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Assisted Suicide Argumentative Analysis

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Death is a natural process that will be experienced by everyone at some point, desirably at the end of a long, well lived life. The reality is that no one knows when that time will come or how it will happen. Unfortunately, for the terminally ill, death is in the near future and it is a sobering reality. Therefore, when that time comes, people need to know that they will have options, and the assurance that death does not have to be an agonizing end. They can choose to endure the annihilating pain that comes with the disease and allow it to take its natural course or choose to put an end to it, surrounded by those who love them. For the terminally ill the decision of ending their lives with compassion should be a fundamental right, a personal …show more content…

In contrast, Kevin Drum, also a California resident and son-in-law to Harry, will not have to face such devastating and cruel choice of dying prematurely because in “2016 California passed the bill in support of assisted suicide” (Drum 30). Drum, who is also suffering from “myeloma” (27) and currently facing the fight for his life, finds comfort in knowing that when the time is right he will not have to die alone. As a result, the passing of the “assisted suicide” (Drum 28) bill will allow people like Drum to be aided by a physician in ending their suffering when the pain is too unbearable. The bill comes too late for Harry but Harry’s case highlights the need for such legislation throughout the nation. Consequently, the passing of this bill provides people with options and the confidence of knowing that when things are too much to handle there will be help available. Drum affirms, “I will ask my doctor for a prescription sedative that will kill me on my own terms¬—when I want and where I want” (60). Therefore, the passing of the “physician-assisted suicide” (Drum 28) bill will provide countless others the choice of ending their suffering surrounded by those who love them while enjoying as much as possible all the time they have

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Only those who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness or otherwise diagnosed with a condition that will inflict intense, debilitating, and chronic pain with very little to no chance of a cure should be able to volunteer for physician-assisted suicide. According to Lois Snyder-Sulmasy and Paul S. Mueller (2017), “Ethical arguments in support of physician-assisted suicide highlight the principle of respect for patient autonomy and a broad interpretation of physician’s duty to relieve suffering. Proponents view physician-assisted suicide as an act of compassion that respects patient choice and fulfills an obligation of nonabandonment” (p. 577). The premise here is that the death process has already been initiated in those that have a terminal illness or in those that are experiencing the worst pain imaginable. Because the process is irreversible, at least in the present day, physician-assisted suicide should not only be legalized, the terminology should be changed as well.

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In the short essay “One Dying Wish,” author James Duffy explains the importance of letting terminally ill patients decide whether they want to continue their lives or find peace and die. Patients and their families struggle immensely by the patient staying alive. Watching the patient suffer through the pain and losing hope. Duffy’s thesis is that terminally ill patients should have the choice to die in peace, without being medicated beyond hope. Duffy explains that terminally ill patients are in pain, and the idea of keeping them alive knowing there isn’t hope for them is wrong.

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The dying patient no longer has quality of life, they have lost their independence, are lonely, are forced to endure inevitable pain, are publicly humiliated, are suffering immensely, and are forced to watch their loved ones grieve because of them. It is an innate Constitutional Right to choose how to die, since we all will die. There comes a point when the poking and prodding becomes too much, when the patient wants to just die in silence in the loving arms of their

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According to Karaim in 2013 “Decisions about sustaining life, allowing it to end or even hastening death are among the most difficult choices terminally ill patients and their families can face”

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Physician assisted suicide is one of the most complex and critical health care policy issues that doctors and nurses must face and either advocate for or against. What makes it difficult is determining whether or not the patient’s condition is poor enough to be considered eligible for this type of treatment. In 1990, Dr. Jack Kevorkian started a movement of taking this practice forward himself and helping multiple people do what they wanted with their life. Physician assisted suicide (PAS) can be a respectful way for people to be let free of their misery if done at the request of the patient. PAS can be seen as a negative act that doctors and nurses have the power to over use.

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Physician assisted suicide has been an intensely debated problem for years but if used properly, could be an effective way to help those who are suffering at the end of their life. Countless people have been advocating for physician assisted suicide for years and the most famous advocate for assisted suicide was Dr. Jack Kevorkian. He was a pathologist but received the nickname Dr. Death after it was estimated that between 1990 and 1999 he assisted 130 terminally ill individuals in their assisted suicides (“Jack Kevorkian”). Dr. Kevorkian is considered a crusader for physician

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In 1996, it was ruled in a state court that, ”terminally ill patients who are mentally competent have a constitutional right to determine the time and manner of their death.” (Peck 207). This “constitutional right” to determine one’s own death should not be dictated by another party’s religious or spiritual views on the sanctity of life. Sadly, many people suffering from terminal illnesses are being denied the right to end their pain by other’s personal beliefs on the value of

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Some examples of a terminal illness include cancer, stroke, and ALS. Many people disagree with assisted suicide, but it is the better choice for those who do not what their disease to change who they are. The main arguments to allow this in our country is that the tremendous amount of pain and suffering of the patient will end, euthanasia, and health care costs will be reduced. Some people may choose to live their life with dignity and end their life in dignity, but assisted suicide would allow the choice to be their own. The pain a person can go through is a tremendous amount, especially those who are dying from a terminal illness.

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The Death with Dignity Act has two arguments: those who believe we have the right to choose how and when we die, and those who believe we do not possess that right; that we should not interfere with the natural order of life. Every year, people across America are diagnosed with a terminal illness. For some people there is time: time to hope for a cure, time to fight the disease, time to pray for a miracle. For others however, there is very little or no time. For these patients, their death is rapidly approaching and for the vast majority of them, it will be a slow and agonizing experience.

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Life is a matter of choice. People should have the power to control what happens to their bodies, and that they should not be forced to suffer through horrible pain until their body finally just gives out and dies. Some terminally ill patients are in terrible pain and have a very poor quality of life, and they would rather end it as opposed to living life in a way that they would not enjoy. Humans have the right to end their life when they want to. The elderly and those suffering from severe debilitating illnesses, who may be depressed

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That since palliative care, already exists, that should provide relief of the pain and suffering. While this is a good reason, it is not the whole case. “Patients that has no hope of getting better or in so much pain, should have the right to end their lives on their terms.” When pain is to bearable or they are no chance of getting better, need the right to euthanasia to end their lives on their life own terms. People should have the right to end their own terms, when the suffering and pain is too

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In addition, when a terminally ill patient undergoes voluntary active euthanasia, this will save a significant amount of healthcare resources which would have been used to prolong the patient’s life. As a result, the resources can then be used to potentially save patients who have curable medical conditions, consequently producing a significant amount of satisfaction within the health care system (Guedj et al., 2005, p.315). Therefore, medical assistance in dying is morally acceptable as it produces the greatest good for the greatest number of people in society (Collier & Haliburton, 2015,

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When you hear the word death or you hear that someone has died today in the news or on the television I know a lot of people think “Man, I feel sorry for the family that they have to go through that.” or they thank god that it was not them or their family members.” Sadly though people try to push away death and push away the fact that everyone dies at one point in time. This is even truer when they witness their own family member in the hospital with a critical condition that the doctors cannot fix even with modern medicines on the doctor’s side. Another such time would be when a person’s family member is diagnosed with an incurable sickness that is fatal.

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