The Life and Death Arguments on Assisted Suicide - Essay Example

Assisted suicide: pros and cons The controversy on assisted suicide is still unresolved because some people consider human life as a divine gift from the god and some others do not consider the same different from other living things. The arguments on assisted suicide are based upon life and death. The arguments in favor of assisted suicide are based upon humanitarian consideration towards patients who are suffering from deadly diseases. As assisted suicide is a controversial issue related to life, one cannot completely prove that the arguments in favor of and against the same are completely right and valid. If one gives ample importance to miracles in life, one cannot support assisted suicide. On the other side, those who give importance to the problems faced by the patients support assisted suicide. Thesis statement: Assisted suicide is a controversial issue and the arguments in favor of and against the same is valid in certain situations in life but cannot be generalized to a broader context (special references to the arguments in favor of and against assisted suicide). Ethics and assisted suicide The question of ethics is the core of the controversy on assisted suicide. Thomas stated that “Questions whether a physician should be able to help a terminally- ill patient to commit suicide by prescribing him lethal medications and if such an act is morally justifiable have long split the population” (3). As a doctor’s duty is to help the patients to be free from illness, assisted suicide cannot be considered as legal. At the same time, patient autonomy in critical conditions cannot be considered as legal, but is a practical measure. From a different angle of view, doctors should not act like dictators, but should show respect towards the individual opinion of patients. One can see that medical ethics is the core of the controversy because medical treatment aims to cure diseases, not to harm human beings. Most of the world nations are not yet ready to provide legal sanction to assisted suicide. This proves that ethical consideration is most important in medical field. But those who are in favor of assisted suicide consider the same as an important help to patients. On the other side, those who are against assisted suicide argue that the real help must be in curing diseases, not in helping to commit suicide. Most of the patients who do not like to be a burden to the society are ready to accept assisted suicide as a final solution. But ethical and legal sides of assisted suicide never consider the same as a help. For instance, palliative care can help the patients to be free from the problems related to diseases. The doctor-patient relationship is an important factor of early recovery from diseases. So, those who are in favor and against assisted suicide need to consider this fact as important. Then, the ethical problem related to assisted suicide can be solved. Arguments in favor of assisted suicide Those who are in favor of assisted suicide are of the opinion that it helps the patients to be free from unending pain. For example, if doctors confirm that a patient cannot come back to normal life; assisted suicide can help that patient to end suffering. Besides, right to live is a fundamental right. So, assisted suicide must be considered as the freedom of a patient. Battin made clear that “The arguments in favor of assisted suicide appeal to the conjunction of two fundamental moral principles: self-determination and mercy” (96). Those who are in favor of assisted suicide consider that the same helps the patients to have a death with dignity. For instance, physical illness leads to emotional trauma and this ultimately leads to pessimism. Within this context, assisted suicide can help a patient to be free from physical illness and emotional trauma. In addition, assisted suicide can reduce the scope of economic problems related to expensive treatment. If medical treatment cannot save an individual from deadly diseases, the best possible way is to help the patient to end his or her life, not providing unneeded and costly treatment. One can see that medical profession is considered as noble and doctors and nurses must use their valuable time to save the patients. When the relatives of a patient with incurable disease insist to provide care, the doctor’s time is utilized for vain. When a patient realizes that his or her illness cannot be cured, others must respect his or her individual freedom. When one considers the problems faced by the patient’s family, assisted suicide reduces emotional trauma. Laws and regulations in the medical field can reduce the scope of the abuse of assisted suicide and can protect individual freedom. Not allowing a patient to take decisions on one’s life is cruelty because medical treatment has its own limitations. If an individual decides to undergo assisted suicide, some vital organs can be used to save some other patients. So, those who are in favor of assisted suicide argue that the same is the best possible way to help a patient to be free from physical and emotional trauma. Arguments against assisted suicide The people who are against assisted suicide are of the opinion that the same is the violation of the Hippocratic Oath taken by the doctors. To be specific, doctors do not have the right to help a patient to commit suicide, but they must save that patient. Assisted suicide is totally against medical ethics. Another argument against assisted suicide is that it does not consider the value of human life. Those who are in favor of assisted suicide do not provide ample importance to human life. So, assisted suicide should be considered as a crime. Those who are in favor of assisted suicide are unable to give life to anyone. So, assisted suicide is totally immoral and illegal. From a different angle of view, assisted suicide can lead to large scale abuse of the same. Forman made clear that “Many opponents of euthanasia fear that legalizing assisted suicide might eventually lead to similar abuse in the United States” (14). Then, the doctors may not consider their professional ethics as an important factor of their career development. Furthermore, assisted suicide may be misused to fulfill selfish motives. Most of the world religions are totally against assisted suicide because human beings do not have the right to kill others. Assisted suicide cannot be considered as a help to the patients because it is a criminal act. Another argument against assisted suicide is that it gives less importance to recovery. Those who are in favor of assisted suicide do not believe in the power of human mind in restoring health. One cannot devalue the scope of human mind in healing illness. When assisted suicide is considered as the best possible way to help a patient who is suffering from a deadly disease, the doctors and others provide less value to medical treatment. One cannot prove that all the patients who are suffering from deadly diseases cannot return to their normal lives. If one is ready to wait (say, with optimistic attitude towards life) and continue medical treatment, there exists scope for early recovery. In short, those who are against assisted suicide are of the opinion that the same cannot be considered as a help, because it is an inhuman practice. Summing, assisted suicide is a controversial issue and the arguments on the same prove that both the sides are partially correct. Those who are in favor of assisted suicide argue that the same is the best possible way to reduce pain (say, physical and mental) suffered by a patient. On the other side, those who are against assisted suicide argue that human beings (say, doctors) do not have the right to provide assisted suicide because it is an inhuman practice and crime. In short, both the arguments are theoretically correct but its practical value is still controversial to an extent. Works Cited Battin, M. Pabst. Ending life: ethics and the way we die. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005. Print. Forman, Lillian. Assisted Suicide. Minnesota: ABDO, 2008. Print. Thomas, Jasmine. Physician-assisted Suicide in the United States. Norderstedt: GRIN Verlag, 2010. Print. Read More