Physician Assisted Suicide (Utilitarianism vs. Right-Based Concepts) - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages... rights centered arguments is one that has been utilized by both opponents and proponents in support of their respective positions and these will be assessed in the paper. The paper will also assess assisted suicide through the utilitarian theory which elaborates on the ethical justification for a person to perform a right act if it will bear fruit to some good. Hence, in both ethical approaches the issue is controversial as it can be supported by both proponents and opponents of the argument using the same theory making it difficult to determine the appropriate position. This is a dilemma that is frequently associated with moral issues. Therefore, the aim of the paper is to illustrate the ethical arguments held by proponents and opponents of the rights based perspective to physician assisted suicide as well as the arguments presented by those for or against physician assisted suicide using the utilitarian theory.
As mentioned above, the utilitarian theory implies that it is acceptable to perform an act that will lead to the greatest good. Hence, in cases of unbearable suffering in diseases that are incurable, physician assisted suicide will result in the greater good of relieving both the family members of the patient and the patient himself from unbearable suffering that will ultimately result in his death (Carr, 2010). Hence, the happiness that is gained through the relief of suffering patients of the patients justifies the lesser action of physician assisted suicide as the patients are already terminal and in the majority of cases death is inevitable. Physician assisted suicide can be in the form of lethal injection of the doctor prescribing the patient medication that would lead to the termination of his or her life. Hence, the summation of this action is that the doctor is minimizing suffering by prescribing lethal medication, and maximizing happiness by relieving the suffering which makes this an achievement of a greater good and in coherence with the ...Download file to see next pagesRead More