The Right to Die With Dignity

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place them in jeopardy of criminal prosecution, loss of license, or other penalty for doing so. (Rogartz, 2001)

For the past 3,000 years (Papadimitriou et al, 1997) physician-assisted suicide and methods of euthanasia have been considered a taboo and the practice has been frowned upon by the masses. This fear has caused this field to be cast as lurid which has invariably made this industry premature. Most associate physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia with negative connotations and perceive it as pointless; most see this act of decency as savage and brute; when in reality it is anything but. This industry has great potential and could revolutionize patient's rights and privileges. Nonetheless, the first step for progress needs to be in the direction of reformation.

This heavily debated topic did not permeate mainstream media until the late 90s when "Dr. Death" himself, Jack Kevorkian, forced this hard hitting issue into the spotlight. An upright and respectable doctor ...

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1000 people have been prescribed lethal medications and 700 of these people have taken advantage of such medications. What this act ensures is that if someone is dying and in immense pain, they have a controllable escape from it and can leave this Earth in a dignified and respectable manner. The implementation this act challenged modern ideals and caught the attention of the Supreme Court. By 1999 the Supreme Court had reached the verdict that physician-assisted suicide was not a constitutional right.

The Death with Dignity Act is eerily similar to practices of euthanasia. However, supporters of the Death with Dignity Act refuse to recognize such comparisons. One of the main ...

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