Final Portfolio

2014
ENGLISH 2010
SKYLER VANDERHOOF
Skyler Vanderhoof
5/8/14
Memoir-Final Portfolio
Controversy of the Gay Republican




One topic that always seems to play a role in my life is my political views. I am a
homosexual male that if I had to choose one political side between democrat and republican, I
would choose republican. Most of my other homosexual friends find this to be strange and
insulting at times. The majority of people in the gay community tend to sway towards the
democratic side of politics. Some will have their own independent view and have a blend of
both, but most are on one side of the fence or the other.
I get asked at times why would you support a party that is fighting against a life that
youre living? By this they mean a life that all people should have equal rights such as being
able to get married. This is a valid question, yet a hard question to answer. The Republican
Party tends to not support gay rights. However, most people do not see that I can support and
disagree with views on both political sides. Most people believe that I should agree with one
side and not the other. It gets difficult for people to understand that I can have a blend of both
economic and social issues that pull from both the democratic and republican party.
A large part of my reasoning would be the economic side of politics. In my research and
exposure to politics, Ive learned that most who would call themselves a democrat typically want
a large portion of tax dollars to be funded to social programs such as Medicaid, food stamps, etc.
I do agree with these programs and believe that they are necessary in some cases; however I do
believe that there are many people that take advantage of these types of programs. When I
explain my views to others I get a sense that people do not want to hear my views the second the
word Republican comes into play.
Some people ask me why I dont agree with these types of
programs at times. I give them a simple example such as a
trip to the grocery store. I have been standing behind an
individual in the grocery store and watch them use food
stamps to pay for their food. I see them purchasing things
such as soda, chips, candy, etc and pay for it on their debit
card or with cash. Then they will start paying for foods such as bread, milk, and eggs with their
food stamps cards. I also notice that they are carrying a high priced designer bag or designer
clothing. I feel that it is unfair for these individuals to use their government funded allowance of
food stamps to pay for food when they can clearly afford to live without being on any type of
government funded program.
When I explain this to people that do not agree with my views they get defensive quickly
and look at me as if I want these types of programs eliminated which is not the case. I feel that
these programs are in place for a reason; however I feel they need to be tightened down and
monitored more thoroughly. Florida recently passed a law, that if you are on any type of
government funded program you are subject to a drug screening at any time. This is great
example of what I mean by tightening these programs down. If you can afford to spend your
money on illegal drugs, there is no reason for you to be enrolled in any type of state assistance
program.
Growing up in a small town, I was exposed to many things that someone growing up in
the city was not. Guns and hunting was one thing played a huge role in my household. My
family all had their conceal and carry permit and nearly always carried a weapon. More and
more people today are looking at gun control and when a friend finds that I am carrying a
weapon it turns into a political battle. I typically do not come out and tell someone that I am
carrying a gun, but it does come out at times. Most people
just ask the simple question as to why I am carrying a
weapon, but there are some that want to debate on it. I
wouldnt say that carrying a weapon is a political issue for
me, but more of a home life upbringing. Yet people always
want to turn this into a republican trait knowing that I am a
republican. This is a great example of a stereotype that I am
given by people just from them know that I do favor the
Republican Party.
During the 2012 election my partner and I were invited to a political party at a friends
house. The host of the party asked that we wear our supporting candidate colors- red or blue. I
felt extremely uncomfortable with this because this friend was also a homosexual male and I
made the assumption that most of the people attending this party would also be homosexual. I
was hesitant to go due to the fact that my partner and I would be the only two in the room
wearing red shirts. We ended up going to this party, however I could sense that people were
looking at me the same way they always do when this topic comes up.
Yes, being a homosexual republican can be a tough
spot to be in. Though I do stand firmly on my political
views, there are people that find it hard to understand why.
You will see pictures in the media when it comes to gay
republicans such as the Republican Party logo upside with
a cross on its eye. This is used frequently referring to gay
republicans and it just shows how closed minded people can be. I believe that you can have a
blend of both viewpoints and choose what topics you want to support. However, you do feel at
times that you cannot express that to certain people due to a close minded attitude in fear that it
may turn into an argument.
I feel that certain people need to broaden their views and understand that it is ok to have a
different view from another person. I feel that when someone brings up the topic of religion or
politics things can spiral downhill quickly and it can turn into a bad situation which shouldnt be
the case. The views of others are not better or worse, just different. We all have different views
especially when it comes to politics, but we all need to understand that there may not be a correct
answer to every situation, but we all need to strive for better answers.










