The Pros And Cons Of Assisted Suicide

People who suffer from mental retardation, autism, anxiety disorders, depression, bi-polar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, dementia or Alzheimer’s, will have a tougher time getting approved for assisted suicide. There is not a sequence of behaviors or outcome results on tests, that a physician can accurately trust to determine if this person wants to in fact, end their life. Unfortunately, a number of guardians take matters into their own hands when someone who is mentally ill wants to die, but are not granted to do so. Legally, people have the right to take another life off life support. This is not the case for assisted suicide, a guardian or caregiver of someone who is mentally ill, could be the voice for someone who is suffering that cannot make that choice for themselves because they are not physically able to do so. The mentally

If someone is mentally challenged, under certain circumstances, an individual may be fully aware of what they are opting to do. “Given these difficulties, it is not at all clear whether a patient requesting suicide is exercising a constitutional right, or merely yielding to social or financial pressure to end their life” (Martyn & Bourguignon, 1997). According to, “Ending Life, Morality, and Meaning,” there are subjective and objective theories on physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia. The objective theory, “a person has a meaningful existence, even if she or he does not experience their life as significant” (Varelius, 2013). The subjective theory, “a person has a meaningful life if they autonomously deem that the activities she or he engage in make her existence significant” (Varelius, 2013). Physician-assisted suicide or voluntary euthanasia doesn’t have to be a constitutional right, but could be a statutory law, regulated by state