Daughter Has Right to Die against Parents Wishes by Art Caplan - Essay Example

God’s commandments actually warned Grace that her decision would take her direct to hell after death. Although they all know that Grace will eventually die, her decision to be disconnected from the machines leave her parents in a hopeless state. They wished she could live a bit longer even with the fact that death was closer to her than surviving. Their alternative was that she leave the hospital and go to a nursing home.
2. Put yourself in Grace's shoes (why does she want to die)

According to Caplan 2006, suffering from a terminal tumor, which bores into one’s brain, is both traumatizing and life-threatening. It leaves one paralyzed from the neck down. The person relies on support machines for both feeding and breathing. However, Grace is fully conscious and can recognize all that is going on though she has lost control over the whole of her body. With the knowledge that the tumor will eventually kill her, Grace chooses to die instead of suffering a slow and miserable death. She, therefore, asks doctors to disconnect the support machines hoping that she would die a peaceful and painless death. She sees that as a better option though it is against the wish of her parents.
3. What is your opinion? NOTE: I believe in God and the fact that miracles happen.

Personally, I believe that miracles do happen, but one should not neglect medical care on the pre-assumption that God will heal them. One needs to seek medical attention and depend on God to heal them. This is because doctors treat but God is the ultimate healer of all illness and sicknesses. However, it reaches a time when people with terminal illnesses suffer from hopelessness. This leads to them requesting the termination of medical care and treatment. At that point, family members are faced with the dilemma of either accepting the patient’s decisions or fighting the decision. Nevertheless, the patient's decision should be respected. In the case of Grace Lee, she need not be forced to go through a procedure she is not comfortable with.

As an adult, she has a choice to even go against her parent’s spiritual values. She has the fundamental right to control what is done by doctors to her body through her parents are doing what they think is right. However, their daughter is going to die soon. The best they can do is to accept her decision on how she wants to welcome her death then try to make Grace’s final days a struggle with legal proceedings (Petrieflom 1). Read More