The Pros And Cons Of Assisted Suicide
[Should The Terminally Ill Have A Choice?] If you were suffering from an incurable disease and were in constant pain, Would you rather choose the option of assisted suicide or fight through the pain and hope for the best.
Assisted suicide is killing oneself with the help of another person; usually a medical professional does this. Assisted suicide is a newer debate and just recently came up, but assisted suicide has been around since the Romans. The issues decides if it should be legal for terminally ill patients (People who have a disease that will kill them and has no cure) to end their life as long as it's less than 1 year before their estimated death. One side of the argument wants assisted suicide to be illegal in all states and that no form of suicide should be tolerated and the other side of the argument says that it's a person's right to have the choice of assisted suicide. Assisted suicide is a newly discussed topic and is currently illegal; however it's time to allow terminally ill …show more content…
patients to end their suffering.
For instance, assisted suicide should be legal because a patient should be able to control where and when they die.
”Assisted suicide should be legalized so that each individual can control the circumstances of his or her death, and to offer relief to those who suffer from incurable pain and disease”(Alexander).Many people who are going through these terminally ill see life in a way that others can’t. They have lost all hope and are in constant pain and if you had the knowledge that you were going to suffer a painful death for the next year, you would choose to go an easier way. Another way to think of assisted suicide is that it's not a patient killing himself for no reason except to end their life but instead a patient will see a doctor who will assist in his or her death, and their death will only be earlier and with less suffering than themselves dying of their illness. Allowing people with the option of Assisted suicide gives them more comfort when they pass
away.
However, people who are opposed to assisted suicide believe that many cases will be misinterpreted, they argue that patient could have mental pain and not physical pain or not a real terminal condition. “more people may be helped, or even forced, to take their own lives, including those with reversible illnesses, those with disabilities, or those who are in emotional rather than physical pain”(Pawlick). I understand how this could be a point, and it is something that we should be thinking about. But should we make everyone suffer just because there might be a miracle? Many people get a terminally ill disease and it’s almost impossible for them to live after their expected lifespan. Some people believe that it will be hard to control assisted suicide and make sure all precautions are made so we don't allow a non terminally ill patient to commit assisted suicide. But what they fail to recognize is that many regulations will be made to make sure cases like that won't happen, and it will only be executed by only professional doctors where it is their job to make sure that a patient has a real terminal condition.
Another reason why assisted suicide should be legal is that when assisted suicide is not legal patients find other ways or other people (doctors) to carry out their wishes. In doing this it puts doctors and family members at risk. Alexander states: “In states where assisted suicide is illegal, doctors or loved ones who choose to help might face serious criminal penalties including prison sentences. Penalizing doctors or family members for defying the law out of compassion is an injustice that must be addressed by state legislatures and courts”(Alexander). If a patient wishes to go through assisted suicide and a family member helps them in doing this they can face criminal charges and even jail time. Doctors that help people can face jail time and even get their license taken away as well. Again, Alexander states that a recent study shows that 60% of people said that patients should have the right of assisted suicide under certain circumstances like a terminally ill case(Alexander). Majority of people would allow others to carry out assisted suicide when dealing with a terminally ill disease.
In conclusion, assisted suicide should be legal in all states in the country, despite the opposition saying suicide should not be an option. People should not have to wait to die and go through the suffering. If we keep assisted suicide illegal it will show how flawed our country is by making patients suffer a painful death, a burden on their families and hundreds of thousands dollars in hospital bills. No one should have to suffer through their sickness, if they would like to go a better more peaceful way, they should be able to. Think of this, if you were in constant pain and knowledge of it getting worse until it gets so bad you die. Would you make yourself go through that or would you rather end your life in a peaceful way before it got to that point?
Assisted suicide is killing oneself with the help of another person; usually a medical professional does this. Assisted suicide is a newer debate and just recently came up, but assisted suicide has been around since the Romans. The issues decides if it should be legal for terminally ill patients (People who have a disease that will kill them and has no cure) to end their life as long as it's less than 1 year before their estimated death. One side of the argument wants assisted suicide to be illegal in all states and that no form of suicide should be tolerated and the other side of the argument says that it's a person's right to have the choice of assisted suicide. Assisted suicide is a newly discussed topic and is currently illegal; however it's time to allow terminally ill …show more content…
patients to end their suffering.
For instance, assisted suicide should be legal because a patient should be able to control where and when they die.
”Assisted suicide should be legalized so that each individual can control the circumstances of his or her death, and to offer relief to those who suffer from incurable pain and disease”(Alexander).Many people who are going through these terminally ill see life in a way that others can’t. They have lost all hope and are in constant pain and if you had the knowledge that you were going to suffer a painful death for the next year, you would choose to go an easier way. Another way to think of assisted suicide is that it's not a patient killing himself for no reason except to end their life but instead a patient will see a doctor who will assist in his or her death, and their death will only be earlier and with less suffering than themselves dying of their illness. Allowing people with the option of Assisted suicide gives them more comfort when they pass
away.
However, people who are opposed to assisted suicide believe that many cases will be misinterpreted, they argue that patient could have mental pain and not physical pain or not a real terminal condition. “more people may be helped, or even forced, to take their own lives, including those with reversible illnesses, those with disabilities, or those who are in emotional rather than physical pain”(Pawlick). I understand how this could be a point, and it is something that we should be thinking about. But should we make everyone suffer just because there might be a miracle? Many people get a terminally ill disease and it’s almost impossible for them to live after their expected lifespan. Some people believe that it will be hard to control assisted suicide and make sure all precautions are made so we don't allow a non terminally ill patient to commit assisted suicide. But what they fail to recognize is that many regulations will be made to make sure cases like that won't happen, and it will only be executed by only professional doctors where it is their job to make sure that a patient has a real terminal condition.
Another reason why assisted suicide should be legal is that when assisted suicide is not legal patients find other ways or other people (doctors) to carry out their wishes. In doing this it puts doctors and family members at risk. Alexander states: “In states where assisted suicide is illegal, doctors or loved ones who choose to help might face serious criminal penalties including prison sentences. Penalizing doctors or family members for defying the law out of compassion is an injustice that must be addressed by state legislatures and courts”(Alexander). If a patient wishes to go through assisted suicide and a family member helps them in doing this they can face criminal charges and even jail time. Doctors that help people can face jail time and even get their license taken away as well. Again, Alexander states that a recent study shows that 60% of people said that patients should have the right of assisted suicide under certain circumstances like a terminally ill case(Alexander). Majority of people would allow others to carry out assisted suicide when dealing with a terminally ill disease.
In conclusion, assisted suicide should be legal in all states in the country, despite the opposition saying suicide should not be an option. People should not have to wait to die and go through the suffering. If we keep assisted suicide illegal it will show how flawed our country is by making patients suffer a painful death, a burden on their families and hundreds of thousands dollars in hospital bills. No one should have to suffer through their sickness, if they would like to go a better more peaceful way, they should be able to. Think of this, if you were in constant pain and knowledge of it getting worse until it gets so bad you die. Would you make yourself go through that or would you rather end your life in a peaceful way before it got to that point?