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Doctor Assisted Death And Its Effects On Children And Mentally Ill Patients

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Death means the end of life, but it has never been a choice that can be determined by a human. With the recent discussion of doctor-assisted death, people may have the opportunity to decide. The article “The Right to Die” posted by The Economist, on Jun 27th, 2015 analyzed both negative and positive sides of doctor-assisted death. The article says the patient’s decision will be in the hands of a doctor. The system is pretending to shun doctor-assisted dying while tacitly condoning it without safeguards. Downgrading care is also a reason why the government should shun doctor-assisted dying. It is hard to trust the decision on children and mentally ill patients since one is young and the order is mentally disordered. I agree with legalizing…show more content…
A well-known case is Godelieva De Troyer, who did not have cancer, but struggled with depression. She wrote, “I try to remind myself of all the things I could do to feel happy: demand respect from others; be physically attractive; take a reserved stance; live in harmony with nature. I imagined a life in which I was intellectually appreciated, socially engaged, fluent in English, and had a cleaning lady with whom I get along very well.” She tried her best to be happy, but depression still overcame her and affected her behavior. It was hard for her to control her feelings, so she thought about doctor-assisted death. Then, she consulted with a famous doctor for the sole purpose of his help and dying. After a long period of thinking and discussion, she decided to die under the doctor’s help. This patient used her own right and made a serious decision which proved that therapies and wondrous medical methods are not the only way for a patient.
Allowing a doctor-assisted death doesn’t result in downgrading care. The article explained, “Belgium and Holland have some of the best palliative care in Europe. Surveys show that doctors are as trusted in countries with assisted dying as they are, those without.” The quality of care does not depend on a doctor-assisted death. Doctors and nurses cannot predict the patient’s choice of whether to live or die. No matter what the result is going to be for the patient, nurse and doctors will follow the
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