Euthanasia Essay - Physician-Assisted Suicide :: Euthanasia Physician Assisted Suicide

Views on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide This strive explores the views of doctors, of the general existence, and of the original Hippocratic Oath on the practices of mercy k severelying and aided suicide. Considerable reference material is employed - from professional sources. Regarding the views of physicians on mercy killing and assisted suicide, it is difficult to get a true picture of physicians views from articles in newspapers or from journal review articles. Since euthanasia and assisted suicide ar new and a challenge to established values, a report most a single physician practicing assisted suicide is more(prenominal) apparent to get published than a report that members of a large physicians system reaffirms traditional values. Physicians that practice euthanasia and assisted suicide have been more outspoken and vociferous since many consider themselves as pioneers. Whereas many physicians who report to practice with traditional moral philosophy, see no need to advertise this fact. raze if one reads consensus statements from medical ethics groups one may get a biased idea of the mainstream views of physicians. These statements are usually written by a small group of physicians, many of whom are active in ethics groups because they want to see change. Several articles have been published that poll doctors views on euthanasia and assisted suicide, and these are likely to get closer to the significant views of doctors. In a survey of doctors on management of the persistent vegetational state, 35% of doctors would never withdraw feeding or nutrition and 28% would always treat an acute infection or other severe condition (1). In a survey of 355 oncologists, the majority found euthanasia or assisted suicide unacceptable. However one in sevensome oncologists had actually carried out euthanasia or assisted suicide (2). 37% of physicians who look after AIDS patients would be unlikely to assist a patient with established AIDS to commit suic ide but 48% said they would be likely to do so (3). 48% of 1355 physicians in Washington state agree that euthanasia is never ethically reassert but 33% said they would be willing to perform euthanasia (4). 40% of 1119 Michigan physicians involved in the care of terminally ill patients were in favor of legalization of assisted suicide and 17% successful prohibition of assisted suicide. 22% of physicians would participate in either assisted suicide or euthanasia (5). Regarding the views of the general public toward these two practices, two-thirds of oncology patients and of the public consider euthanasia and assisted suicide acceptable for cancer patients with invariable pain (6).