Skyler Vanderhoof
Sanders
Position Argument-Final Portfolio
5/8/14
I Have The Right To Die
Physician assisted suicide is a very hot topic, especially in the north eastern part of the
United States. Oregon was the first state to issue a Death with Dignity law that allows a
terminally ill patient to make the choice to take their life in a way that some do not agree with. I
believe that everyone has the right to end their life when they choose through physician assisted
suicide. Some say that suicide is any manner in which you take your own life, but others say that
suicide is a specific way of ending ones life. Whats your definition of suicide?
When you look at the views of different
groups, you can see where the line is drawn on
views of this topic. Typically when looking at a
physician view, there are very few that agree with
self-euthanasia. I believe that this is partly to do
with the oath that a physician takes in medical
school to be a healer. There are however some that say a physician is doing a patient a disservice
by not giving the patient choice in their medical treatment plan including what the outcome of
their terminal illness.
Working in the hospice industry, I see terminally ill patients suffer every day due to
things such as cancer, liver failure, etc. In the state of Utah, there is no such law that allows a
patient to end their life through physician assisted suicide. The only option for a terminally ill
patient that is non curative is hospice in the state of Utah. I believe that you make many choices
in life whether they be good or bad. Why should making the choice on how to exit life be any
different than any other large decision you make?
When looking at a disease such as kidney failure also known as renal failure for example
you see many symptoms. One of the worst cases that I have seen was a patient that was coming
onto hospice. I met with the family to explain what hospice is and what to expect. When I met
the patient for the first time, she was not very responsive due to fluid buildup in her abdomen.
The family had her in bed, with an obscene amount of towels around her legs. These towels
were to soak up the fluid that was secreting from her legs due to fluid buildup.
As I tried speaking to the patient I noticed that she had not had fluid drained from her
abdomen in quite some time so her mid-section was quite swollen. It looked as if she was nine
months pregnant, but in the body of an 80 year old woman. During our conversation she started
to tear up mid-sentence. I asked her what was the matter and her response was: Skyler I just
want to die. I have been fighting this for over a year and I am so tired of feeling like this every
day and night. I feel like a giant balloon that if you poked me with a pin, I would explode all
over this room. My family has given up so much to take care of me and I will never be able to
repay them.
To the right is an image of a
young female with liver failure.
There was 23 liters of fluid in her
abdomen being drained out that day.
She could not get up and walk on her
own, she could only walk with
assistance.
In that moment I realized that death should be about choice in this case. Her doctor had
given her around 4 months to live which does not seem like a long time, but seems like a lifetime
when you are in constant pain. It seem like a lifetime when every day you have someone
cleaning up your urine and feces because you have lost control. It seems like a lifetime when
you are bed bound and cannot get up to leave the room let alone the house because you are in so
much pain. In my experience one of the hardest parts of a terminal disease in loss of control.
This woman had lost complete control in so many ways over something that she had no say in.
She had lost the choice to make her own choices and was at the mercy of her disease.
One reason that someone will elect to end their life is that it gives them a chance to
prepare for the end while they still have the ability to. They can finish their bucket list if you
will. In most of my research patients will write their family members letters and help their
family prepare for this experience vs it be a sudden tragic death. They no longer need to worry
about being humiliated with someone taking care of them by showering them, changing their
diapers, etc. leaving their families with the feeling that they are still respected.
Another reason most have chosen this route is that it makes them feel that their disease
has not won the battle. Some say that a disease such as cancer is a bully- it determines when and
how you leave this world. Those who say this also believe that this gives them the ability to win
the battle. It is not the cancer that ends their life, it is the person that decides when and whether
they decide to end their life.
The last reason that I found in my research was the fear that something could happen to a
patient that is dying and treatment could be changed without the patients consent. For example if
a patient was to enter the hospital in a coma and there was no advance directive in place, the
decision would be left to the family on the patients course of treatment. Therefore, if a family
member did not agree with assisted suicide, that family member could potentially go against the
patients will and pursue aggressive treatment against the patients wishes since the patient could
not speak for themselves.
In 2012 Oregon had 71 residents elect to end their life with the assistance of a physician
and the number continues to grow with time. Nearly all of the residents have agreed that this is
an easy process and want others to realize how easy it was. They have felt it was not only an
easy choice, but a logical choice. Their symptoms were not bearable towards the end of their
life. With the assistance of the Death with Dignity law, terminally ill patients can decided when
and whether they decide to end their life. This give the patient the option to decide instead of an
unwelcome disease to decide when and how they exit life.















