Assisted Suicide: Act of Mercy or Murder?
Assisted Suicide: Act of Mercy or Murder?
By Gorge Lopez
02/20/2011
Assisted suicide is also known as the right to die by a person’s choosing. The two main methods for assisted suicide is by lethal injection or by lethal pills .Most terminally ill patients chose to opt for assisted suicide, so that they no longer have to suffer. But more so it is not only terminally ill patients that are opting for an assisted suicide, it has reached out to the elderly as well. In some viewpoints, a person may believe that if a terminally ill person wants to end their life to end their suffering, it should be up to them. There is an opposing side saying that it is unmoral and against god. It is an ongoing discussion that won’t come to an end easily. I believe that if terminally ill patients doesn’t want to suffer and would rather opt for an assisted suicide, that decision should be left to them. I may not completely agree with it but I can see why a person would choose that route. The controversy started back in 1987, when Jack Kevorkian, M.D. started to advertise in local Michigan newspapers as a physician for death counseling. About 4 years after he started advertising, Michigan pulled Kevorkian’s medical license, stating he was unfit to practice medicine. Kevorkian assisted in 130 assisted suicides in terminally ill patients between 1990 thru 1998. That is where the question arises, is it an act of mercy or murder? If they are going to consider assisted suicide as murder, I think it should be considered assisted murder and not murder. The Doctor doesn’t commit the final act to cause the patient’s death, the patient does. The only thing they provide is the supplies and/or the medicine. If the patient chooses lethal injection than the doctor will administer the IV port and give the patient the medication to administer to themselves. Even though Dr. Kevorkian has been sentenced in his involvement of the 130 assisted suicides, he still stands by his position. For an
By Gorge Lopez
02/20/2011
Assisted suicide is also known as the right to die by a person’s choosing. The two main methods for assisted suicide is by lethal injection or by lethal pills .Most terminally ill patients chose to opt for assisted suicide, so that they no longer have to suffer. But more so it is not only terminally ill patients that are opting for an assisted suicide, it has reached out to the elderly as well. In some viewpoints, a person may believe that if a terminally ill person wants to end their life to end their suffering, it should be up to them. There is an opposing side saying that it is unmoral and against god. It is an ongoing discussion that won’t come to an end easily. I believe that if terminally ill patients doesn’t want to suffer and would rather opt for an assisted suicide, that decision should be left to them. I may not completely agree with it but I can see why a person would choose that route. The controversy started back in 1987, when Jack Kevorkian, M.D. started to advertise in local Michigan newspapers as a physician for death counseling. About 4 years after he started advertising, Michigan pulled Kevorkian’s medical license, stating he was unfit to practice medicine. Kevorkian assisted in 130 assisted suicides in terminally ill patients between 1990 thru 1998. That is where the question arises, is it an act of mercy or murder? If they are going to consider assisted suicide as murder, I think it should be considered assisted murder and not murder. The Doctor doesn’t commit the final act to cause the patient’s death, the patient does. The only thing they provide is the supplies and/or the medicine. If the patient chooses lethal injection than the doctor will administer the IV port and give the patient the medication to administer to themselves. Even though Dr. Kevorkian has been sentenced in his involvement of the 130 assisted suicides, he still stands by his position. For an