Why Assisted Suicide Should Be A Right For Everyone

Brittany Maynard was diagnosed with an incurable brain tumor at the age of twenty-nine. She was given six months to live and the option of full brain radiation. If she chose to go with radiation, it could have caused her to experience the following: fatigue, nausea, memory loss, and speech loss. She began to research physician-assisted suicide and decided that it was the best choice she had left. Physician-assisted suicide is the act of a doctor ending a terminally ill patient’s life using lethal drugs. As of modern day, physician-assisted suicide is only legal in 6 states which include; Oregon, Montana, Washington, Vermont, California, and Colorado. Luckily, she lived near Oregon: one of the six states to have it legalized. She went through with it to end the suffering. More states should legalize physician-assisted suicide because it would let people who are terminally ill die with tranquility and dignity.

The ethical dilemma of this highly controversial subject will continue to split our approach to the notion of assisted suicide. As we age, we come to terms with our own mortality, how we choose to leave this world isn’t always up us. For those who suffer from a terminal fate, maybe they should have the choice, and those who understand their current condition can provide them the dignity they deserve without repercussions. The only way we as a society can move ahead, is to find a common

The promotion of physician assisted suicide has sparked a debate throughout the world. From my point of view, assisted suicide is doctors assist patients who could not endure the pain of diseases and are voluntarily given lethal amount of substances resulting in death. However, physician assisted suicide might be considered to be deviant in many countries currently due to the religions, laws and the negative image. Also, the physicians who assist their patients to suicide might be labelled as "killers". For instance, Jack Kevorkian, who was known for successfully assisting more than 130 patients to end their lives, was charged with second degree murder and was

Imagine having a relative with a terminal illness; perhaps this person feels that their only option is assisted-suicide. Now, put yourself into their shoes. Would you choose to live the rest of your days in pain, or would you choose to die with a sense of dignity? Physician-assisted suicide has been prohibited for many years and many physicians have given their input on the subject, enlightening many on the fundamentals of assisted-suicide; others have stated their opinions on the topic and the way that it violates many people’s moral judgement. Although opposing viewpoints argue that physician assisted suicide is not a beneficial treatment for medical patients, the medicalization of suicide should be legalized

After patients have been suffering for so long, it only seems right to allow them a peaceful death surrounded by family or, truthfully, however they see fit for their last days. If assisted suicide is legalized, patients will be able to control the assets and precedences of their own deaths. This will let them go peacefully and with bravery knowing they stuck out their fight but still got to die before their suffering was truly unbearable. In the article "Counterpoint: Assisted Suicide is a Civil Right", Issitt and Newton explain, "First and most importantly, it would allow each person the freedom to control the time, place, and circumstances of his or her death. Patients facing the slow progression of a fatal disease or the prognosis of living for years with incurable pain would be able to end their lives with dignity before their suffering became unbearable" (Issitt and Newton 4). In other words, patients should have the ability to control where they are and how they finally die, and assisted suicide can allow them to do just that. It is only right for a patient to have a peaceful death before the pain is too much to handle. With assisted suicide being legalized, patients and their families can make the patient's last few days dignified, celebratory, and comforting as they have struggled for so long. The same article also states, “In this article about assisted suicide, Issitt and Newton state, "In some cases, having the right to die might allow patients to make more informed choices about their health care. A patient might choose to postpone suicide in favor of alternative treatment options comforted by the knowledge that, if the pain becomes too unbearable, suicide would be an ultimate option to escape their suffering" (Issitt and Newton 4). Essentially, a patient being able to control their death is comforting and beneficial.

The issues of physician-assisted suicide (PAS) are both emotional and controversial. Some argue PAS is ethically permissible for a dying person who has chosen to escape unbearable suffering at the end of life; it is the physician’s duty to alleviate the patient’s suffering and justifies aid-in-dying. These arguments rely on the respect for individual autonomy. “Individual autonomy is an idea that is generally understood to refer to the capacity to be one's own person, to live one's life according to reasons and motives that are taken as one's own and not the product of manipulative or distorting external forces.” (STANDFORD REF)

According to the article, “Why Assisted Suicide Is Right, For Some,” by John M. Grohol, the evidence of Physician Assisted Suicide in Oregon and Washington State shows the fears of assisted suicide has been based on illogical viewpoints, not statistics. Grohols writing is largely a response to an article by Tom Keane, in that article Keane states, “A diagnosis of a terminal illness can easily leave patients despondent and considering taking their lives; the new law legitimizes that contemplation,” however, Grohol argues that the new law in fact acknowledges that terminal illness is a death sentence, and even though the length of life will vary from person to person, it doesn’t negate the basic fact death is coming sooner than expected with

As a child, every one ponders all of the many career opportunities they can become one day. As a teenager, everyone wants to fit in and find the love of their life. As an adult, most people have their lives figured out. Most have graduated with some form of degree, have a job, happily married to the love of their life and has children with them. No one considers what age has to bring with it. Sickness is everywhere; it is almost inevitable. No one wants to contemplate being an elderly person who is helpless and terminally ill. People who suffer from terminal illnesses should have the right to doctor assisted suicide since every person has the right to personal control over his or her body; quality of life should supersede quantity of life, and euthanasia is more humane than slowly suffering.

