It challenges trust between doctor and patient. We expect physicians to heal and preserve life, not to kill on request. I reply that I want to be able to trust my doctor to do what is best for me in every situation. I would not ask a doctor to do anything illegal, but if physician-assisted death were permitted by law, I would not want to be abandoned in my final hours. The main reason I’m against assisted suicide is Its God's place to decide the time and place of a person's death.
A physician is supposed to do no harm. If they cannot prevent suffering and the person has a terminal illness with a low life expectancy how is it determined they are doing no harm by keeping them alive? The Hippocratic Oath has been rewritten many times to allow for different cultures but it still states the same. A physician will not do harm. Determining what is considered harm is the part of this debate that cannot be easily decided.
"Your whole body is in excruciating pain." Castanada was eventually transferred to the University of California Irvine's burn unit, where doctors said over 70 percent of her body was damaged, Corona said. She's undergone several surgeries over the past few weeks, but her feet are still blistering. Zeichner said he sees it most often with antibiotics, but MacKinnon said this sometimes fatal reaction is different from most reactions to antibiotics, which are usually limited to gastrointestinal symptoms. "Unfortunately, we have no way of predicting who would have this type reaction," Zeichner said, advising that patients only take prescriptions given to them by their doctors.
Physician assisted suicide should be a right given to all people who are suffering from a painful, degenerative, or deadly condition. Anyone who might never enjoy the luxuries of living a happy and healthy life again. Though several ongoing debates are against physician-assisted suicide, ethicists are still not the one who is responsible to make this decision. Patients have the right to free will and human dignity that gives them the right to choose physician assisted suicide. Being able to have this choice allows the patient to maintain some control over their devastating situation.
From Steven Ertelt’s article, we knew that Ewart said, if he chose to live, he would suffer illness, but it did not mean he could cure the disease and have a new life (2008). Patients suffer grievous pain, and those who want to live, have to suffer through the horrible illness. But if there is no hope, and these patients choose to do euthanasia, relief is instantaneous. In addition, people would love to live with happiness. Imagine that your life is filled with pain.
First, Should euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide be legal? I support euthanasia because we are all sentient beings in control of our own destinies and governance over our bodies. Jasper Emmering, MD stated, “…Then there is a practical matter: the moral distinction between abstaining from life-saving treatment, palliative sedation and euthanasia is very murk, for me it doesn’t exist at all. Therefore it makes no sense that the first two are legal while the third is not.” To get a better understanding of the debate, allow me to explain what physician-assisted suicide is; the situation occurs when a physician facilitates a patient’s death by providing the necessary means and/or information to enable the patient to perform the life-ending act. A physician may provide sleeping pills and information about the lethal dose, with the full knowledge of the patient’s expectation for the outcome.
If a person is suffering in unbearable pain and cannot enjoy life then euthanasia would be the best option to help that person die a dignified and peaceful death, rather than a period of lost dignity and prolonged suffering. Current laws state that active euthanasia is illegal in most of the country. Patients can refuse medical treatment and receive pain management, even if the patient’s choices hasten their death. Futile or burdensome treatments, such as life support machines, may be withdrawn under specific circumstances. Under federal and some state laws medical facilities need consent from patients or, in the event of incompetency of the patient, informed consent of the legal surrogate.
For example, many people against this decision claim that it is not ethical due to the fundamental tenet of medical ethics which is “Do no harm” (Bender 37).This decision is very ethical because what is not ethical is letting an innocent person die instead of taking the route of assisted suicide. If the person suffering was a relative of another person will they think twice not to because it is their loved ones suffering. By defining ethics it is related to a moral principle in which many differ from principles and standards. Another debate can be that assisted suicide is not a constitutional right. Assisted suicide is a choice which the constitution does support freedom of choice.
As usual, outcomes are always extremely important. I cannot stand my mistakes affecting other people, especially the ones I care. Therefore not only would I consider my principle, I would go through all the possible outcomes turned from my actions. Maybe you would think my process is not so simple after all, but I can assure you as long as you have made your mind set, it is a straight road towards making a reasonable ethical decision. Like everyone else, I really don't want any one of my decisions to be wrong.
In this case, the practice is able to end one’s life in a peaceful manner, while a financial and emotional burden can also be lifted off of the family members. In the eyes of others, euthanasia is an act that goes against God’s will and the idea that death is spiritually important and shouldn’t be altered (BBC, 2009). Aside from the fact that euthanasia is also referred to as “mercy killing”, it is still the act of murder—an unlawful premeditated killing of another human being (Answers, n.d.). I personally am against the practice of euthanasia because it is immoral and wrongful. Recurrently, there are cases where patients aren’t given a choice when it comes to euthanasia.