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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
Who holds the power of decision when a patient decides it is time to die? According to the elite theory, as described by Thomas Dye in Understanding Public Policy, it is the medical and law professions. This 5 page paper explores the issue of patient's rights from the perspective of the elite model. No additional sources are listed.
Page Count:
5 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_KTelites.doc
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
by lingering, nasty deaths hooked up to machines, unable to communicate: the modern equivalent of the 17th- and 18th-century fear of being buried alive. However, who holds the power
of decision when a patient decides it is time to die? According to the elite theory, it is the medical and law professions. The fashioning of law
and the allocation of responsibility is not always clear when addressing the boundaries of government. Congress and the Justice Department have a certain level of power in deciding the
elements of a patients right to die. For instance, in 2000, the House passed a bill effectively criminalizing physician-assisted suicide in Oregon, despite its endorsement in two statewide referenda.
Even so, the law has not always been as clear as it might be in deciding the parameters of euthanasia or physician assisted suicide, leading to extended debates over
the subject and misrepresentation of the law. The law currently permits physicians to comply with a request for lethal drugs only from a competent patient with less than six
months to live. It specifies that the request must be made in writing and signed in the presence of two witnesses who agree that the patient is acting voluntarily
and without duress, and is competent. At least two physicians must agree that the patient is likely to die within six months. The patient must be referred for
counseling if a psychological disorder is suspected. Two waiting periods are involved: two oral requests at least 15 days apart are required to begin the process, and a minimum
of 48 hours must elapse between receipt of the written request that is also required, and the provision of the lethal prescription. The requirement for a psychological consult
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