Physician Assisted Suicide A Controversial Subject

Physician-assisted suicide is a controversial subject all around the world. Although it is legal in some countries and states, such as the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Oregon, Montana, Washington, and Vermont it is not yet legal in most (Finlay, 2011). People travel from all around the world to these locations to receive information. Physician-assisted suicide is when terminally ill and mentally capable patients perform the final act themselves after being provided with the required means and information. The elemental causes found for physician-assisted suicide include: terminal cancer, mental and behavioral disorders, diseases of the nervous system, disease of the circulatory system, and diseases of the musculoskeletal system†¦show more content†¦Having the option to die with dignity requires many laws that need to be followed in order to go through with it. It is illegal for a physician to assist a patient with suicide without meeting all required criteria; if do ne, it could result in severe consequences. According to the Death with Dignity National Center, the patient must me 18 years or older, currently a resident or in the process of becoming one, capable of making and communicating health care decisions for themselves, and diagnosed with a terminal illness that will lead to death within six months (2015). If those criteria are met, the process cannot start right away and there is more that needs to be done. The patient needs to verbally request to the physician two times with a 15-day waiting period in between. A written request to the physician is then required and needs to be witnessed by two individuals who are not family members or primary caregivers, usually two other physicians. The patient is able to abrogate their requests at any time and must be able to self-administer their own medication (Death and Dignity National Center, 2015). These laws ensure that there is no chance that the patient is forced to hasten their death. If at any time in the process that the