Critical Thinking And Ethical Aspects Of Physician-Assisted Suicide Discussion

Critical Thinking And Ethical Aspects Of Physician-Assisted Suicide Discussion

discuss how critical thinking is applied to a healthcare related scenario of your choosing involving problem-solving and ethical decision-making. I want to see your discussion focused on the critical thinking and ethical aspects of the case you choose. I also would like you to discuss common obstacles the pertinent parties faced in their respective situations and how/when they used critical thinking to overcome the obstacles. Critical Thinking And Ethical Aspects Of Physician-Assisted Suicide Discussion

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Select eight (8) peer reviewed scholarly journal articles I would like to see 6 of 8 of your literature be from scholarly journals, and you may select 2 additional resources of your choosing, such as reputable news articles, etc.
Articles should be from 2017 to current I am willing to be lenient on the 2017 rule since some of these cases occurred before 2017. Leniency is dependent upon your sources being credible and relative to your subject matter.

Introduction

The actions of Dr. Jack Kevorkian marked a major turning point in transforming assisted suicide to a hot button issue in the United States and globally. This essay discusses how critical thinking, problem-solving and ethical decision-making is applied to assisted suicide as a pertinent healthcare scenario, further highlighting the extent to which aspects of critical thinking and ethics informed the actions and decisions surrounding the issue of physician-assisted suicide (PAS). It first provides a precise overview of the selected case on physician-assisted suicide and subsequently discusses the critical thinking and ethical aspects of physician-assisted dying. Critical Thinking And Ethical Aspects Of Physician-Assisted Suicide Discussion

Case Analysis

Dr Kevorkian (May 26, 1928- June 3, 2011) was an internationally known euthanasia proponent and pathologist based in the United States. Nicknamed by the American mass media as “Dr. Death’, Jack Kevorkian gained global notoriety for his active involvement in the practice of assisting suicide, with reports indicating that he assisted over 100 deaths (Ray et al., 2020). Whilst a majority of the patients who underwent assisted suicide were terminally ill, Kevorkian faced many charges of assisting suicides. Moreover, although 11 jurisdictions (e.g. Colorado, Oregon, Hawaii, Washington D.C., Maine, California, New Jersey and Vermont) in the United States  have so far implemented legislations to legalize ‘medical aid in dying or physician-assisted suicide, the legalization of euthanasia and assisted suicide is still a highly controversial issue in the public domain (McKinnon & Orellana-Barrios, 2019)Critical Thinking And Ethical Aspects Of Physician-Assisted Suicide Discussion.

Physician-Assisted Suicide and Critical Thinking

Moreover, the current discussion of physician-assisted suicide calls for a better understanding of how specific aspects related to critical thinking, problem-solving and decision-making are applied in the context of physician-assisted suicide. Russell and Simmons (2018) explained that physician-assisted suicide is by and large a critical task that only the physician can undertake. Warrender and Macpherson (2018) noted that suicide has never and will be a meaningful solution to any type of issue or problem. However, physician-assisted suicide involves a deliberate attempt by the physician to support or execute the will of a terminally-patient to die, whether voluntary or non-voluntary. In this context, critical thinking assumes an integral role in the ultimate decision by the physician to legally assist those who are willing and ready to face death.  Considering the many complexities, and uncertainties surrounding life, a majority of individuals who request to undergo physician-assisted death are often in the process of dying and hence the execution of medically-assisted dying can be thought as a means to hasten an already imminent and inevitable death (Derse et al., 2018). Proponents of physician-assisted suicide have consistently argued that the centrality of critical thinking in the process of assisted suicide is informed by the patient’s primary objective of finding dignity in an already impending exit from the physical world rather than ending an otherwise open-ended life span (McKinnon & Orellana-Barrios, 2019)Critical Thinking And Ethical Aspects Of Physician-Assisted Suicide Discussion. Similarly, Gale and Barak (2019) elaborated that critical thinking is essentially instrumental in determining the key reasons for wanting to die and the nature of the suffering. In other words, fulfilling the requests for medical assistance in the realm of terminal illness, proponents of physician-assisted suicide often reason that individuals seeking for assisted death are “not killing themselves; cancer is killing them.”  Therefore, medical assistance in dying is perceived by the proponents of this controversial issue as problem-solving mechanism aimed at enabling the terminally ill person to overcome pain and symptoms, to rise above the fear of having one’s body fall apart, and the importance of dignity (Warrender & Macpherson, 2018). On the contrary, the centrality of critical thinking and problem-solving in cases of where individuals choose to end their lives is also informed by what patients and family members describe as feelings of impotence, anger, hopelessness and desperation (Friesen, 2020). From a higher, more abstract standpoint, the deterioration of one’s physical health and well-being stands out to play a fundamental role in pushing those terminally-ill patients to perceive the future as not worth living for.

