Argumentative Essay: The Right To Die

In homes across the world, millions of victims are suffering from fatal and terminal illnesses.With death knocking on their door, should these people have to endure pain and misery knowing what is to come? The answers to these questions are very controversial. Furthermore, there is a greater question to be answered—should these people have the right and option to end the relentless pain and agony through physician assisted death? Physician-Assisted Suicide PAS is highly contentious because it induces conflict of several moral and ethical questions such as who is the true director of our lives. Is suicide an individual choice and should the highest priority to humans be alleviating pain or do we suffer for a purpose? Is suicide a purely

Voluntary Euthanasia has been considered a controversial topic for many decades. The idea of committing an act that involves the taking of human life is not one that many people would care to discuss openly. The main argument is that a person who has been diagnosed with an incurable illness and is in extreme pain and their ability to move has been limited, while that person still has control over their destiney should they be allowed take their own life (Bowie, R.2001). The worldwide debate weather one should be allowed to end a life is still one of the biggest ethical issues. The attempt to providing the rights of the individual is in conflict with the moral values of society. Voluntary Euthanasia has been highly rejected by many religious and pro-life institutions.

When people hear the term “assisted suicide” they immediately give it a negative connotation, due to the nature of the two terms when placed side by side. Assisting someone with ending their life does not sound like something that could possibly be considered morally justifiable. After actually looking into the logistics and meaning behind the term, however, it can be concluded that assisted suicide is actually helping a patient prescribed lethal drugs that have a negative impact on their demeanor for an incurable disease where death is essentially inevitable (Humphry, Derek). Those who are terminally ill tend to fall into an intense state of depression due to their lack

Before life becomes pointless and drawn out, humans generally know how far their bodies can survive physically and mentally. (IP) Life can be difficult for someone who has given up because they know that in the end they are inevitably going to lose. Westley says, “That’s [extreme activities that can lead to death] OK but when we are powerless, in horrible pain and want to die, we’re told, ‘No, you have to keep living’” (Thompson, 2014, p. 5).  A patient who knows that they are dying should not be forced to keep living, especially when death is almost certain. Most patients who choose assisted suicide also feel that no medical treatment is going to treat them; therefore, they tend to give up. (CA) Dr. Ben Rich “also pointed out that physician-aided death has typically been a last resort for patients who feel as if they can get no more comfort from medical care” (Karlamangla, 2016, p. 3). Death is never a patient's first choice, but it should be allowed as a last resort option. Even though it is not a popular alternative it can relieve the patient of stress in case there are no other options for them. “In addition,  those of us who will be diagnosed with a progressive terminal illness, the mere knowledge that we will have a choice regarding the manner and timing of our death will provide enormous comfort and relief from anxiety” (Edelman, 2017, p.2)  If

Suicide is universally accepted to be a tragedy. Choosing how we die is basic human freedom. Helping somebody who wants to die in a peaceful, painless death should also be legal.The choice of assisted suicide would allow these terminally ill patients to end the sorrow and grief on their families as well as their own misery. The choice would also put a halt to the financial worries of these families. The first step to assisted suicide is to make a “ formal oral request”. 15 days later if you are not able to get assisted you either send in another request, or you and your family decide what to do next. The formal request is signed by two witnesses.

The right to die has been a controversial topic for a while now; although, recently it has become widely publicized and it has gained more support due to a recent case. The “right to die” means that you can refuse phenomenal life-sustaining measures to prolong your life artificially when you are deemed by physician to be terminally or incurably ill. Even though people have not always been given the choice to die, you should be able to choose because it is not the governments say; it is yours. It is considered controversial because of ethics and religion. In the realm of ethics, it is unethical to kill someone, and having a doctor take you off of life support is technically killing the person. Considering religion, in the bible it speaks against suicide, which is in technical terms what happens if a person take lethal drugs given by a physician to die.

