They also argue that Physician-Assisted-Suicide allows terminally ill patients to avoid unnecessary pain and agony in their final days and also allows the patient to control the manner and timing of his/her own death. Cons Just like there are many pros there are cons to Physician-Assisted-Suicide. Society is fearful of Physician-Assisted-Suicide because they fear being pressured to terminate their lives by the people around them and/or the medical staff. In addition, patients might feel as if they have become a burden to their families and committing suicide will resolve that for his/her family. Another concern would be the message being sent, especially to those who are not terminally ill. Would our younger generation have the understanding that committing suicide is appropriate?
Perspectives on Physician-Assisted Suicides Brendolynn Champlaie PHI103 Informal Logic John Moore September 22, 2010 Thesis Assisted suicide should be legal it will allow terminally ill patients the freedom of choosing how they should end their life when they can no longer endure the pain and suffering. People have the freedom to do almost anything that they choose to do except for how they die. Some patients would like to die with dignity since is a personal choice and this is something their doctor should understand. The method that they might want to choose is euthanasia which is also known as assisted suicide, physician-assisted suicide (dying), doctor-assisted dying (suicide), and more loosely termed mercy (Christian Nordquist
Therefore, I agree with euthanasia protestors. Instead of ending someone’s life in order to prevent any more suffering, we should alleviate pain by improving our hospice care and making our healthcare system more affordable. Let us not lose our humanity by valuing life from the best ethical rules possible. In conclusion, the severity and the complexity of the euthanasia debate indicate why euthanasia is the most active area of research in contemporary bioethics. While some people strongly believe that euthanasia should be legalized, other people insist that euthanasia is literally a type of murder.
Another important aspect, the person who is being euthanized must be ill or injured in some way that recovery is not expected, such as a coma. Lastly, the death of the individual must be intentional. He also makes sure to state the “passive euthanasia” or letting someone die is not euthanasia within this paper. With these definitions in place Gay-Williams defines euthanasia as “intentionally taking the life of a presumably hopeless person.” Gay-Williams’ first argument is that euthanasia is against human beings nature. The first premise he provides for this argument is that all human beings have a natural instinct to survive and that euthanasia goes against this natural process.
Debra Cassidy Eng 102 WA 6 Euthanasia/ physician-assisted suicide Why do our free rights end at euthanasia/physician-assisted suicide in the United States? If we have freedom of speech and the freedom to refuse speech, and the freedom of religion and the freedom to not be religious; why can we not have the freedom of life or ending a painful one. The term Euthanasia originated from the Greek word for “good death.” It is the act or practice of ending the life of a person either by lethal injection or the suspension of medical treatment. [The Nightingale Alliance] Having helped ending a painful, slow agonizing death should be a right everybody has. Perhaps the strongest argument made on behalf of legalizing euthanasia or assisted
Physician Assisted Suicide Why is it only ethical to die “naturally”, after a long illness filled with highly “un-natural” life extending medical procedures? Over the last twenty years, physician assisted suicides have become a sensitive issue in governmental offices as whether to legalize such an option. Even though many religions prohibit suicide and the intentional killing of others, and some believe it violates a portion of a doctors’ Hippocratic Oath, Physician Assisted Suicide should be a legal option for those with terminal diseases or conditions because reasonable laws can be constructed which prevent abuse and still protect the value of human life. Physician assisted suicide is the voluntary termination of one's own life by administration
Is Assisted Suicide Ethically Justified? Chriss N. Thomas Philosophy of Ethics Dr. John Schmitz February 8, 2012 The choice a terminally ill patient makes should be available to them in the event they no longer want to suffer. According to Dame Jill Macleod Clark, who sits on the Council of Deans of Health, states “those who have cared for terminally ill patients, friends or family know their greatest fears and anxieties are about intractable sufferings, and their desire for a dignified and peaceful death” (2011). When patients who are terminally ill want to hear options the argument has been made that all options are not available because assisted suicide comes with scrutiny and consequences. On the other hand opponents of assisted suicide do not believe this is the only way to secure a good health alternative.
Reading Portfolio: Personal Response “Assisted suicide: A right or a wrong?” Even as I read about this controversial issue about euthanasia, it saddens me that people would want to argue whether it should be legal to choose to end their lives. But of course, they have their reasons too. Supporters of the legalization of euthanasia reason mainly on the basis that every person should have the freedom of choice to do whatever he wants with his body life, which includes controlling his own death and being given the right to maximum happiness that he can get. I think the arguments for euthanasia have a point; imagine and put yourself in the shoes of a terminally and critically ill person that suffers excruciating pain 24 hours a day, 7 days
Allowing a human life to intentionally be ended disregards the sacredness of human life and has no direct difference to murder despite the intentions to prevent pain. Furthermore, euthanasia would become the first step of a slippery slope whereby value of human life will be depreciated and reduced to economical and personal convenience. However, these farfetched consequences cannot surpass the empathetic argument of mercy on the patient whereby quality of life overrides quantity. The most convincing argument that renders the killing of terminally ill morally permissible is the understanding that all humans possess autonomy. John Stuart Mill argues in (On Liberty (1859), ‘The only part of the conduct of anyone, for which a citizen is amenable to society, is that which concerns others.
Montana Supreme Court legalized PAS in a decision handed down on 2009-DEC-31. (“Euthanasia & Physician Assisted Suicide. (PAS) All side to the issue”.) "Those who oppose any measures permitting assisted suicide argue that we have a duty to protect and to preserve all life. To allow people to assist others in destroying their lives violates a duty we have to respect human life”.