Human Beings Have a Right to Die Essay

Others have argued that physician assisted suicide is not ethically permissible, because it contradicts the traditional duty of physician’s to preserve life and to do no harm. Furthermore, many argue that if physician assisted suicide is legalized, abuses would take place, because as social forces condone the practice, it will lead to “slippery slope” that forces (PAS) on the disabled, elderly, and the poor, instead of providing more complex and expensive palliative care. While these arguments continue with no end in sight, more and more of the terminally ill cry out in agony, for the right to end their own suffering.

Imagine laying in a hospital bed living everyday in extreme pain with no hope of getting better. This scenario explains what many people go through everyday, which is a living with a terminal illness. M. Lee, a science historian, and Alexander Stingl a sociologist, define terminal illness as “an illness from which the patient is not expected to recover even with treatment. As the illness progresses death is inevitable” (1). There are not many options for the terminally ill besides dying a slow and painful death, but assisted suicide could be best option for these patients. Assisted suicide is “any case in which a doctor gives a patient (usually someone with a terminal illness) the means to carry out their own suicide by using a lethal dose of medication” (Lee and Stingl 1). Some feel that assisted suicide is unnecessary because it is too great of a controversy and will only cause problems in society. However, assisted suicide should be legal in the United States as long as there are strict regulations to accompany it.

The argument supporting assisted suicide often begins with the amount of pain and suffering that could be saved from conditions that complement a slow, deteriorating and agonizing prognosis. Although many people support the idea of the patients right to choose their fate, others argue that assisted suicide shamefully degrades the value we put on life. But the question remains, when is it acceptable to support the patients’ wishes and when is it not? In the case of Larry McAfee, I believe that his wishes to end his life should have

The process of assisted suicide, or physician-assisted death, is a hotly debated topic that still remains at the forefront of many national discussions today. Assisted suicide can be described as the suicide of patient by a physician-prescribed dose of legal drugs. The reason that this topic is so widely debated is that it infringes on several moral and religious values that many people in the United States have. But, regardless of the way that people feel, a person’s right to live is guaranteed to them in the United States Constitution, and this should extend to the right to end their own life as well. The reasons that assisted suicide should be legalized in all states is because it can ease not only the suffering of the individual, but the financial burden on the family that is supporting him/her. Regardless of opposing claims, assisted suicide should be an option for all terminally ill patients.

What is it like to live in the shoes of a terminally ill person? A sparse amount of people can relate. We often see terminally ill people as people who endure great amounts of pain, suffering from their burden of a condition. When it comes to death, doctors and the medical staff often try to keep the terminal condition at bay. When is it that a terminally ill patient is allowed to say, “I am ready to let go and be free of my painful state”? The ban on assisted suicide is a hindrance to the right of Terminally Ill to end their pain and suffering.

The legal complexities regarding death and euthanasia are currently being worked through in the courts and state legislatures. Those in favor of assisted suicide argue that it is the ultimate right of self-determination and it upholds the individual’s right to make decisions about his or her dying process. Proponents believe that long-term suffering should not have to be endured and that individuals deserve the right to death with dignity and without excessive mental, physical, and spiritual degradation (Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman, 2007).

In recent years, the matter of assisted suicide for terminal patients has been the topic of many moral and medical debates. Opinions vary greatly, and stand on wholly opposite spectrums. Some people say that a patient should be allowed to decide when they die. However, others believe that morals and medicinal ethics dominate over a patient's desire. My opinion is that is that no medical institution should be allowed to provide assisted suicide, even if it’s for terminally ill patients. There are many reason why I think so.

Death has a finality to it that gives even the most cynical person a reason to pause. The possibility of death is always present, the elephant in the room. Prior to the twentieth century, before the leaps and bounds of modern medical care, people worried about the possibility of dying more often. Childhood diseases could strike and take a beloved child away at any moment, affecting two or more homes in the same community. Today children are inoculated against most of the deadly childhood diseases of the past. The average life span for a person born in 1900 was 50 years, in comparison to at least 83 years today (“Living Longer,” 2011). Society has changed the way life is lived, now it is time to change the way society dies. The practice of assisted suicide has been around as long as there have been compassionate health care givers caring for terminally ill patients. Assisted suicide is not and should not be the first option for a patient, but it should be an option: safe, monitored and legal. It is vital that assisted suicide becomes a legal option and available to all terminally ill patients. Public support, legal precedence, and effectiveness of fatal treatments, support the petition to ensure that assisted suicide becomes law across the U.S.

Assisted suicide is becoming a widespread topic among elderly and terminally ill patients in America. It straddles the line between having the moral right to choose to die versus the ethical decision to maintain life at all cost. Through modern medicine is having breakthroughs with lifesaving procedure and medications on a daily basis, we are now posed with the question “Does Society have a moral obligation to protect and preserve all life?” We can talk about dignity and respect or even the person’s right to choose but in situations where we are under duress, we can make hasty decisions involving our lives. I believe that all lives should be perceive as precious and no one should have the right to assist someone with ending their life.

Euthanasia and assisted suicide contend that terminally ill people should have the right to end their suffering with a quick, dignified, and compassionate death. Professor Mayur Lakhani, chair of the national council for palliative

“The hardest part of losing a loved one, isn’t having to say goodbye, but rather seeing them suffer from the pain”. Many individuals have not been able to answer the question: should terminally ill patients have the right to end their lives? Terminally ill patients should have a right to end their own lives with dignity rather than suffering from agony, because the pain is unbearable, families watch love one’s die slowly, and patients become extremely depressed.

There is a rise in reported cases of suicide due to terminal illnesses. Patients with terminal illnesses such as cancer consider the options of terminating their lives to put end to their sufferings. However, there are debates with regard to legalizing assisted suicide. Opponents contend that no one has the right to end another person’s life. They believe in the sanctity of life. On the other hand, some argue that assisted suicide should be given as an option to terminally ill patients because of its advantages. First, they said that it will prevent the long physical pain and stress the patients are going through. Second, such conditions are medically expensive. It will cause the family and the patient to suffer financial problems. From the practicality of the process and the relief it would give to patients, assisted suicide should be legalized in California.

As Americans, do we have the right to die? A controversial topic that has gained traction in recent years is that of physician assisted suicide(PAS). With the death of Brittany Maynard in 2014, the conversation on whether death is a liberty is ruffling feathers on all sides. With five states in the U.S., including the District of Columbia, already legalizing PAS for people with a terminal diagnosis; some Americans already have that freedom. For the other 45 states, they do not share that same luxury. Physician assisted suicide should be legal in all 50 states because it grants people who are near the end of their life, a way to go out on their own terms with their dignity intact. It also allows people who are terminally ill the

The focus of this study is the examination of whether assisted suicide should be legalized. The debate is a heated one and one that has been ongoing for many years. Passionate and rational statements exist to support each side of this debate. This study examines each side to this issue and attempts to disseminate the most important factors of the debate over legalized assisted suicide for individuals who are hopelessly and terminally ill. Towards this end, this study will be comprised of a review of literature in this area of study.

Imagine if sometime during your life an incident occurred and you forced to be bedridden, suffering everyday from excruciating pain, and told that you would never be cured, would you consider assisted suicide? Only five to ten percent of people with a terminal illness request assisted suicide. As the controversy between the morality and the legality of assisted suicide arises in today’s society, people are subjected to opinions that often look past the research and focus on the brief information a person has received in the past, as well as look to religion and morals for an answer. The people in our everyday lives also play a huge role in determining whether it should be accepted in society. As a society, individuals look at what the people