Argumentative Essay On 'Death With Dignity'
Courtney White
Mrs. Schweitzer
CLN 4U
October 14 2014
Death with Dignity
The right to die is the ethical power of someone who is suffering from an unbearable and permanent sickness, who has no quality of life and chooses to end their life on their own terms often through either suicide or, if necessary, assisted suicide. This issue has sparked a major debate between the government, society and even citizens who are in favour of this issue. Brittany Maynard is a right to die advocate who took her own life due to a large brain tumor. She was 29 years old and it was her own decision to die with dignity. All fatally ill individuals in constant severe pain should have the option of a ending their own life due to the fact that it is their personal …show more content…
choice, nobody should be able to determine someone’s life, and if the doctors say that there is no solution, they feel like they are burden to others.
One of the main reasons people should be given the right to life opportunity is because it is their own life that they are choosing to end.
They should be able to make their own decisions on whether or not they are going to die with assisted help. Brittany publicized her choice to move to Oregon, so that she could take advantage of the state’s death with dignity law (The Associated Press 1). She wanted to be able to end her life so she moved to the only state in United States where it is legal for a doctor to prescribe a life-ending drug to a terminally ill patient of sound mind who makes the request (The Associated Press). If people have the right to life, they should have the equal opportunity and an option to the right to die. Another reason people should be given the opportunity of right to die is that nobody else should tell you that you have to live. Nobody should decide for someone if they are capable of living or dying. Many others have different opinions due to their moral or religious beliefs, but they should keep them to themselves. Catholics believe as said in the bible, “No man has power over the wind to contain it; so no one has power over the day of his death” (Ecclesiastes 8:8). They believe that God has total power over when and why someone should die and completely disagree when someone tries to get in the way with that (Coleman, GD). When the issue rose with Brittany, many different religions including Catholics did not agree with her way of thinking and
it goes completely against their ethics. Lastly when the doctors say that there is no other way out of their issue, the patients do not want to be left a burden. They do not feel like they should be kept around to have those who love them struggle with finances and support to try to keep them alive for who knows how long. When talking with her family, Brittany said “’We looked at the facts, there isn’t a single person that loves me that wishes me more pain and more suffering’” (Associated Press). They all realized that as much as they love Brittany they do not want to see her struggle anymore, and agree with her choice of assisted suicide. People get into serious situations with their illnesses and sometimes can not function as well as they use to, they need support from many different doctors and/or family members and do not want to be left a burden for them. Patients do not want to see their families struggle just to keep them alive and then choose to end their own life, as Brittany did. Therefore patients in a chronicle illness with no way of finding a solution, feel like it’s better to get help with suicide rather than being left responsible by their families.
Choosing whether or not to live their life, should be totally up to them. Being in constant severe pain or having a long-term illness should give people the option of a ending their own life. If they can make their own choices, nobody should take away someone’s right of choosing to die, and if the doctors say that there is no solution, be left a burden for relatives to take care of.
Works Cited
Associated Press. “Brittany Maynard takes her life in Oregon after public right-to-die debate” CBC News. 2 Nov 2014
<http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/brittany-maynard-takes-her-life-in-oregon-after-public- right-to-die-debate-1.2821486>
Coleman, GD. “Catholic theology and the ‘right to die’” Pub Med. 2014 <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10270328>
“The Right to Die” Teen Ink. July 2011
<http://www.teenink.com/opinion/spirituality_religion/article/331650/The-Right-To- Die/> “What does the Bible say about euthanasia / assisted suicide?” Got questions? 2014 <http://www.gotquestions.org/euthanasia.html>
Mrs. Schweitzer
CLN 4U
October 14 2014
Death with Dignity
The right to die is the ethical power of someone who is suffering from an unbearable and permanent sickness, who has no quality of life and chooses to end their life on their own terms often through either suicide or, if necessary, assisted suicide. This issue has sparked a major debate between the government, society and even citizens who are in favour of this issue. Brittany Maynard is a right to die advocate who took her own life due to a large brain tumor. She was 29 years old and it was her own decision to die with dignity. All fatally ill individuals in constant severe pain should have the option of a ending their own life due to the fact that it is their personal …show more content…
choice, nobody should be able to determine someone’s life, and if the doctors say that there is no solution, they feel like they are burden to others.
One of the main reasons people should be given the right to life opportunity is because it is their own life that they are choosing to end.
They should be able to make their own decisions on whether or not they are going to die with assisted help. Brittany publicized her choice to move to Oregon, so that she could take advantage of the state’s death with dignity law (The Associated Press 1). She wanted to be able to end her life so she moved to the only state in United States where it is legal for a doctor to prescribe a life-ending drug to a terminally ill patient of sound mind who makes the request (The Associated Press). If people have the right to life, they should have the equal opportunity and an option to the right to die. Another reason people should be given the opportunity of right to die is that nobody else should tell you that you have to live. Nobody should decide for someone if they are capable of living or dying. Many others have different opinions due to their moral or religious beliefs, but they should keep them to themselves. Catholics believe as said in the bible, “No man has power over the wind to contain it; so no one has power over the day of his death” (Ecclesiastes 8:8). They believe that God has total power over when and why someone should die and completely disagree when someone tries to get in the way with that (Coleman, GD). When the issue rose with Brittany, many different religions including Catholics did not agree with her way of thinking and
it goes completely against their ethics. Lastly when the doctors say that there is no other way out of their issue, the patients do not want to be left a burden. They do not feel like they should be kept around to have those who love them struggle with finances and support to try to keep them alive for who knows how long. When talking with her family, Brittany said “’We looked at the facts, there isn’t a single person that loves me that wishes me more pain and more suffering’” (Associated Press). They all realized that as much as they love Brittany they do not want to see her struggle anymore, and agree with her choice of assisted suicide. People get into serious situations with their illnesses and sometimes can not function as well as they use to, they need support from many different doctors and/or family members and do not want to be left a burden for them. Patients do not want to see their families struggle just to keep them alive and then choose to end their own life, as Brittany did. Therefore patients in a chronicle illness with no way of finding a solution, feel like it’s better to get help with suicide rather than being left responsible by their families.
Choosing whether or not to live their life, should be totally up to them. Being in constant severe pain or having a long-term illness should give people the option of a ending their own life. If they can make their own choices, nobody should take away someone’s right of choosing to die, and if the doctors say that there is no solution, be left a burden for relatives to take care of.
Works Cited
Associated Press. “Brittany Maynard takes her life in Oregon after public right-to-die debate” CBC News. 2 Nov 2014
<http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/brittany-maynard-takes-her-life-in-oregon-after-public- right-to-die-debate-1.2821486>
Coleman, GD. “Catholic theology and the ‘right to die’” Pub Med. 2014 <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10270328>
“The Right to Die” Teen Ink. July 2011
<http://www.teenink.com/opinion/spirituality_religion/article/331650/The-Right-To- Die/> “What does the Bible say about euthanasia / assisted suicide?” Got questions? 2014 <http://www.gotquestions.org/euthanasia.html>