Many families have said they hated watching a person they loved so much be in pain and suffer ,but then they also say they did not want to end the patient's life because it was not their right to do so. Some people just do not feel safe or they feel alone or like they are a burden to their families. "Once a patient feels welcome and not a burden to others, once his pain is controlled and other symptoms have been at least reduced to manageable proportions, then the cry for euthanasia disappears”(Alternatives to Euthanasia 1) Euthanasia or assisted suicide is not the right way to go about helping the patient deal with his/her pain or depression. Pain can be tolerated because there are so many other ways to help aid the pain for instance, we now have the technology that has created the right medication for almost every known sickness or at least pain

From friends to family members, we all want our loved ones to live prosperous, healthy lives, but when a terminal illness rises and nothing can be done to fix it, should we disregard that loved one’s wish to be put to rest? Assisted suicide has been an ethical dilemma for centuries, trying the teachings and morals of people across the world. Of course, the thought of any form of killing becoming legal would raise red flags for most, but “suicide is no longer a crime anywhere in the English-speaking world” (Humphry). Nevertheless, when a patient suffers from an incurable disease and is too weak to take their own life, they are forced to continue living. Therefore, it should be legal for people with terminal illnesses who are too weak to commit suicide and are old enough to have legal control over their actions to have the choice of assisted suicide, as they have control over their lives and therefore should also have control over their deaths.

This essay with put across all sides of the argument as to whether we should have a right to die with in the UK. The right to die is an ethical or institutional entitlement of any individual to commit suicide or to undergo voluntary euthanasia (help in their quest to die). Currently euthanasia is illegal in the UK it’s only legal in Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg. Along with some types of assisted suicide and passive euthanasia which are legal in Switzerland, Germany, Mexico and the American state of Oregon. Under the current laws in these countries people may request to end their life by a doctor or healthcare professional but there are certain clauses in place to ensure this is kept with in the law. These are that the person has made an active and voluntary request to end their life, and it is thought they have sufficient mental capacity to make an informed decision regarding their care, and it is agreed that the person is suffering unbearably and there is no prospect for an improvement in their condition. If these three points are passed with evidence held on file, then the euthanasia is legal and can go ahead.

To be given the right to die, when alternatively one could continue to live under the support of medical aid, conflicts with the right of a state over that of an individual. The question the state has to answer is, do people have a right to choose death? More in particular,

“Some say right to die, good death, rational suicide, aid in dying, and merciful release are all euphemisms for the possibility of killing or assisting individuals to kill themselves” (Salladay n.p.). However you say it, right to die comes down to someone who, has a terminal illness, with no hope of survival, or trapped in a body, they can’t use anymore, the person with considerable pain, wanting to die and finally be at peace. Nevertheless, on moral grounds it is wrong and in most states illegal. There are only six states who currently have right to die laws on the books. More states are thinking about adopting right to life laws every day.

Now larger than ever suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States. Over the years, the consideration of physician assisted-suicide and euthanasia has grown. Now present day, six out of fifty states have signed Death and Dignity Acts, that consists with the decision of “assisted-death” through legislation. Assisted suicide is when a physician provides the means for death which ultimately leaves the individual to perform the last act with the intent to end their life. Euthanasia includes a third-party individual, usually a physician, who performs the last act which intentionally causes the death of a patient. Peter Singer, philosopher, and Professor of Bioethics at Princeton university stated, “the view that the right thing to do is the act that will have the best consequences, all things considered, of the options open to you.” The right to die, is a given right to the terminally ill and elderly individuals to avoid the agony, torment, and suffering from the enviable their condition causes. Assisted suicide has been a one of the most controversial topics in congress and in society. To avoid conflict, we as society have shield ourselves away from this debate.

Albert Einstein once said, “The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.” Allowing a person to suffer is unnecessary, especially when the individual wants to succumb. Dying is not a crime, and it should not be considered one. A person’s destiny should be determined by the sufferer themselves, not the government. Sue Rodriguez, a Canadian advocate, stated, “If I cannot give consent to my own death, whose body is this? Who owns my life?” Each human owns their body. Therefore, people deserve to have a voice about their future. Euthanasia should be legalized in the United States, because patients with terminal illnesses deserve the right to decide their own fate.

While doing my research, I found many who have strong opinions on the Right to Die. Regardless if they are for or against the cause, most everyone has an opinion on the subject. I personally think it should be the patient’s choice as long as they are under doctor’s care and supervision with no chance of survival. And while there are only six states that currently have a Right to Die Act, medical companies are taking a neutral position. I would expect to see more states adopting this Act in the near future, if it does not become a federal law first.

Society loves choices. But when it comes to one of the most important decisions in a person’s life, the right to live or die, we only have a select few choices and some of them cause more harm than good. The choice here is whether or not a person should have the right to end his or her life in a safe, peaceful manner when the quality of life is no longer the same quality it once was. Currently only a few states give people the right to choose a peaceful way to end their lives. People should have the right to choose to end their pain and suffering when diagnosed with a terminally ill condition by legalizing physician-assisted death in every state.