Many patients are admitted to hospital near the end of their lives or due to circumstances that portend the end of their lives. How someone dies, lives, and is medically cared for at the end of their life matters. All these things not only directly affect that individual, but also their families and the rest of society. The growing medically assisted suicide/euthanasia (PAS-E) debate has many ethical implications for those practicing in the healthcare field. The objective of this essay is to explore the fundamental ethical issues related to PAS-E from the perspective of the healthcare professional. The main controversial issues emphasized in this essay are: the act of humanity, inalienable and natural rights, and preventing a terminally ill patient from ending his life by self-inflicting suicide. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The Right to Physician-Assisted Suicide The right to die by assisted suicide/euthanasia (PAS-E) is a highly controversial topic. Supporters of PAS-E believe that a terminally ill person has the right to voluntarily end their life because allowing them to live with pain and suffering could be considered inhumane. PAS-E allows a patient to end their life peacefully, quickly and with compassion. Euthanasia is the act of ending a life without pain and suffering, which is usually administered directly by a doctor. An example of this is when a lethal injection is administered to the patient by a doctor. Doctor-assisted suicide occurs when a patient is prescribed a lethal dose of a drug, which is carried out not by the doctor but by the patient himself. Examples of this include withholding/withdrawing life-sustaining treatments, terminal sedation, or allowing a patient to take pain medications that could hasten death. The Canadian Medical Association describes the PAS-E process as follows: “the individual has an incurable disease; the officer is aware of the person's condition; commits the act with the primary intention of ending that person's life; and the act is undertaken with empathy and compassion and without personal gain.” PAS-E should absolutely be a legal right for any person because it is a human act, an inalienable and natural right, and it prevents a terminally ill patient from taking control of their life through self-help. inflicting suicide. A person has the right to decide what they want to do with their life. If an individual has the right to refuse life-saving medical treatment, why shouldn't they have the right to end their pain and suffering? Inalienable and natural rights are the rights that an individual has at birth. PAS-E is a right that certainly falls into this category. The Declaration of Independence clearly states that among these rights are “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Since the Declaration of Independence is essentially a blueprint of our rights as American citizens, it seems clear that the right to PAS-E should be legal throughout the United States of America. California is one state that has demonstrated its acceptance that PAS-E is an inalienable and natural right: “In 1992, members of the California movement against human suffering created and proposed Proposition 161 which would allow terminally ill patients with less of six months of life the right to end one's life with the assistance of a doctor. Currently California, Vermont, Oregon and Washington are the only American states to have legalized itPAS-E, while Montana has only legalized it by court ruling. Other countries besides the United States have also contributed to legalizing the right to PAS-E such as “Switzerland, the Netherlands, Japan, Mexico, Belgium, Colombia and Albania”. Many people agree that the right to PAS-E should be completely legal. There are many organizations around the world that have been created with the sole purpose of advocating for the right to PAS-E and spreading awareness and education about why it is an inalienable and natural right. Some of these organizations include: The Death with Dignity National Center, Euthanasia Research & Guidance Organization (ERGO), and Euthanasia Educational Council (EEC), to name a few. These organizations are important in educating people about the truths and positive aspects of PAS-E. Along with the issue of patient rights, autonomy also comes into play: "The ethical arguments in support of medically assisted suicide highlight the principle of respect for the patient's autonomy and a broad interpretation of the doctor's duty to alleviate suffering." Not allowed PAS-E is inhumane based on a variety of aspects. Allowing an individual to slowly die while suffering and experiencing excruciating pain can comparatively be considered torture. Why should it be widely accepted that an animal, which has emotions, cognitive thinking capabilities and can feel pain, is put out of its misery by lethal injection? but shouldn't a human being have the same right? Since animals are not afforded the same rights as people, it would seem fair that they should not be afforded rights that people are denied. PAS-E not only facilitates the end of a terminally ill individual's pain and suffering, but allows anyone emotionally involved in their life to experience less pain and achieve peace. Seeing a loved one endure a horrendous death can cause emotional and physical distress. Allowing PAS-E to be the choice of an individual who is left with no quality of life allows that individual to end their life with dignity rather than dying as someone to be ashamed or embarrassed about. When quality of life is compromised, an individual may feel as if they are living as a shadow of their former self. It is also difficult for family and loved ones to see a life fall apart right before their eyes. According to Ezekiel Emanuel of the University of Pennsylvania, “In the states of Oregon and Washington, the reasons for wanting PAS were: 90% of patients reported loss of autonomy, 90% were less able to engage in activities that made pleasant life and 70% declared loss of dignity". All these reasons strongly highlight what an ethical disservice it is to deny a patient the right to die. Seeing family members and loved ones suffer due to the pain and suffering a person is dealing with can cause a number of psychological problems for a terminally ill patient. patient. Medical literature suggests that “The incidence of major depression in terminally ill patients ranges from 25% to 77%. Depression is both associated with intense suffering and the cause of intense suffering.” Depression not only causes additional suffering to a patient who is already experiencing pain, but can also lead to suicide. Extending the life of a person who no longer wants to live can push them to take matters into their own hands. It is absolutely terrifying that terminally ill patients feel the need to take their own lives, as if dealing with a terminal illness wasn't difficult enough. Not only is it terrifying for the patient, but it can cause more harm directly to the patient if the self-inflicted suicide is unsuccessful. Also, know that a member=1