Assisted Suicide Speech

The question everyone is arguing is whether or not assisted suicide should be legalized. In order for people to truly argue and decide whether assisted suicide should be legal they must know the definition. Many people mix up the definition of assisted suicide with euthanasia. There are both arguments for assisted suicide and against it. When arguing for and against assisted suicide the big argument seems to be whether it is morally right or morally wrong. The question of whether assisted suicide should be legal question what is the value of life, is it morally right or is it morally wrong and why does it matter. I believe the answer to whether assisted suicide is morally right or wrong depends on each individual, but in order to decide, you must be informed about assisted suicide and the sides against and for it.

A. The problem here is that people are already burdened with an illness and on top of that, it is a long and painful process that they must endure.

In PAS, the patient must self-administer the medications; the “assisted” portion attributes to a physician providing the medications, but the patient decides whether and when to ingest the lethal medication. Euthanasia occurs when a third party administers medication or acts directly to end the patient’s life. Euthanasia is illegal in every state, including Washington. (CNN).

Assisted Suicide/ Euthanasia is wrong and should not be allowed to be a law. Families shouldn’t have to go through that pain of their family member killing themselves because they hate the pain they are going through. The pain will go away with time and there is medicine for any kind of pain. There are some people who believe that there should be a choice for people who are in pain and they should have that choice because they want what they think is best for themselves. However, there are people who take Assisted Suicide/ Euthanasia to the extreme and people who “have pain” use it and they use it for the wrong reason. Many people don’t think this is a necessary reason for killing yourself. Studies show that there is a great amount of people who suffer from pain or depression that commit suicide(Why Assisted Suicide). Dr. Eli Robbins found that 47% of those committing suicide were diagnosed with schizophrenic panic disorders and

Assisted suicide is an ethical topic that has sparked up many controversies. Individuals have heated disputes on whether or not patients who are suffering should have the right to die. Some worry that legalizing euthanasia is irrational and would violate some religions, while others argue that it provides a peaceful death towards terminally ill patients who are suffering from pain. Physician-assisted suicide is a contentious matter, in which there are many positive and negative aspects, whether or not it should be committed is a complex decision.

People say that assisted suicide is much better for patients because it is faster and more efficient. Some may even you the word “cleaner”, literally and politically. Though assisted suicide is the patients’ choice, it still leaves a big impact on the family and friends left behind. Some may even believe that the name is tarnished after the person is dead and gone. When death happens, people aren’t going to think about all the good memories and accomplishments a person has made in their lives, they are only going to think about how many pills they took to die or how big the needle was that was injected into their friends’ body to aid in the death of their family member or friend. Physician assisted suicide is preferred because no one wants to suffer in the last days of their lives. In 45 states, assisted suicide is in fact still illegal. So many people suffer until the end. It is good in some cases because when people become terminally ill, they tend to commit suicide in a more violent way. No one would want a person to take their own life in a horrible way like slitting their wrist, so why not let them die in peace. People should be able to die

"[...] it is no longer a crime to commit or attempt to commit suicide [...] why, then, is it a crime to assist it? "What is the difference between suicide and assisted suicide that justifies making the one lawful and the other a crime, that justifies allowing some this choice, while denying it to others?"” (Larson)

As a result of this, the substantial issue unfolds. Assisted suicide is illegal under the terms of the Suicide Act (1961) in Canada, and is punishable by up to 14 years’ imprisonment, yet the attempt to kill yourself in not a criminal act in itself. Unfortunately, people seeking assisted suicide are incapable of committing the act themselves, which thus requires the aid of another person. Due to this, a number of Canadians have been prosecuted for helping ill patients or loved ones die. Marielle Houle, for example, was sentenced to three years by a Quebec court in 2004 for helping her 36 year old son, who suffered from multiple sclerosis, end his life; according to CBC News. Unfortunately, Canada is not alone in ruling assisted suicide illegal,

Assisted suicide was legalized throughout Canada as a part of Bill C-14. This bill permits that physician-assisted suicide with certain criteria that needs to be met; including a reasonably foreseeable death, a reflection period, a written and signed letter stating that they understand what they are about to do and two medical/nurse practitioners provide a written opinion confirming that person's eligibility for assisted suicide. The option to have an assisted suicide brings up many topics of debate over how beneficial assisted suicide really is.

They are suffering rare diseases , that don't have any cure, they have to live with that all their life and if those people decide they can not deal with the pain and everything else that comes with it, they should have the choice to pull the plug.7 out of 10 canadians approve of assisted suicide. “Basically because health care system is different agency than the federal government” Here is the thing that veronique said that they have a safeguard to ensure only terminal patients would be eligible for “medical and dying” “. The federal government nothing to do with this bill, it has to pass through

John Frank quotes the American Medical Association saying “Allowing physician assisted suicide would cause more harm than good. Physician- assisted suicide is fundamentally incompatible with the physician’s role as healer, would be difficult or impossible to control, and would pose serious societal risks” (Frank, 36).

Opponents Against Euthanasia feel that if assisted suicide were to be legalized, life would be worth less than what it is, and the social value would be less (Bourque & Ayoub, 2009). People are also worried that the act could be abused with people just looking for profit, or saying they assisted suicide with the persons wish, yet in reality actually murdered them. Vulnerable members of society, such as

Assisted Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. There are many ethical dilemmas surrounding assisted suicide. Although there is no way to truly say whether assisted suicide is a good or bad thing. I can say that it would be ethically wrong to legalize it. How, it can open the floodgates for anyone to medically end their life, we are not meant to “pay God”, and it can jeopardize the ethical and moral duties of healthcare professionals. When someone thinks of the word “suicide” most think of a person killing him or herself to escape their problems, except assisted suicide isn’t quite the same. According to Batten “Assisted suicide is the means by which an individual choose to end his or her life via the help of another person, who may offer medical assistance” (Batten 398). Death isn’t something a health care professional should be allowed to assist with but rather guide the patient back to a healthier state.

Not only is assisted suicide considered murder, it also goes against Physicians’ Hippocratic Oath. “Hippocratic Oath: An oath (or promise) all physicians must swear to uphold, regarding the ethical practices of the medical profession” (Lee). By allowing doctors to stray from this oath, it will be easier for them to aid in or carry out assisted suicides when it will never be entirely necessary for them to consider the option. “In 2005, Texas doctors removed two patients from life support without advanced directions and against the wishes of the patient’s family” (Pawlick). By not legalizing assisted suicides, families will be able to decide when their family member is physically unable to continue with the provided treatments, but only when the patient themselves can no longer communicate their wishes and no document stating how they should go about the situation has been left in their families possession.

Imagine if a close relative of yours was dying of lung cancer. Each breath they took was agonizing. No medicine or drug could lessen their pain. Their life had become a torture. They ask you to end their torment. What would you do? If you helped to hasten their death, you would most likely go to prison for murder. What this relative has asked you to do is to commit Euthanasia. Webster's Encyclopedia describes Euthanasia as the practice of hastening or causing the death of a person suffering from an incurable disease . Simply put, Euthanasia is mercy killing.