Assisted Suicides - Research Proposal Example

Download file to see previous pages The intention of this study is assisted suicide as the voluntary termination of one’s own life by administration of substances by a physician thereby terminating one’s life. A terminally ill patient who is suffering from incurable diseases for a long time may require a doctor to end his/her life a condition referred to as euthanasia. The difference between assisted suicide and euthanasia is that the former occurs at the patience discretion while the latter occurs at the physician’s judgment. Assisted suicide is a controversial issue from moral dimension, religious dimension and legal dimension and thus it is a matter of great concern. There are several debates by politicians, psychologists and doctors on how to handle this issue without causing much negative publicity. This lingering question is the motive behind this research that wants to establish the motive behind assisted suicide and its impact to the parties concerned. Patients engaged in deadly diseases and their families who have to live through the fact every day that their loved ones are in pain can only understand the grave realities behind these decisions. They can only pray for the 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 its essential role. ...
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. 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 him or her through unfair legal systems (Materstvedt et al, 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 (Sarah, 2010). 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 the development of appropriate measurement techniques and fruitful results 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 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 ...Download file to see next pagesRead More