Good Physician Assisted Dying Article Review Example

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The decision by Brittany to end her life had a number of implications in so far as ethics is concerned. It was eminent that the illness was having a toll on her and the admission by the physicians that she had limited time to live justified her decision. Ideally, Brittany acted to the best of her interest in a practice commonly referred to as beneficence. The pain and the trauma of constant pain was a major setback to her terminal illness (Astrid et al. 119). Brittany made the right decision to take her life since there were no signs of healing and persistent pain.
On the other hand, Brittany went against the ethical principle of the sanctity of life. Taking one’s life directly or indirectly is ethically wrong. The doctor, who prescribed the drug to Brittany, should have understood the traditional code of ethics of doing all that is necessary to assist in furthering life (Martha 279). Brittany did consider the fact that other medical help would have helped her in prolonging her life despite the numerous challenges she was facing. The moral and ethical thing that Brittany should have done is to wait for a natural cause of death to occur instead of taking her life. While Brittany had valid reasons and choices, the idea of taking life was ethically wrong.
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Brittany began a series of preparation is a bid to end her life in a dignified manner. To begin with, she accepted with her condition and took note of the doctor’s advice that she had limited time to live. She then began to satisfy some of her last wishes such as spending more time with the family members and visiting the places she had longed wished to visit before her passing. Moreover, she got involved in campaigns that would compel the state authorities to allow PAD (Egan 2014). In a consistent fashion, she consistently had spoken about her legacy and the wishes that she hoped would be carried on long after she is gone. Brittany’s commitment to end her life was justified due to the immense planning and persistent focus on her death. Ideally, Brittany had prepared psychologically to end her life; hence, her actions.
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If I had to make a wish concerning my death, I would start by preparing and planning for the same. Additionally, I would work very hard in trying to fulfill and achieve my purpose in life as a consequence of leaving behind a good legacy. Sharing more time with my loved ones, friends and family would be a priority. Essentially, I would share some of the dreams and ambitions with close people so that they can carry on with some of the positive stories. Brittany had a similar vision of her death because of her frantic efforts to meet most of her objectives before dying.
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Brittany did not conclusively achieve her dream of allowing PAD to be entrenched in the society (Egan 2014). However, she prompted a discussion through her actions and her eventual death. Ideally, Brittany provided a platform where people could be beginning to think about the consequences of PAD and how people should prepare for such occurrences (Darr 16). To some extent, Brittany succeeded though her ideas and thoughts are yet to be conclusively considered by the society. What Brittany started can have far reaching implications on an individual’s life. There are individuals and groups who believe in the sanctity of life and would, therefore, not commit to Brittany’s wishes of PAD.

Works Cited

Astrid M. Vrakking et al. “Regulating Physician-Assisted Dying for Minors in the Netherlands: Views of Pediatricians and Other Physicians.” 96 Acts Pediatric 117, 119. 2006. Web. April 21, 2015.
Darr, Kurt. ‘’Physician-Assisted Suicide: Legal and Ethical Considerations’’. Journal of Health Law – Vol. 40 No. 1. 2008.
Egan, Nicole Weisensee. “Terminally Ill Woman Brittany Maynard Has Ended Her Own Life.” 2014. Web. April 21, 2015.
Martha S. Swartz. “Conscience Clauses” or “Unconscionable Clauses”: Personal Beliefs versus Professional Responsibilities, 6 Yale J. Health Pol’y & Ethics 269, 284. 2006.