Physician Assisted Suicide Ethical Dilemmas

Running Header: Ethical Reasonings

Ethical Reasonings for the Legalization of Physician Assisted Suicide The moral issue of whether or not Physician Assisted Suicide(PAS) should be allowed has been widely vocalized and debated throughout the world. Physician Assisted Suicide is an important issue because it concerns the fundamental morals of one 's life. There are a variety of opinions readily discussed about this issue. Most standpoints on this topic have to do with freedom. Humans have come to realize that pain and suffering are not how they want to live. Our nation, made by our own founding fathers, was created with the freedom to express ourselves, to be different and to allow us to make our own decisions. I believe that there are some

Some believe that this undermines the role of a physician as a healer. This argument is somewhat valid, but still should not make Physician Assisted Suicide illegal. The way I see it, a physician is always there to help it may be killing but the Physician is just prescribing the dose and the patient takes the pill on his/her own. Another argument is that a physician who helps a patient commit suicide, breaks the trust and bonds between a patient and his/her doctor. Again, we have a valid point. Let’s look at part of the definition of a doctor which is a “healer.” Let us also look at the word, heal. Aren’t their many ways of healing? Doctors want to make sure their patient is comfortable, and they are giving them the best of their ability and knowledge. If a patient suggests and meets all the requirements for Physician Assisted Suicide, I do not see why blame would fall on the doctor. Blame can be defined in this case as a moral failure. Placing blame on

A legitimate argument against the legalization of Physician Assisted Suicide is the potential abuse it will cause. Many say it will become unavoidable when patients are eventually given the option to Physician Assisted Suicide that do not qualify to the regulations that must be followed. Many believe our society today would eventually push the idea of PAS to these people who do not apply due to pressures of class and poverty. Yes, I do believe our society today has become extremely difficult to keep up with, when these high standards are at the top. Some call this the “Slippery Slope” theory but I do not find this argument very persuasive. I truly believe the slippery slope argument is hypothetical. There is no proof that Physician Assisted Suicide would be abused if it became legalized. In the state of