Physician-Assisted Suicide and Ethics

Research has also attempted to examine the ethical implications of physician-assisted suicide. Whilst proponents of physician-assisted dying consider it to be a more dignified and respective way for terminally-ill patients to die, opponents of this procedure claim that it not only devalues human life but also contravenes medical ethics (Derse et al., 2018). Russell and Simmons (2018) explained that the debate on ethics of physician-assisted suicide is focused on determining whether this process is ethically-permissible. From a utilitarian perspective, the ultimate decision to engage in physician assisted dying can be considered a right act when it is made in the interest of the terminally-ill patient, particularly with regards to elimination of pain and/or suffering. Moreover, the proponents of physician-assisted dying point that the rational self-determination principle and patient autonomy are some of the key ethical principles applied in the context of physician-assisted suicide to ensure patients are assisted to avoid unwanted and unnecessary suffering and pain (Gale & Barak, 2019)Critical Thinking And Ethical Aspects Of Physician-Assisted Suicide Discussion.

Key obstacles experienced by the supporters of physician-assisted suicide are related to the dilemma of whether this procedure is ethical. Reimer (2018) asserted that the opponents of PAS points out this medically-assisted dying are wrong and inappropriate since it contravenes the ethical principles of non-maleficence, beneficence and due diligence. In other words, physician-assisted dying is widely considered by the opponents as a harmful and illegal process in blatant violation of the Hippocratic Oath since it does not entail healing rather than ending a human life. Moreover, the application of rational and ethical decision-making in physician-assisted dying is based on the understanding that the ultimate decision by a patient to end his/her life must be voluntary, and be strictly informed by evidence of calm deliberation in relation to a clinical situation deemed to be irreversible or terminal. Ray et al. (2020) added that comprehending the core ethical issues under discussion about physician-assisted suicide is integral to finding answers to some of the critical questions on whether there are patients for whom death is beneficial, on whether PAS is morally-equivalent to withdrawing or withholding life support; the realistic accommodation between the right of conscientious objection and the right of patient access of physician-assisted suicide; and whether it is morally-acceptable for physicians to cause death intentionally. The application of crucial thinking and ethical decision-making is integral to finding evidence-based responses to the core ethical issues surrounding the practice of physician-assisted dying in critical care and other healthcare settings Critical Thinking And Ethical Aspects Of Physician-Assisted Suicide Discussion.

Conclusion

The findings covered physician-assisted suicide as a pertinent issue that requires a great deal of critical thinking, problem-solving and ethical decision-making.  As a controversial issue, physician-assisted suicide has attracted the attention of policymakers, practitioners, patients, and the public at large. A better understanding of how aspects of critical thinking and ethics are applied in reaching decisions within the context of physician-assisted suicide is required to tackle some of the pertinent controversies and debates surrounding this case. Therefore, ethical principles and critical thinking is vital in identifying and addressing some of the pertinent issues by opponents and supporters of physician-assisted suicide in the United States and globally.

References

Derse, R., Moskop, J. C., McGrath, N. A., Vearrier, L. E., Clayborne, E. P., Goett, R. R., Limehouse, W. E., & Lynch, J. J. (2018). Physician‐assisted death: Ethical implications for emergency physicians. Academic Emergency Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1111/acem.13618

Friesen, P. (2020). Medically assisted dying and suicide: How are they different, and how are they similar? Hastings Center Report, 50(1), 32-43. https://doi.org/10.1002/hast.1083

Gale, C., & Barak, Y. (2019). Euthanasia, medically assisted dying or assisted suicide: Time for psychiatrists to say no. Australasian Psychiatry, 28(2), 160-163. https://doi.org/10.1177/1039856219878645

McKinnon, B., & Orellana-Barrios, M. (2019). Ethics in physician-assisted dying and euthanasia. The Southwest Respiratory and Critical Care Chronicles, 7(30), 36-42. https://doi.org/10.12746/swrccc.v7i30.561 Critical Thinking And Ethical Aspects Of Physician-Assisted Suicide Discussion

Ray, S., Fine-Goulden, M. R., & Brierley, J. (2020). Ethical, legal, and end-of-life decision-making. Challenging Concepts in Paediatric Critical Care, 139-152. https://doi.org/10.1093/med/9780198794592.003.0012

Reimer, C. (2018). Ethics and the legalization of physician-assisted suicide. Annals of Internal Medicine, 168(11), 833. https://doi.org/10.7326/l18-0080

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Russell, J. A., & Simmons, Z. (2018). Hastened death: Physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia in ALS. Oxford Medicine Online. https://doi.org/10.1093/med/9780198757726.003.0014

Warrender, D., & Macpherson, S. (2018). Making sense death, dying, and mental health. Palliative Care Within Mental Health, 324-337. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429465666-2 Critical Thinking And Ethical Aspects Of Physician-Assisted Suicide Discussion