Free Euthanasia Essays: We Have the Right to Physician-Assisted Suicide :: Euthanasia Physician Assisted Suicide

We entirely Have the Right to Physician-Assisted Suicide Physician-assisted self-destruction presents one of the greatest dilemmas to the health check profession. Should someone who is mentally competent, but deemed terminally ill, be allowed the option of physician-assisted suicide? According to the First Amendment of The nature of The United verbalises, one hasthe freedom to entreaty the government for a redress of grievances. The Fourteenth Amendment states, The Statecannot deprive any(prenominal) mortal of support, liberty or property, without due process of law nor deny any person within itsjurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. The group believes that a terminally ill patient has the Constitutionalright to decide whether or not to end his or her life with the help of a licensed medical doctor. There dupe been many cases overthe years where a terminally ill patient who is mentally competent has made the choice to either partake in physician-assisted suicide or euthanasia. Physician-assisted suicide occurs when the physician provides thepatient with the means and/or knowledge to chip in suicide(Death and Dying,91). Euthanasia is when the physicianadministers the death causing drug or broker(Death and Dying,92). The most recent case is that of The Stateof Florida v. Charles Hall. Charles Hall is dying of AIDS and challenged the State of Florida to let him die bya self-administered lethal injection without fear of prosecution(http//www.rights.org/ deathnet/open.html). On January31, 1997, a Judge ruled that Charles Hall could take his own life with the aid of a doctor. Senior Judge S. JosephDavis, brought in from Seminole County, found that Floridas rigid privacy law and the equal protection clause in theU.S. Constitution entitled Hall, 35, and Dr. McIver to carry out an assisted death without fear of prosecution (Sun-Sentinel,1A). On February 11, 1997, Charles Halls ruling was overturned by the Florida Supreme Court he no longer hasthe right to end his own life. He leave alone have to wait until May 9, 1997 until new arguments will be heard. Hall, whohas been deemed mentally competent, contracted the virus in 1981 through a blood transfusion. any(prenominal) of the complicationshe is encountering from the AIDS virus are arthritis, hepatitis, pneumonia and a brain cyst http//www.rights.org/deathnet/open.html). The operating room Death with Dignity Act allows terminally ill adults who are mentally competentto ask for a prescription for medication for the purpose of ending his or her life in a humane and dignified manner(http//www.rights.org/deathnet/open.html). This act, pass judgment 16, was approved by the voters in 1994.