Death with Dignity Act

Death with Dignity Act

Background

New Hampshire is a state with around 1.3 million populations and the suicide rate of the state is higher than the average rate nationwide. However, nationwide more people dying from suicide than from homicide but the only difference are between the percentages of suicide and homicide in New Hampshire is far greater than nationwide. On the other hand, the supporting data to this statement reveals that around 11 percent of the population of New Hampshire is without the health coverage insurance. So, covering all these aspects, it is almost getting difficult to ignore such circumstances, therefore, in 2011, a bill was proposed in the session by the name of “Death with Dignity Act” (Patients Rights Council, 2011).

Discussion

The purpose of writing this paper is basically a position paper on which the author presented the view point. The author basically want that the readers should get to know that if I am only going to die and there is nothing anyone can do I do not want to burden my family with medical bills that are unnecessary. Similarly, the author also covered the opposing areas of bill because it is not possible that every individual should be happy from the bill and thus every individual has the right to speak. Therefore, for this purpose, the author highlights the opposing arguments as well.

Statement of Purpose

In the statement of purpose of the Bill, the New Hampshire state admitted that individuals have a right that has been founded and given the autonomy to the individual to control and have power over the decisions that relating to their own personal medical care. Similarly, the state also recognized that the medical care for incurably ill patients, who have the will and capacity of making decisions during the course of their illness also have the right to choose whether to die with dignity or not, however, a clause that is mentioned in this statement that the decision should be made with the assistance of the physicians. The statement of purpose further illustrate that incurably ill patients experience mental anguish, severe unrelenting suffering with the loss of control and independence for longer periods, and still they waiting for their death due that incurable illness. To overcome such situation, New Hampshire state declared and passed the law of Death with Dignity Act, which gave an authority to physicians upon the written request filed by the terminally ill patient in a condition of severe suffering that the patient could choose to control the time, manner of death, place and even self administer it (Death with Dignity Act, 2011).

Ethical Issues

Death with dignity is common argument for a legal right to die, based on the idea that people should not be forced to remain dependent upon others, to helplessly witness their own loss of control, or to otherwise endure conditions that unacceptably compromise human dignity. This is an important argument. A growing body of medical research has shown that it is not just physical pain that motivates many terminally ...