The first article that I read was titled “Physician-Assisted Suicide: A Legitimate Medical Practice?” from the Journal of the American Medical Association. The beginning of the article states that as of 2006, Oregon is the only state in which physician-assisted suicide is legal and allowed to be practiced. In 2001 a US Attorney General challenged Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act by saying that physicians being allowed to prescribe these lethal drugs is unlawful under the Controlled Substance Act. In the Supreme Court trial, it was decided that the Attorney General does not have the right to prohibit doctors from prescribing specific drugs. The article goes into great detail the effects that this landmark case has had and will continue to have on doctors and patients all over the country. “The free exercise of clinical judgment is important to the practice of medicine and the patient-physician relationship. Clinical judgments should be based on scientific evidence, peer assessments, and concern for the public's health. In the care of patients with terminal illness, arguably the singular purpose should be safe, effective treatment and relief of pain and suffering”. I found this quote quite interesting because it brings up the good argument of what a doctor’s true job should be. Some argue that physicians should not be allowed to administer such drugs because they are not fulfilling their job in doing all that they possibly can to help their patients. However, patients trust their doctors to keep their pain at a minimum and use their professional opinion when making decisions. If a doctor feels that nothing more can be done, and the patient is requesting the drugs, there should not be a law forbidding that.
"Gostin, Lawrence O. "Physician-Assisted Suicide: A Legitimate Medical Practice." The Journal of the American Medical Association 295.16 (2006): 295. JAMA & ARCHIVES. American Medical Association, 26 Apr. 2006. Web. 12 Apr. 2010.
The second article was very unique because it was an actual printout of a court hearing that was presented to the Subcommittee on the Constitution, of the United States Senate. It was very interesting to read statements made from the people involved in the case such as senators and witnesses, and to read so in-depth about an actual court case. The court case at hand involved an amendment that was trying to be passed that would make physician-assisted suicide nationally illegal in all 50 states. This same chairman argued that abortion and the death penalty should also be outlawed in the United States, arguing that socially and culturally, these actions are causing negative effects. “The fundamental duty of American Government, and indeed of any government, is to protect and defend the lives of their citizens, the sanctity of the lives of their citizens. It thus becomes the duty of every lawmaker to examine closely any policy that undermines either directly or indirectly the importance and value of each individual’s life”. Throughout the case numerous arguments are made that the government’s and Constiution’s main goal is to protect and preserve human life. This will be an extremely useful source in writing the paper, because it gives several examples of court cases, rulings and other legal actions that have involved the issue of assisted suicide.
"United States of America. Committee on the Judiciary. U.S Government Printing Office. THE CONSEQUENCES OF LEGALIZED ASSISTED SUICIDE & EUTHANASIA. Washington D.C., 2008. Print."
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