It's Over Debbie: An Ethical Analysis

Ethics can be defined in several ways into today’s society, particularly among the younger, fluid, more open-minded generation. Ethics is the the study of moral conducts and beliefs, to ensure that we as a human race uphold the standards of right and wrong. What is the difference between good and bad? What makes elements in a situation right or wrong? There is not one unconditional way to describe ethics in various scenarios. This unrestrictive definition is based upon human nature and human decision, while the standard definition of the word ethics; generally accepted by the majority of people and taken from the Merriam-Webster dictionary is “the principles of conduct for a person or group.” While this statement is correct, there are several

Within the article, the reader discovers that a young woman woman is suffering from severe ovarian cancer. Starting the article, a gynecology resident with an unknown gender is awoken in the middle of the night to the sound of a phone call, and is asked to see a patient who is having difficulty getting rest. The gynecologist, exhausted from lack of sleep, made their way to the patient, unaware of what the end result of the night would be. The gynecologist discovered a twenty year old woman named Debbie who is dying from ovarian cancer, suffering from uncontrollable vomiting, labored breathing, severe air hunger, anorexia, and lack of sleep. Her only words to the gynecologist were, “Let’s get this over with.” The Gynecologist decided to inject the dying woman with twenty milligrams of morphine, telling the women that this would giver her time to rest and to say goodbye. Debbie, accepting the fact that she was nearing her final moments, laid her head down silently, watchful. After the injection, her entire body relaxed, her breathing slowed to a normal rate and her eyes closed as she passed. The article ends with Debbie’s last breath, the unknown woman standing next to Debbie seeming relieved, and the words, “It’s over,

Many argue that in this case, this person’s actions were unethical or wrong because they took the life of another without consent from her, her doctor, or her family, but in reality there was no time nor was it necessary for any of these precautions to take place. Many feel that the gynecologist did not think this situation through and that they rushed to come to a harsh judgement or outcome. While patients should be pushed in the direction of maintaining their lives and survival, assisted suicide should remain an option without judgement to all those who deem it necessary for themselves. While many do not believe that Debbie’s statement, “Let’s get this over with,” was a cry for the doctor to end her life, it is obvious that she has no will to survive and that she is suffering immensely. The doctor took actions into their own hands in an attempt to help Debbie, and while it may have been unethical as they took no precautions, their actions were ethical in their attempt to help this broken, suffering woman. Cancer has a way of overtaking the body, causing great amounts of suffering, and when one nears the end of their battle, they have the right to take their own life through the act of assisted