Skyler Vanderhoof
English 2010
Report-Final Portfolio
5/8/14
Do I Have The Right To Die?
When you think of death, what comes to mind? Some see the elderly passing away
during the night. Others see a patient in the hospital with a terminal illness. Whatever you may
picture have you ever thought of assisted suicide? Some say that it is physician murder, and
others agree that the end of life should be a choice.
Euthanasia vs. Assisted Suicide
Some say that assisted suicide is no better than taking your life in a horrific manner such
as cutting your wrist. The Death with Dignity National Center has given definitions for things
such as euthanasia, suicide, and assisted suicide to differentiate the common myths on what these
actually stand for in their eyes. They claim that Euthanasia is inflicting death upon someone in a
non-painful manner, where assisted suicide is a self-administered medication.
They also claim that only using the term suicide refers to a psychologically unstable
person taking their own life. Assisted suicide only refers to a terminally ill patient that has all of
the mental capacity to make their own responsible decisions ("Terminology.").
History
In 1994 after a long line of efforts, Oregon voters passed the law that assisted suicide was
legal with a physician order after being diagnosed with a terminal illness. This law was to be
called the Death with Dignity Act. In 2008, Washington passed their Death with Dignity Act
that took effect in 2009. Followed by Oregon and Washington, Vermont became the third state
to put this law into place. This New England state was the first of its kind to pass this law
(History).
While many countries are calling assisted suicide to be legal within their country there
are only a number of countries where this is permitted. Switzerland, The Netherlands, and
Luxembourg are the only three countries that assisted suicide is acceptable. While it may not be
legal in Switzerland, it is widely practiced and attracts many people from across the globe.
Dr. Jack Kevorkian
When a physician enters into medical school they are asked to state a Hippocratic oath.
In this oath it states: I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody if asked for it, nor will I make
a suggestion to that effect. When asking most physicians they will state that they are not in
favor for assisted suicide. They believe that their job is to heal and provide comfort to their
patients.
Dr. Jack Kevorkian beliefs were that when it comes to death, people should have choice.
This assumption led him to prison time after assisting many people with their death. His support
of assisted suicide started with a patient by the name of Janet Adkins in 1998 (Hosseini,
Hengameh 203). His process of this was to hook an IV to a patient with a mixture of chemicals
that put the patient to sleep, then stopped their heart. The patient was the one to inject the
medication; however some still saw this as murder.
This act of medicine started growing a lot of attention from the media, but he was soon
charged with murder. These charges were dropped on December 13, 1990 since there was no
law in Michigan prohibiting suicide or help with suicide. This act continued to draw attention,
however these acts did not bring any prison time for Dr. Kevorkian (Hosseini, Hengameh 204).
Dr. Kevorkians fate changed after 10 years of Adkins death when he administered a
number of lethal injections as stated above instead of providing the tools to the patients. One in
particular was given not long after a law was passed in Michigan 3 weeks prior to this death.
Kevorkian was sentenced to 10-25 years in prison after the death of his patient Thomas Youk
(Hosseini, Hengameh 205).
In a CNN interview Kevorkian admitted he has no regrets in what he has done with his
patients, and stands by his decision to assist in their death. He believes that all people are
terminal whether their time is sooner or later (Kevorkian). Dr. Kevorkian was a strong
advocate in the practice of assisted suicide and is seen to be an icon in this method of medicine.
Pro-Life
Some disagree with abortion due to the fact that it is killing a person that does not have a
say. Some argue that assisted suicide is acceptable because the patient consents and choses to
take a lethal dose of medication to end their life. Since the patient carries out the act of killing
themselves and makes the choice to end their life, most arguing this take the religious view in
disagreeing (Kaveny, Cathleen).
Working in the hospice industry, I spoke with my medical director Dr. John Dietlein on
his view of this subject. He did not agree with physician assisted suicide for the physician moral
aspect of this. Dr. John Dietlein stated that a physician should be an advocate for healing and
provide comfort. When a patient is diagnosed with a terminal illness, their symptoms should be
managed correctly. When managed correctly, the patient would most likely feel that assisted
suicide is not a better route.
Dr. Dietlein also stated that when an MD graduates from medical school, they take a
Hippocratic Oath. Providing a way for suicide in his eyes is murder and contradicts all that the
Hippocratic Oath stands for. I asked him if his religious views played a role in his stance on this.
His response was that his religious view played only a role for his personal view on this. As a
physician religion did not play a role because he keeps his personal life out of his medical
practice so religion did not play a role in his professional opinion.
Pro-Choice
Most patients that opt to end their life through assisted suicide are elderly. With the law
requiring the patient to have a terminal diagnosis, this results in loss of dignity. Being an
independent adult their entire life this gets hard for some people. They become frustrated having
their children take care their daily care i.e. bathing, feeding, and bowel care. They feel the loss
of their independence causes unhappiness and depression with losing their dignity.
There is also the financial burden that gets put on an already emotional family. A family
member at times has to pay a facility to accept this patient and provide around the clock personal
care which can cause financial stress. The patient feels that they are a financial burden on top of
a care burden (Kaveny, Cathleen).
Assisted suicide can provide an exit to the fear of losing all of this. Patients always hope
for the best; however old age and death are inevitable. Everyone has their time to exit this world
and many believe that it should be a choice on how and when they leave. Some will choose
alternative routes such as hospice or moving into a facility, however this is another option for
when life does not go their way.
Personal Opinion
My personal opinion on this issue is very simple. You make choices throughout your life
that can change life in a dramatic way whether they are for better or worse. Why should making
the choice on how you exit this life be any different? Working in the hospice industry, I see
patients suffer in pain and families go through exhausting obstacles throughout the death of a
loved one. I hear patients tell my staff on a constant basis I just want to die. Im tired of
fighting the inevitable.
I understand why a physician would not want to participate in this act given they have
given their life to the helping of others; however I feel that a physician needs to respect a
patients wish to die. Putting them on things such as hospice is an alternative to assisted suicide.
Nevertheless, I feel that if the time came when I was prepared to end my life I would know when
the time was right.
Some say that death is a natural course of life. Others say that death is the end to all.
Nobody knows how their death will happen, but one thing is for sure- I want the choice on how I
leave this world
Works Cited

