Persuasive Essay On The Right To Die

We are culturally ingrained from an early age that life is precious and each day is a gift. Life should not be squandered but preserved.  We are encouraged to live with a purpose, cherish our loved ones and live life to its fullest. But what if life becomes too physically painful to endure, often experienced by many terminally ill patients suffering an incurable disease, or a chronically ill elderly person who lacks the ability to thrive?  For forty-five day’s I watched my chronically ill mother languish away in a hospice care facility. The experience was emotionally and financially draining, and I began questioning whether a person should have the right to choose when and how to end their life. In the United States, assisted dying is a widely debated and passionate issue. Opponents argue preserving life, regardless of how much a person is suffering, is an ethical and moral responsibility, determined only by a higher power.  At the other end of the spectrum are those who support a person’s right to end their life with dignity at a time of their choosing.   Wouldn’t my mother’s suffering been greatly reduced if her doctor was legally and ethically permitted to administer a lethal cocktail of drugs to end her life quickly and painlessly? Wouldn’t the prevailing memory of my mother see her in a better light instead of helplessly watching her undignified death? To deny terminal and chronically ill people the freedom to end their

of life. Death is inevitable. Why should each of us not have the right to

Death is a touchy enough subject for people; add in the idea of assisted suicides and there’s an uproar in society. Euthanasia or physician assisted suicide is a very controversial topic in our society today. Physician assisted suicide by definition is “suicide by a patient facilitated by means (as a drug prescription) or information (as an indication of a lethal dosage) provided by a physician aware of the patient’s intent (Merriam-Webster). There are two modes of looking at assisted suicides; either it’s seen as an absurd immoral decision to take away the life of someone or it’s seen as a logical and peaceful release from pain and misery. There’s this idea that asking a healthcare provider to help you end your life is unfair and unnecessary, no matter how much a person is suffering suicide is not justified. People fear patients changing their minds, physicians being severely impacted by this, and families not agreeing with the decision making it hard to cope. On the other side people believe that it’s freedom of choice to choose to be medically assisted with a suicide; this is a right the patient has. Some believe if you’re in pain and dying why should you be forced to stay in a painful state of life. Freedom of choice versus life isn’t ours to take away. If you were in a terminally ill patients position, what would you do?

Taking this option off the table for patients like my mother, the medical world is denying patients the ability to pass in peace and when they are truly ready to face the inevitable due to extreme circumstances. I support death with dignity, and hope that we all can one day elect to pass with dignity.

According to Ullmann-Margalit (51) while dealing with the subject the agony of doubt deliberates that it is among the most confusing issues to deal with. Most people do not want to die, at least not now, and the debate of holding on to the inevitable and that of letting go heats up. Questions arise concerning the social, religious and ethical factors that have to be taken into play while considering end-of-life or right-to-die and thus bringing complexity to an otherwise easy decision. But the most crucial question to ask is: are those in support of the right-to-die justified in their movement? This will be the question that will be addressed in this argumentative essay.

The publics opinion on the right to die has a drastic range, due to the fact this matter spans all groups of people. A popular opinion from the public is that the government has no right to decide whether someone can or cannot end their lives, pertaining to the case of Vacco v. Quill and euthanasia. This statement is a very true one, why should the government be involved in the death of a free person? This may be the case for euthanasia, but there is another factor in the right to die debate.

The right to die has been a topic of many debates. People are either strongly opposed to the act, saying things like “In no situation is suicide the right thing to do,” while others argue the exact opposite. No compromises are made as an unstoppable force meets an immovable object, but this is life or death. The answer cannot be as simple as yes or no. We all go through difficulties in our lives, some even struggle with depression at times, but unlike those who are depressed or going through a rough patch, there are those who are doomed to deal with physical pain the rest of their lives. How could we deprive them the choice of a painless death, when letting them die slowly on a hospital bed is the only other option? Physician assisted suicide for those who are terminally ill should be legalized in America, because physician assisted suicide saves those who are hurting from living the rest of their lives in agony.

