and discover new things. For those who are incapable of stepping outside of one room are unable “to experience”. People who lack the ability to experience should not have to stay alive knowing that they aren't living.
Those in a vegetative state or who are terminally ill can be taking up valuable hospital space. It can be a wasteful drain of medical resources to keep someone alive when they don't want to anymore when they could be saving a life of someone who wants to live. Legalizing human euthanasia would prove those who have little hope with a form of control over the amount they suffer.
Those in a vegetative state or who are terminally ill can be taking up valuable hospital space. It can be a wasteful drain of medical resources to keep someone alive when they don't want to anymore when they could be saving a life of someone who wants to live. Legalizing human euthanasia would prove those who have little hope with a form of control over the amount they suffer.