"Frequently Asked Questions." Death With Dignity National Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Dec 2013.

"History." Death With Dignity National Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Dec 2013.

Hosseini, Hengameh. "Ethics, the Illegality of Physician Assisted Suicide in the United States,
and the Role and Ordeal of Dr. Jack Kevorkian Before His Death." 4.5 (2012): n. page.
Web. 3 Dec. 2013.

Kaveny, Cathleen. "Dignity & the End of Life." How Not to Talk About Assisted Suicide. N.p.,
June 30, 2011. Web. 3 Dec 2013.

Kevorkian, Jack, perf. "Kevorkian: 'I have no regrets'." Dir. Sanjay Gupta. CNN: Ann Srbor,
Michigan, Television.

Schwartz, Michael. "Practical Reasons for Lifting Bans on Physician-Assisted Suicide." 12.3
(1997): n. page. Web. 3 Dec. 2013.

"Terminology." Death With Dignity National Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Dec 2013.


















Skyler Vanderhoof
English 2010
Reflection
5/8/14
Above is my revised versions of three major assignments within my English 2010 class. Most of
the feedback that I received my professor and my peers were mostly grammatical errors. Some of my
feedback was that my ideas were a little vague in places which has been tightened down and corrected.
In most of my writing when it included research, the best way for me to write was to print out all of my
sources and have them in front of me and write from there. I also had other students that have either
taken this class or are currently taking an English class read through them and write their notes. I also
has one person read through them that was an outsider of writing such as a close friend to get their
input as well.
The biggest challenge that I had in these writing assignments was finding a topic that was broad
enough to write the required length, but specific enough to stay on a good track as to not confuse the
reader. I chose to write two of the assignments on physician assisted suicide which plays a huge role in
my life working in the hospice industry. I felt that this was a topic that I was passionate about, but not
so passionate that I could not see anothers point of view.
I felt that I knew a great deal on these topics, however it made me dig deeper into the topic to
fine tune my knowledge. Typically someone feels that they know the big picture of a topic, but once
they start digging into the small details they can sometimes learn things that will change their view. I
learned more about the physician assisted suicide laws and regulations that I did not know before. I had
a fairly good grasp on the concept, but these assignments helped me to further understand why the
people of my opposing view believe the way they do.