The issues surrounding assisted suicide are multifaceted. One could argue the practice of assisted suicide can appear to be a sensible response to genuine human suffering. Allowing health care professionals to carry out these actions may seem appropriate, in many cases, when the decision undoubtedly promotes the patient's autonomy. From this viewpoint, the distinctions made between assisted suicide and the withholding of life-sustaining measures appears artificial and tough to sustain. In many cases, the purpose and consequences of these practices are equivalent. On the contrary, if

Imagine for a moment one morning you woke up not feeling quite yourself, you have a really high fever and your back and feet hurt in such a way you can barely catch your breath, something that has become more pronounced and refuses to be ignored. You call you family doctor up and make an appointment to go in and get his opinion on what could be wrong with you. The doctor asks you some rather routine questions, pokes and prods at you, takes several samples of your blood and sends them off to be tested, advising you that he will call you as soon as the results are back. A week and a half goes by and finally you get the call you have been looking forward to and dreading at the same time. The doctor asks you to come to his office because he would like to discuss his findings with you in person. You find yourself in the doctors’ office sitting on that stiff leather couch across from the doctor who seems a bit uncomfortable as though he is not quite sure if he should look you in the eye or at the wall over your shoulder. In a very low and calm voice he breaks it to you and tells you that your blood tested positive for a very bad terminal illness where life as you know it would change as this illness progressed. You would become more and more dependent on others such as your family as this illness took hold of you. You would go from being able to do the seemingly simple things you find you always took for granted without even realizing it like walking under you own steam, bathing

The process of assisted suicide, or physician-assisted death, is a hotly debated topic that still remains at the forefront of many national discussions today. Assisted suicide can be described as the suicide of patient by a physician-prescribed dose of legal drugs. The reason that this topic is so widely debated is that it infringes on several moral and religious values that many people in the United States have. But, regardless of the way that people feel, a person’s right to live is guaranteed to them in the United States Constitution, and this should extend to the right to end their own life as well. The reasons that assisted suicide should be legalized in all states is because it can ease not only the suffering of the individual, but the financial burden on the family that is supporting him/her. Regardless of opposing claims, assisted suicide should be an option for all terminally ill patients.

The argument supporting assisted suicide often begins with the amount of pain and suffering that could be saved from conditions that complement a slow, deteriorating and agonizing prognosis. Although many people support the idea of the patients right to choose their fate, others argue that assisted suicide shamefully degrades the value we put on life. But the question remains, when is it acceptable to support the patients’ wishes and when is it not? In the case of Larry McAfee, I believe that his wishes to end his life should have

Imagine laying in a hospital bed living everyday in extreme pain with no hope of getting better. This scenario explains what many people go through everyday, which is a living with a terminal illness. M. Lee, a science historian, and Alexander Stingl a sociologist, define terminal illness as “an illness from which the patient is not expected to recover even with treatment. As the illness progresses death is inevitable” (1). There are not many options for the terminally ill besides dying a slow and painful death, but assisted suicide could be best option for these patients. Assisted suicide is “any case in which a doctor gives a patient (usually someone with a terminal illness) the means to carry out their own suicide by using a lethal dose of medication” (Lee and Stingl 1). Some feel that assisted suicide is unnecessary because it is too great of a controversy and will only cause problems in society. However, assisted suicide should be legal in the United States as long as there are strict regulations to accompany it.

     Assisted suicide is one of the most controversial topics discussed among people every day. Everyone has his or her own opinion on this topic. This is a socially debated topic that above all else involves someone making a choice, whether it be to continue with life or give up hope and die. This should be a choice that they make themselves. However, In the United States, The land of the free, only one state has legalized assisted suicide. I am for assisted suicide and euthanasia. This paper will support my many feelings on this subject.

Imagine if sometime during your life an incident occurred and you forced to be bedridden, suffering everyday from excruciating pain, and told that you would never be cured, would you consider assisted suicide? Only five to ten percent of people with a terminal illness request assisted suicide. As the controversy between the morality and the legality of assisted suicide arises in today’s society, people are subjected to opinions that often look past the research and focus on the brief information a person has received in the past, as well as look to religion and morals for an answer. The people in our everyday lives also play a huge role in determining whether it should be accepted in society. As a society, individuals look at what the people