Assisted Suicides - Research Proposal Example

? Research Proposal Research topic: Assisted Suicides Research question: Should physician-assisted suicides be made legal globally? What are the social implications of this practice? Introduction: When preparing a research project on social sciences, selection of topic and question for it is pivotal since all subsequent steps shall be revolving around them. From ease of data collection and analysis to access of finding relevant citations in this regard, all factors must be considered carefully before deciding on what to write and research about. Also, the topic chosen must be of great significance in today’s society and must be touching a critical and sensitive social issue. The topic selected is ‘Assisted Suicides’ and the following paper shall entail detailed discussion about planning of this assignment and procedures involved in selection and research of this project. Justification of research question This question has gained considerable attention in recent years with strong pressure groups and activists for and against it. It challenges the moral framework of our society and affects the sentimental beliefs of masses. In my opinion, it is necessary to officially permit this practice, giving rights to everyone to decide themselves for their own lives. The grave realities behind these decisions can only be understood by patients engaged in deadly diseases and their families who have to live through the fact everyday that their loved ones are in pain. They can only pray for miseries of their close ones to end as soon as possible. At this stage, a voluntary painless end to life is much more preferable for them than leading a hopeless, agonizing and bedridden life: this is where physician-assisted suicide plays it essential role. In a research carried out where patients suffering from terminal illnesses were surveyed, 73% of them approved the fact that they should have a right to practice assisted suicide (Lee et al, 1996). Such shocking figures, in favor of legalizing it, clearly indicate how this matter needs to be considered at national and global level and be resolved promptly. Citizens in the U.S. have also been raising voices recently in support of this agenda. Two-third of Michigan’s residents, including physicians and doctors, suggested that physician-assisted suicides should be made legal (Bachman et al, 1996). It should be noted that every person has a right to have personal choices about his own life, which should be respected and entertained instead of stifling them through unfair legal systems (Materstvedt, 2003). With such increasing public awareness in favor of this propaganda and millions of cases each year in this regard, it is high time that authorities must take notice of this case, conduct careful and critical assessment and reach an optimal decision. Conceptualization of key concepts Key concepts represent attributes and variables that must be carefully considered during research since they affect the planned outcome and procedures deployed to measure them (Babbie, 2012). There are certain key concepts involved in this research which must be addressed through various measures and tools. Identification and assessment of key concepts, especially abstract ones, enable development of appropriate measurement techniques and fruitful results at the end of study. The first concept is related to the religious and political views of population being targeted for research tools. A person with rigid political views will be relatively more inflexible and invulnerable to changes. They would prefer stability in social environment over the time. Religion also restricts people from accepting any rules and practices which contradict with their religious principles. Next concept involves the environmental and customary influences on people living in a certain territory. Their exposure to rituals and norms will shape their mindset to be either liberal or conservative towards acceptance of assisted suicides and right of people to opt for these practices for themselves. Final major concept includes education level of population selected for the research. Education sets the level of prejudice demonstrated by a person towards modern medical and technological advancements. Uneducated classes, especially living in rural areas, would not be willingly open to such an outrageous idea. Equal rights and liberty of opinion are direct products of level of education. Operationalization of key concepts In order to address concepts of social research, indicators and measures must be established which needs an imaginative approach by researcher as there is no one perfect way to achieve the planned outcomes (Bulmer and Burgess, 1986). Operationalization refers to conversion of concepts into a quantifiable form which can be later measured by identifying probability of occurrence of each variable (Sarantakos, 1993). The procedures employed would include conducting thorough surveys, interviews and preparing appropriate questionnaires to be filled by participants in order to collect maximum and relevant social demographic metrics. Measuring the concepts shall not be an easy task since they cannot be readily quantified. Data shall be categorized by age, sex and other attributes to identify presumptive patterns and under correlation between each variable and view towards legalization of assisted suicides. Questionnaires shall include inquiries regarding the religion being followed, level of education attained and how they would decide if the same situation was faced by one of their close ones. Facial expressions and body language and gestures shall be observed to ensure no dishonest opinions are recorded. The strength of stance must be noted since many participants may be neutral or confused. In such cases, relevant arguments must be sold to them in hope to pursue them to agree to legalization of assisted suicides. Correspondence shall be established with government authorities, inquiring justifications for not legalizing the said practice and strong arguments shall be presented to defend our position. Conclusion The aforementioned discussion establishes the vitality of the selected research topic in our society today. The statistical and examination procedures in respect of this assignment shall reveal more about how assisted suicides affect our community and how legalizing is a favorable decision. Surveys and case studies shall enable in understanding the implications and complex problems related to this propaganda. The topic is vast and shall require committed hard work and skeptical research to help in concluding that assisted suicides must be made lawful around the world. References Babbie, E. R. (2012). The practice of social research. Wadsworth Publishing Company. Bachman, J. G., Alcser, K. H., Doukas, D. J., Lichtenstein, R. L., Corning, A. D., & Brody, H. (1996). Attitudes of Michigan physicians and the public toward legalizing physician-assisted suicide and voluntary euthanasia. New England Journal of Medicine, 334(5), 303-309. Bulmer, M. & Burgess, R. (1986). Do concepts, variables and indicators interrelate? Key variables in social investigation, London, Routledge. Lee, M. A., Nelson, H. D., Tilden, V. P., Ganzini, L., Schmidt, T. A., & Tolle, S. W. (1996). Legalizing assisted suicide—views of physicians in Oregon. New England Journal of Medicine, 334(5), 310-315. Materstvedt, L. J., Clark, D., Ellershaw, J., Forde, R., Gravgaard, A. M. B., Muller-Busch, H. C., ... & Rapin, C. H. (2003). Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide: a view from an EAPC Ethics Task Force. Palliative Medicine, 17(2), 97-101. Sarantakos, S. (1993). Social research. South Melbourne: Macmillan. Read More