To start off, watching the PBS Frontline Documentary, "Facing Death." was a bit tough for me since my family and I recently had to go through that whole process, prior to my grandfather’s death. I take decisions for end-of-life issues very seriously, as it is literally a matter of life or death. In my opinion, the decision should be made with no biases or selfish, ulterior motives into play, it should be for the benefit of the dying patient/family member.

A personal experience of mine was this past year, when a close family member was diagnosed with brain cancer. She had refused treatment, with that was given 6-8 months to live. She was the most strongest, independent, family oriented lady I have ever met, however, that quickly changed when the tumour spread like rapid fire. She could not eat on her own, she could not talk, and she could not do the basic everyday routine, needing constant help. As the days went on she was getting worse, she was not herself. Now, we are left with these memories and the sadness of witnessing a strong independent lady just disappear in front of us. For a terminally ill patient with the knowledge of dying with dignity should be given this choice. As learnt in class it is based on the rights approach, giving the individual the right to choose for him or herself. The right to choose to die before the illness takes over and takes away who the person really was. Their right to leave their family with happy memories, instead of sad memories of them being sick and in

Imagine that if you were diagnosed with a terminal illness, and at some point it became apparent that you had less than six months to live. Imagine further, if you will, that to the best of available medical knowledge, your death will be painful and traumatic; dementia, loss of sight or hearing, and loss of bodily functions. Would you want the people you love to witness this if it caused them greater anguish? Would you want your life to end this way if you had an alternative? I believe that in the United States, all terminally ill adults who are mentally competent should have the freedom to die with dignity the way they desire, the choice to die with the aid of a competent and willing physician, and non-punitive laws in place that protect their decision.

The “right-to-die” has been controversial for a long time and is continuously in debate. Some of the arguments in favor of laws allowing individuals to choose include - Anyone coming into hospital in an emergency has the option of a DNR (do not resuscitate). People who go into comas may leave living wills instructing doctors not to use any extreme life-saving measures (this includes feeding tubes). Perhaps dying with dignity is controversial b/c it seems like a more conscious choice. People can predetermine that they don’t want to live life as vegetables…but the general public has a hard time reconciling people who are still walking and talking making decisions to die. Why? Because they look healthy? Because they ‘appear’ to have life left in them? That is exactly what is being contested.

It is selfish to think your opinion is right over others when you have no idea what you’re talking about. Death is not the right option for many people, but there are certain instances where it is the right choice; where death is better than life. I think it is incredibly powerful if someone wants to die because it shows that their situation is so unbearable, and it causes me to question my own morals, would I do it? Would I assist? I’d like to think yes. I’d like to help someone who has tried to make the best of their situation but it has become too much. I hope that my personal opinion never tries to prevent someone from doing what they believe is right, from what will put them at ease. There are definitely consequences, but maybe the law will finally realize that they are not in the position to dictate other people’s wishes of death. If I am that patient who is terminally ill, I hope that my family and my doctors respect my opinion since I would be the one in the hospital bed. It is true that you only have one life, but what if it is a miserable one? How worth it is it to keep going? That’s your own call, not anyone

Most people do not like to talk or even think about death; much less the topic of ending one’s own life. However, for some, death is a desired alternative to living in agony. Euthanasia has been a topic of debate since antiquity, and both sides stand firm on their beliefs. The right to choose death is illegal in most countries. I believe in people’s freedom to do what they please with their own bodies. The basic right of liberty is what America was founded on. Euthanasia should be a legal option.

This highly debatable topic amongst families, lawyers, and doctors questions the ethical viewpoint of whether people have the right to die in a method and time of their own choosing. The right to die is the most personal choice one can make. If people can make considerably, irreversible choices like to have an abortion or a sex change, then why are they being stripped of their right to die? If

The debate over the use of euthanasia is ever growing. This is due to the fact of constant increases in medical advances. Medical advances are growing the number of medicines one can be given before palliative care is an option. The main concern of the debate is whether trying new treatments and medicines are necessary before palliative care is given. Two articles will be analyzed using the Aristotelian method. Both articles are valid, but the New York Times article written by Haider Javed Warraich offers a complete perspective using all three persuasive appeals compared to the article written by Terry Pratchett for The Guardian, which the majority is written on emotion.