ipl-logo

Legalizing Assisted Suicide Argumentative Essay

463 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Legal and Ethical Issues Involving Assisted Suicide

According to Merriam-Webster dictionary,” Assisted suicide is the suicide of a patient suffering from an incurable disease, affected by the taking of lethal drugs provided by a doctor for this purpose.” This controversial topic has taken notice of the public recently, especially since the of the best-selling novel Me Before You has become popular. Though some supporters of assisted suicide claim the right to making their own choice regarding their death, people opposed to assisted suicide take into account the societal impacts and possible abuse that could come from legalizing it.
Many people who request assisted suicide are the family members of people in a vegetative state or the paralyzed. However, assisted suicide is only legal for terminally ill patients with diseases such as cancer. Paralyzed people are not terminally ill, in fact, they can live for many decades. With such loose terms on what is an acceptable reason for assisted suicide, it can result in the abuse of giving out the medication. Hundreds of thousands of people die annually from medical mistakes with treatments meant to save lives such as surgery. By legalizing assisted suicide nationwide, a myriad of mistakes could be made when giving out this pill. Elder abuse, a rising issue in the US, could easily rise with having the option of assisted suicide. With very few helped and many harmed this treatment could ruin the lives of thousands. …show more content…

“No, you can’t tell me what to do with my body. I want to know what all of my options are” (Maynard 1.) Though assisted suicide is a choice that Maynard has sought out, it is not necessarily her best or only

Show More
Related
1841 Words | 8 Pages

Since Oregon began allowing physician-assisted suicide of the terminally ill in 1997, more than seven hundred people have ended their own lives with prescription medications in the state alone (NPR.org). Physician-assisted suicide is not only becoming a topic of controversy in the United States, but foreign countries as well. Supporters of the issue believe that competent people who do not have a chance of longevity should be able to choose their fate. Opponents argue that terminal diagnoses can be inaccurate, or that the person with the illness may not be capable of making informed decisions. Assisted suicide refers to the act of one giving another the “Instructions, means, or capability to bring about their own demise.”

Read More
106 Words | 1 Pages

The right to assisted suicide is a heavily controversial and debated over topic that concerns people all around the United States. The arguments go back and forth about whether a dying patient has the right to end their life with the assistance of a doctor or physician. Some people are against it because of moral and religious reasons. Others are for it because of their compassions and respect for unhappy patients waiting to die naturally. Assisted suicide is prohibited by common law or criminal statute in all 50 U.S. states; medical aid in dying is specifically authorized in 5 states: Oregon, Washington, Vermont, Montana, and California.

Read More
739 Words | 3 Pages

Physician-assisted suicide is a widely controversial issue that is discussed in today society. There are debates over whether it is ethically correct or whether assisted suicide should be legalized for the terminally ill. Each side of the arguments have different viewpoints concerning individual aspects of physician-assisted suicide. Such as certain guidelines that should exist if legalized. Advocates of physician-assisted suicide argue that it should be legal under circumstances such as great suffering through terminals illness.

Read More
1179 Words | 5 Pages

The medical field is filled with opportunities and procedures that are used to help improve a patient’s standard of living and allow them to be as comfortable as possible. Physician assisted suicide (PAS) is a method, if permitted by the government, that can be employed by physicians across the world as a way to ease a patient’s pain and suffering when all else fails. PAS is, “The voluntary termination of one's own life by administration of a lethal substance with the direct or indirect assistance of a physician.”-Medicinenet.com. This procedure would be the patient’s decision and would allow the patient to end their lives in a more peaceful and comfortable way, rather than suffering until the illness takes over completely. Physician assisted suicide should be permitted by the government because it allows patients to end their suffering and to pass with dignity, save their families and the hospital money, and it allows doctors to preserve vital organs to save

Read More
2742 Words | 11 Pages

In modern times, the topic of physician-assisted death has gained prominence in the United States in part to the publicized deaths assisted by Dr. Jack Kevorkian. He was a doctor in the 1980’s who allowed over 130 of his patients commit suicide when they found it to be appropriate. Additionally, physician-assisted suicide has come to the forefront of discussion as a result of general concerns about suffering painful, slow and undignified deaths under a medical care system that is able to extend dying, but not necessarily living. What exactly is physician-assisted suicide? Often referred to as a person’s right to die, assisted suicide is simply death assisted by another person, particularly a medical professional.

Read More
1265 Words | 6 Pages

Although Assisted suicide is illegal in most states, it is well known to help many patients, however opposing sides sees the impact it has on family and medical physicians who think it is unethical. Physician assisted suicide is for those who have life threatning illnesses and who do not have much time to live. However, from a legal standpoint, Physician assisted suicide does not include active

Read More
966 Words | 4 Pages

There are many issues with this. Many see this as a form of murder, while others see it as a chance to complete someone's wish. On the government side of things, assisted suicide is illegal in many states. In the state of North Carolina assisted suicide is illegal. Many of the issues deal with family, religion, and government morals.

Read More
959 Words | 4 Pages

The National Public Radio (NPR) once said and states, “Advocates of assisted-suicide laws believe that mentally competent people who are suffering and have no chance of long-term survival, should have the right to die if and when they choose. If people have the right to refuse life-saving treatments, they argue, they should also have the freedom to choose to end their own lives” (NPR Staff). As a patient’s pain grows increasingly worse, their only option is to adopt physician-assisted suicide. If there is no cure or chance of

Read More
1461 Words | 6 Pages

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

Read More
1228 Words | 5 Pages

Many people think that there are too many problems with physician assisted suicide. Physician assisted suicide is a procedure that allows physicians to prescribe their patients a lethal medication that they can inject themselves with in order to die on their own terms. There are specific requirements that the patients must meet in order to receive this medication. Physician assisted suicide is only for patients that have life threatening illnesses and do not have much time left to live. It is legal in numerous places around the world including certain places in the United States.

Read More
1149 Words | 5 Pages

Physician Assisted suicide is the act of a doctor helping the patient die because the patient is suffering from an incurable disease and are terminally ill. Unless you are terminally ill this is something you might never understand. Until I started researching more about assisted suicide I never understood really what it was. If a patient is terminally ill I believe that they should have the right to decide whether to end their life or continue. If the patient decides ending their life will help them, it should be the job of the doctor to provide and help the patient die safely and free of as much pain as possible.

Read More
931 Words | 4 Pages

Many people will experience painful headaches, seizures, extreme nausea and even a medical induced coma.(Newton, 8) Assisted suicide is when you are given a diagnosis of six months or less to live and you are given the choice to take part in giving a

Read More
359 Words | 2 Pages

When society supports Assisted Suicide, society says that a life is only worth so much. But what do they say it is worth? Only $75-$100. So, you decide if your grandparents or even parents are just worth that $100 to you.

Read More
1514 Words | 7 Pages

Assisted suicide is when a terminally ill patient takes physician provided medication to help the patient commit suicide (Euthanasia 1). These are illegal in several states throughout the United States. Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide should be legal In every state of our nation. Would you ever say that your life belongs to another person? Your life belongs to you and only you.

Read More
635 Words | 3 Pages

“To those who argue that Maynard is ending her life before God can intervene, she says: ‘Cancer is ending my life. I am choosing to end it a little sooner and in a lot less pain and suffering.’” (Joanna Rothkopf) The author of this quote was a sufferer of stage 4 brain cancer and was looking for a way to accelerate her death. This is relative to my argument because this shows how euthanasia is different from suicide/ murder.

Read More

More about Legalizing Assisted Suicide Argumentative Essay

Related Topics

Open Document