Brittany Maynards Use Of Physician-Assisted Suicide

When death is brought into conversation, most might think of the elderly peacefully passing away in the night or the opposite with horrific accidents where an individual cannot be saved, but very little do people consider individuals who make the choice to end it all. As all should know, this act is called suicide and most have a negative perception of it. But what if it is for the greater good? In one of many cases, California native, Brittany Maynard, made the decision to end her life after suffering through the pain of debilitating headaches caused by brain cancer. Maynard received help in her departure through the use of physician-assisted suicide. The acceptance of this procedure is very limited seeing as though it is only legal in a†¦show more content†¦Oregon. According to Daniel E. Brannon and his article â€Å"Gonzales v. Oregon (2006)†, this case was brought to attention thirty-one years after the United States had passed the Controlled Substance Act of 1970 when â€Å"the U.S. attorney general attempted to issue an interpretation...which would would prevent physicians from administering the drugs necessary for the assisted suicide process† (2011). The attorney general, John Ashcroft, deemed physician-assisted suicide as an illegitimate medical practice and any doctor who practiced it â€Å"would have their license revoked† (Brannon, 2011). Often, the act is seen as illegitimate because people believe that it is unethical to end ones own life. In cases like murder, it extremely wrong because the dying person had no consent, but when the patient gives consent and has the ultimate power in taking the medication, they should have the right to proceed. Disease In an individual’s decision to apply for physician-assisted suicide, the reasons for which they provide are most likely related to diseases they have or are developing. In Maynard’s case, she had developed brain cancer and in researching cures, found that the effects would leave her â€Å"quality of life...gone† (Maynard, 2014). The treatment called for full brain radiation which would have leftShow MoreRelatedThe Progressive Case Against Assisted Suicide1413 Words   |  6 PagesBrittany Maynard was given six months to live after being diagnosed with the deadliest form of brain cancer; she had recently just turned 29. To make matters worse, doctors had told her she would suffer from the tumor in a slow and painful manner before succumbing to death. Maynard decided she would die on November 1, a few days after her husband’s birthday under physician-assisted suicide. Unfortunately, she had to relocate from California, where her friends and family lived, t o Oregon in orderRead MoreAssisted Suicide And Death With Dignity1394 Words   |  6 Pages Playing God or Dying with Dignity For this assignment, I read four articles in all—two that are decidedly against what they call â€Å"assisted suicide†, and two that are decidedly supportive of what they call â€Å"death with dignity†. This has become legalized for terminally-ill patients with prognoses of surviving no longer than six months, first in Oregon in 1998, but since then Washington, California, and Vermont. It has also been legalized in SwitzerlandRead MorePlaying God Or Dying With Dignity1525 Words   |  7 Pagespositive mode and the doctors remedy give us bleak hope†¦We look to other means of consolation to keeps us going or to bring us to a sudden end. For this assignment, I read four articles in all—two that are decidedly against what they call â€Å"assisted suicide†, and two that are decidedly supportive of what they call â€Å"death with dignity†. This has become legalized—for terminally-ill patients with prognoses of surviving no longer than six months—first in Oregon in 1998, but since then Washington, CaliforniaRead MoreThe Debate Of Assisted Suicide1747 Words   |  7 Pages The topic of assisted suicide is very controversial and is heavily debated upon all around the world. While physician assisted suicide is only legal in the Netherlands, Switzerland, and a few states in the U.S., it is illegally practiced widely by physicians and nurses, such as Dr. Jack Kevorkian. I first heard of physician assisted suicide when the death of Dr. Kevorkian, an assisted suicide advocate and a suicide aid, was on the news in 2011. 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Strong morals and ethics surrounding this issue have split society on whether or not physician-assisted suicide shouldRead More`` My Dream `` By Brittany Maynard1655 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"My dream is that every terminally ill American has access to the choice to die on their own terms with dignity. Please take an active role to make this a reality† (qtd â€Å"Brittany Maynard Fund†). Brittany Maynard Diaz, a 29-year-old woman who was diagnosed with Glioblastoma and only given six months to l ive, turned her tragedy into a legacy when she chose to die with dignity. She became an advocate for the â€Å"Compassion and Choices End of Life Consultation or EOLC† program by sharing her story andRead MoreShould Euthanasia Be Legal?1656 Words   |  7 Pagespatient against their will (NHS Choices). Practicing euthanasia is not about the right to kill; it makes economic sense, does not target the vulnerable, does not lead to horrifying alternatives, and does not violate the Hippocratic Oath. While the use of euthanasia is against the will of God; with the act of euthanasia, allowing people to die with dignity is kinder than forcing them to continue their lives with suffering. â€Å"Euthanasia is making people die, rather than letting them die† (Marker 7)Read MoreA Philosophical Analysis Of Assisted Suicide Essay1518 Words   |  7 PagesA Philosophical Analysis of Assisted-Suicide The story of Brittany Maynard is a very tragic one. Brittany was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer at the tender age of 29. No treatment could save her life and the treatments that were available would have greatly affected her physically, emotionally, and mentally. This diagnoses stripped her of starting a future with her newly-married husband and simply experiencing life to the best of her ability. Knowing this, and knowing that her