Seeking a STRONG academic writer to proofread and correct a persuasive essay.

Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide violates the Hippocratic Oath- an oath taken by physicians to “do no harm.” It would require physicians to breach their general duties and to act in the patient’s best interest. It fundamentally goes against the role physicians have as healers. The Oath clearly states, “I will not give a lethal drug to anyone if I am asked, nor will I advise such a plan; ...” (Smith, 2002). Although the original oath was written over 2,000 years ago, the ethical principle behind the oath remains applicable.

As humans, we have an innate zeal of life. Oftentimes, patients who express a plea to die by euthanasia are actually crying for help. In situations where the wishes of a patient are unclear, health care professionals should always ensure the value of a life takes precedence when one’s emotional state becomes compromised. An alternative to this would be palliative care. Palliative care is treatment given to patients with serious illnesses, with the goal of improving their quality of life (What is Palliative Care, 2018). Adequate palliative care can prevent people from requesting euthanasia. One of the main goals of palliative care is to alleviate and control pain (Strinic, 2015, p.3). For patients with terminal illnesses and a life expectancy of 6 months or less, hospice care is also an option.

Patient autonomy is an illusion that exists in situations where physicians lack proper training on how to assess and treat the suffering of a patient. There is a need to put emphasis on improving care for patients. Provision of good quality care for a patient translates to the reduction of life-threatening illnesses throughout different stages of a disease. Physicians are also in a position to provide an inter-professional guidance in palliative care (Math & Chaturvedi, 2012). Further, these patients are able to benefit from the palliative care and can also be physician comfortable.

Patients should also be provided with pain management strategies. Currently, patients lack pain management options due to fear of addiction and overuse of Opioid. Physicians should also focus on improving and symptom management for patients. Also they should not rely on patient subjective complains as they are undergoing mental suffering which in most cases result to diagnostic uncertainty, misdiagnosis and mis-diagnosable and treatable depression and other disorders.

Supporter of euthanasia are on the issue of quality of life improvement. Quality of life in this case is used by individuals to advance their comfort and their status and for tranquility purposes. Also, the term quality of life in medicine refers to physiotherapy, rehabilitation and palliative care and psychology. Proponents of euthanasia use the term in a negative sense as opposed to a positive manner, in this case they do not improve the patient’s quality of life but end it. Quality of life in their sense is justified by termination of a patient’s life. Some ethicists such as Ronald Dworkin argue that the term quality of life acts as a mischievous term. Dworkin argues that the quality of one’s life is in terms of a felt experience and pleasure and how the pleasure is being feels.

Quality of is a subjective idea and is determined by an individual’s personal life and their circumstances. Also the idea of leaving a patient to determine their quality of life is not a good concept (Sprung, Somerville, Radbruch, Collet, Duttge, Piva & Ely, 2018). Physicians should distinguish those situations that patients are left to decide for their lives. Also, those situations that nurses, physicians, hospital managers and ethicists justify in terminating the life of a patient should be critically considered. No one should conclude that the life of a patient is meaningless whenever they find some value in such life. The same way that no one prolongs the life of an individual no patients should be forced to end their life.

Life that lacks certain distinguishing circumstances such as consciousness, human dignity, self-responsibility and other features such as suffering and pain does not necessarily mean that life lacks quality. A patient who is undergoing suffering is likely to complain that their life lacks human dignity. Also, other patients can think that they have dignity even while undergoing suffering. People perceive their life’s differently. Some patients can view life as a way of developing human abilities, discovering experiences, thrills and achievements (Strinic. 2015). When individuals are denied the ability to enjoy their life’s the way they deemed they are likely to choose death as the only means to execute their suffering. Patients should be treated in a manner that their worth on earth is felt and should feel that there is always a meaning to life as opposed to suffering.

Patients assisted suicide is detrimental to patient doctor relationship. In situations where a physician is involved in euthanasia, the relationship that exists between the clinician and patients is weakened. Further, the dying patient may not also be in a position to make informed decisions. Mostly, patients recover in situations where they have been written off by their doctors. A patient can also propose for euthanasia in situations where they are not near death.

Pain and suffering in the life of an individual can be controlled in most cases to a level that is satisfactory to the patient. That patient whose pain may not be adequately controlled to a level that satisfies the patient does not call for euthanasia. Sedation can be used to alleviate patient suffering in situations where the pain can no longer be controlled. Also the government should support patients suffering from chronic diseases by providing them with easy accessibility to palliative care. Legislative and procedural frameworks that are required for a patient to enter palliative care should be abolished.

Terminally ill patients cannot also impose a physician to take an immoral action, this is because they belief that it can result to murder hence a physician should not end the life of a patient without their consent. Physicians are not required to suggest for assisted suicide but the patient should ask for such assistance (Sprung, Somerville, Radbruch, Collet, N. Duttge, Piva, & Ely, 2018). When a physician initiates such discussions it is likely to undermine their relationship. Patients would also feel that their life is meaningless as their doctors have already given up on them. It also undermines the patient’s willingness to live and may avert further treatment.

Furthermore, the decision to end and terminate life should basically remain as an opinion of a patient when they are able to express themselves. Nonetheless, the liberal state should help preserve the life of a patient. Further, it should insist on prolonging the live of a patient that believe that euthanasia negates their dignity. Patients’ autonomy should be observed especially in situations where a patient is mentally ill, unconscious and young because they lack the autonomy of expressing themselves. If patients had states ending their lives through audio and video then their opinion should be respected (Cohen-Almagor, 2015). Also, in circumstances where a patient had initially stated that on reaching a particular situation in their life they prefer to die but when the situation arises they portray that they want to cling on to their life their choice should be respected. In situations where it is impossible to determine the patients present and past desires, and where there are no signs of the patient continuing with their live. In this case decisions should be made by a group of physicians and close members and friends of the patient.

Conclusion

In life people should respect other people’s lives. The culture in our society teaches us not to inflict harm on others. We also ought to show concern on an individual’s life as an individual defines what is best for them. Being concerned in this case means respecting the autonomy of a patient. Diligence and care are paramount when it comes to matters of death. Necessary measures that serve the interest of a patient should be served and all the mechanisms in place should prevent harm on a patient. Euthanasia has detrimental effects as it affects the patient and physician relationship. Also, it infringes against the wishes of a patient.

References

Strinic, V. (2015). Arguments in Support and Against Euthanasia. Journal of Advances in Medicine and Medical Research, 1-12.

Math, S. B., & Chaturvedi, S. K. (2012). Euthanasia: right to life vs right to die. The Indian journal of medical research, 136(6), 899.

Sprung, C. L., Somerville, M. A., Radbruch, L., Collet, N. S., Duttge, G., Piva, J. P., ... & Ely, E. W. (2018). Physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia: emerging issues from a global perspective. Journal of palliative care, 33(4), 197-203.

Cohen-Almagor, R. (2015). An argument for physician-assisted suicide and against euthanasia. Ethics, Medicine and Public Health, 1(4), 431-441.