Arguments In Favor Of Assisted Suicide
Pro Background- Camryn Beal
The end of one’s life, for many people, is not easy. It can be extremely painful. Some doctors, who have treated people who were terminally ill and dying, say that sometimes it can be gruesome. At times to the point that,
“‘You will become bedridden, unable to walk or even to turn yourself over. You will become completely dependant on nurse assistants to intermittently shift your position to avoid pressure ulcers. When they inevitably slip up, your skin develops huge incurable sores that can sometimes erode all the way to the bone, and which are perpetually infected with foul-smelling bacteria,” (Goodman, 2015, p. 1-2).
This should not be allowed to happen. Something needs to be done for these people, and that …show more content…
something is allowing them to choose their own end.
Pro #1- Camryn Beal
Assisted suicide ends people’s suffering when they are terminally ill.
Some may think that with the advanced care available today, they will not suffer. They are very wrong. “The people from palliative care reassured him that he would not suffer. He did suffer. Although he was in one of the best palliative care facilities in Melbourne, dying was a slow, cruel process,” (Edelman, 2017, p. 1). And, while palliative care, “‘Can help make it a little bit better,’” people are, “‘Still going to suffer from loss of strength, loss of ability to eat or swallow, breathe properly. These are things that palliative care is going to hopefully make it a little easier to face but they’re not going to take it away,’” (Tompson, 2014, p. 4). Most in these states are cancer sufferers, who are not doing very well and have little time left. In some of the worst cases, the cancer will progress and several rounds of treatment will not stop this. A scenario like this left one woman in a state where, “The cancer in her brain was progressing despite several rounds of treatment. At 68, she spent most of her day asleep and needed an aide to help with basic tasks,” (Span, 2017, p. 1). At the end, despite treatments and medication not working, most are still forced to live with morphine thrumming through their veins and a tube down their throat. One man who lost his mother stated that,“‘ There was clearly no possible hope of reprieve, yet she was still forced to linger...The whole thing just felt …show more content…
unbelievably inhuman,’” (Thompson, 2014, p. 1). Although ending the suffering is a very important reason to allow assisted suicide, it serves other benefits as well.
Pro #2- Camryn Beal
Having the option to end one’s own life before the suffering gets too bad is comforting for many people, even if they choose not to take the medication.
An example of this is a man named Stone who only has a couple years left on earth. He obtained the pills but has not taken them yet, and plans to wait until the sickness has become too much to deal with. In the meantime, he is living is life to the fullest, traveling to places he wants to go and spending as much time with family and friends as possible. He states that, “Obtaining the pills has given him confidence that he will be able to live each remaining day ‘fully, thankfully and joyfully,’” (Karlamangla, 2016, p. 4). In New Mexico, one of the few states in the U.S that has legalized assisted suicide, it is said that, “‘Both healthy and sick, now enjoy the comfort and peace of mind that come with knowing they can prevent a prolonged, agonized dying process at the end of life,’” (Bryan, 2014, p. 2). A husband who had lost his wife to a brutal death says that he wishes assisted suicide would have been an option for her and that he, “Hoped others would die more peacefully,” (Rodgers, 2016, p. 3). Another doctor, whose patient obtained the pills from him, said that she was, “‘Ready to have her life end, and no amount of support or medication or counseling would change the situation,’” (Span, 2017, p. 5). With this evidence, it is easy to see
that,
“In addition, for those of us who will be diagnosed with a progressive terminal illness, the mere knowledge that we will have choice regarding the manner and timing of our death will provide enormous comfort and relief from anxiety. Whether or not we ultimately choose to exercise that right, the psychological benefits will be substantial,” (Edelman, 2017, p. 2).
Even though there are those that feel that one should have the right to end one’s life, others feel differently.
The end of one’s life, for many people, is not easy. It can be extremely painful. Some doctors, who have treated people who were terminally ill and dying, say that sometimes it can be gruesome. At times to the point that,
“‘You will become bedridden, unable to walk or even to turn yourself over. You will become completely dependant on nurse assistants to intermittently shift your position to avoid pressure ulcers. When they inevitably slip up, your skin develops huge incurable sores that can sometimes erode all the way to the bone, and which are perpetually infected with foul-smelling bacteria,” (Goodman, 2015, p. 1-2).
This should not be allowed to happen. Something needs to be done for these people, and that …show more content…
something is allowing them to choose their own end.
Pro #1- Camryn Beal
Assisted suicide ends people’s suffering when they are terminally ill.
Some may think that with the advanced care available today, they will not suffer. They are very wrong. “The people from palliative care reassured him that he would not suffer. He did suffer. Although he was in one of the best palliative care facilities in Melbourne, dying was a slow, cruel process,” (Edelman, 2017, p. 1). And, while palliative care, “‘Can help make it a little bit better,’” people are, “‘Still going to suffer from loss of strength, loss of ability to eat or swallow, breathe properly. These are things that palliative care is going to hopefully make it a little easier to face but they’re not going to take it away,’” (Tompson, 2014, p. 4). Most in these states are cancer sufferers, who are not doing very well and have little time left. In some of the worst cases, the cancer will progress and several rounds of treatment will not stop this. A scenario like this left one woman in a state where, “The cancer in her brain was progressing despite several rounds of treatment. At 68, she spent most of her day asleep and needed an aide to help with basic tasks,” (Span, 2017, p. 1). At the end, despite treatments and medication not working, most are still forced to live with morphine thrumming through their veins and a tube down their throat. One man who lost his mother stated that,“‘ There was clearly no possible hope of reprieve, yet she was still forced to linger...The whole thing just felt …show more content…
unbelievably inhuman,’” (Thompson, 2014, p. 1). Although ending the suffering is a very important reason to allow assisted suicide, it serves other benefits as well.
Pro #2- Camryn Beal
Having the option to end one’s own life before the suffering gets too bad is comforting for many people, even if they choose not to take the medication.
An example of this is a man named Stone who only has a couple years left on earth. He obtained the pills but has not taken them yet, and plans to wait until the sickness has become too much to deal with. In the meantime, he is living is life to the fullest, traveling to places he wants to go and spending as much time with family and friends as possible. He states that, “Obtaining the pills has given him confidence that he will be able to live each remaining day ‘fully, thankfully and joyfully,’” (Karlamangla, 2016, p. 4). In New Mexico, one of the few states in the U.S that has legalized assisted suicide, it is said that, “‘Both healthy and sick, now enjoy the comfort and peace of mind that come with knowing they can prevent a prolonged, agonized dying process at the end of life,’” (Bryan, 2014, p. 2). A husband who had lost his wife to a brutal death says that he wishes assisted suicide would have been an option for her and that he, “Hoped others would die more peacefully,” (Rodgers, 2016, p. 3). Another doctor, whose patient obtained the pills from him, said that she was, “‘Ready to have her life end, and no amount of support or medication or counseling would change the situation,’” (Span, 2017, p. 5). With this evidence, it is easy to see
that,
“In addition, for those of us who will be diagnosed with a progressive terminal illness, the mere knowledge that we will have choice regarding the manner and timing of our death will provide enormous comfort and relief from anxiety. Whether or not we ultimately choose to exercise that right, the psychological benefits will be substantial,” (Edelman, 2017, p. 2).
Even though there are those that feel that one should have the right to end one’s life, others feel differently.