Karen Powell 2
In the case of terminal illness, should patients have the right to medically assisted suicide? This is a subject that has been very divided. The debate has always gone back and forth as far as, when, makes the decision in the process. For others it can come down to religious beliefs and moral reasons.
Many patients who are in the end stages of their terminal illness of their life have requested doctors to aid them in euthanasia. These patients are most of the time in great pain and no longer want to live a life of suffering. They also do not want to put their families through the suffering of watching a loved one go through the pain and suffering of losing a loved one to a terminal disease. It can be a slow and painful death for some, but some could be concerned with are these patients competent enough to make these decisions. Also, what ramifications does this have on a physician who would have to administer end of life medications to a patient.
I think a big debate could come from is it morally right for physicians to perform such a duty as assisted suicide. Medical personnel such as doctors take oaths to save a person’s life no matter what and to the best of their ability. In 1994, Oregon voters passed the Death with Dignity Act, which legalized physician-assisted suicide for people with terminal illnesses. Since then, more states have passed such laws, and others are considering them. Is physician-assisted suicide, as the American Medical Association’s code of ethics states, “fundamentally incompatible with the physician’s role as healer?” Will such laws lead to a slippery slope, where human life is devalued, and vulnerable people are pressured to choose death? Or do people possess a basic right to autonomy and independence regarding end-of-life decisions that include the right to end pain and suffering, and the right to choose to die with dignity? Should physician-assisted suicide be legal?
Now on to the patient themselves, they should have the right to choose. Why is it ok to let a terminal illness dictate the terms of their existence? It is such a slow decline of their dignity, loss of independence, and taking away everything that makes life worth living. Assisted dying so not about giving up control it is about reclaiming it. It is not about death bit about the dignity of the patient and hoe they are able to leave this life on their own terms. They should be able to end their suffering on their own terms with dignity, compassion, and respect.
Legalize Assisted Suicide A Debate. Place of publication not identified: Intelligence2, 2015. Film.
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