Argumentative Essay: The Right To Assisted Suicide

The right to assisted suicide is a compelling topic that concerns all of the world. The wide-range of debates are constantly alternating about whether a dying patient has the right to die with the assistance of a physician. Some are against it because of religious and moral reasons. Half of society believes that God should choose when to end one’s life while others are for it because of their benevolence and respect for the dying. When people see the word euthanasia, they see the meaning of the word in two different perspectives. Euthanasia for some carries a negative insinuation; it is a one-way ticket to murder. For others, however, euthanasia is the act of putting someone to death painlessly without causing harm. But after studying and learning

Every day someone new is in need of a transplant that will save their life, but due to the scarce amount of organs not everyone is given a second chance. “There is a long waiting lists for hearts, kidneys, livers, and other organs that are necessary to help save someone’s life. Doctor-assisted suicide allows physicians to preserve vital organs that can be donated to others (assuming the patients are organ donors). Once again, we have to put the needs of the living ahead of the needs of the dying.” (Messerli, 2002) At times there are patients that are terminally ill who are unlikely to recover from their illness. Doctors and families often look at what’s best interest for the patient whether that be to keep them on life support or remove the only thing that is keeping them alive. Considering the fact that if they are organ donor doctors can give them the option in advance to donate their organs if they happen to decide if they want their treatment limited in the near future. If the person agreed in advance to be such an organ donor, and an independent committee confirms that the patient’s prognosis was hopeless and also agrees that treatment should be stopped, the patient could be taken to an operating room, given a general anesthetic, and have their organs removed. The surgical procedure would be a form of euthanasia. This option would give people the best chance of ensuring that their organs do not go to waste after their death. It would also prevent the patient from suffering after life support was withdrawn. It would cause no harm, and would potentially benefit a number of people who are in need of a vital organ. Importantly, the main purpose of being able to use euthanasia is to give people a choice about how they die and whether they choose to donate their organs or not. (Wilkinson& Savulescu, 2010) “In 2002, a 44-year-old woman was