Ethical Debate on Assisted Suicide - Essay Example

This is because they have adequate knowledge to assist persons commit suicide. The ethical debate on assisted suicide is not as recent as most people assume. Examining the principles of medical ethics sheds light on these issues. In the 4th century B.C, the Hippocratic Oath took precedence as guidance to doctor patient relationship. One section of this oath holds that the doctor should not administer, or advice persons to administer lethal drugs. The Platonian philosophical error focused an immense deal on not only the moral but also the psychological (social) and theological (religious) questions on suicide.

However, the ancient debates on suicide and assisted suicide for that matter take little account of the self. Instead, these debates focus on the social role and responsibility of the person committing suicide. Religion, on the other hand, takes a rather different approach. In Christianity, for instance, killing is wrong whether done to self or others. The contradiction is that most religions hold the virtue of compassion with endearment. While other parties will use this same virtue to root for assisted suicide, religion still views it as wrong (Gorsuch, 2009).

Philosophy, like most religions, acknowledges the human ability to distinguish right from wrong. Upon this foundation, a philosopher may examine the issue of assisted suicide from one feasible approach. This first approach requires that one assumes that all factors held constant, an individual in their right state of mind in whatever decision they make reflect their moral, religious, philosophical and by extension ethical convictions. As such, a person choosing death instead of life must have examined their options and tagged assisted suicide “best option”.

Fernandes (2008) while reflecting on some of the arguments