Essay/Term paper: Assisted suicide

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Science Reports

Assisted Suicide


In thousands of homes across the nation victims of terminal illnesses
sit in pain due to their sicknesses. Should these people have to go through all
of that pain and suffering just for the end result of death? Should these
people have the right to assisted death, to rid themselves of unbearable pain?
This topic has been one of the great controversies over the last several years.

Not too long ago if someone was found assisting in suicide, it was seen
as a felony crime. But recently there have been court cases taken up in two
federal appellate courts that ruled terminally ill patients have the right to
seek doctor assisted suicide (Carter 1). These cases took place in New York and
Washington. This added two more to the list of states that legalized this means
of ending life. However, doctor assisted is still seen as a criminal act in
thirty four states(Rosen 1). In my opinion, doctor assisted suicide should be
made legal throughout the nation. If a terminally ill patient wants to take his
or her life due to excruciating pain, he or she should have the ability to
utilize euthanasia. Ultimately, the decision should be that of the terminally
ill individual.
The main controversy over this issue, is the question of morality. Is
it morally right for a doctor to assist in suicide? Many individuals feel that
it is not. It is thought if assisted suicide is legalized throughout the states,
it will encourage families with terminally ill relatives to push them
prematurely to their demise(Carter 2). This is an outlandish assumption. A
family that truly loves one another would not urge a family member to rush any
decision as momentous as ending one's life. If there is caring among the family,
the suicide would not take place until is was utterly necessary.
Two other important moral questions also arise from this issue. First,
do our mortal lives belong to us alone, are we sovereign over our bodies, or do
they belong to the communities of families in which we are embedded? Second,
will this right give the terminally ill a greater sense of control over their
circumstances, or will it weaken respect for life?(Carter 2)
The first question is ridiculous. It seems as though Carter is trying
to say we will no longer be in charge of ourselves, and we will be living in a
socialistic society. There is no reason why we should not be able to control
the destiny of our lives. We, as human beings, are solely sovereign over our
own bodies. Therefore, it is the terminally ill patient who should have the
ability to choose death over life. It is this person who is experiencing the
pain and suffering of their disease, not a relative or close friend, much less
the government. The legalization of doctor assisted suicide is no reason to
change anything with people who are not terminally ill.
The second question, on the other hand, has some validity and logic to
it. Doctor assisted suicide would give the dying a certain sense of control.
It would enable the patient to have a certain feeling of power, knowing that he
or she has the ability to complete his or her life upon request. This may sound
somewhat awkward; however, it is quite possible that it would give the patients
a sense of well being. Furthermore, it gives them a chance to end their lives on
their terms, instead of letting a disease determine their course in life. As
for the second half of this question, it should in no way weaken the respect for
life. Losing respect for life is for the weak minded. If anything it
strengthens the patient's respect; a person in the last stages of a terminal
illness has endured some of the worst life has to offer. It takes away many of
his capabilities to perform what would normally be commonplace activities; in
short it has overtaken his life and dignity. The ability to perform legal
assisted suicide would help to replace some of the dignity which the illness has
extracted from a person's life. It would give the person the capability to end
matters on his own terms.
John Stuart Mill, one of the great philosophers of the nineteenth
century, derived a theory which is an excellent example as an argument for the
legalization of doctor assisted suicide, or all moral crimes for that matter.
This theory was deemed the "Harm Principle": a person is wholly sovereign over
his body. It is no one else's right to invade a person's body. Therefore,
since one is fully autonomous over his physical body, one should have the
ability to do as he pleases with it. This holds true up until the point where
his actions bring harm to another human. Doctor assisted suicide is a perfect
example, one's body is his own and only his; therefore, if one chooses not to
suffer needlessly for months or even years who is to stop him from utilizing the
procedure? Some would argue that this does cause harm to others in an emotional
sense, yet this is not the issue, and not how Mill thought it should be
interpreted.
Now that the moral issues have been discussed, what about the rights
which the Constitution of the United Stated guarantees its citizens? Under the
provisions of the fourteenth amendment, the same amendment the right to abortion
is found under, we are provided the right to due process(Carter 1). The
argument set forth here, is the fact that not all states abide by this
amendment, thirty four to be exact. The reason for this is, they do not feel
the "right to die" means allowing a doctor to assist terminally ill patients in
prematurely ending their lives. Another reason is the assumption that, if
doctor assisted suicide were legalized, it could possibly be used as an excuse
for murder(America 1). It is possible that it could occur; however, self
defense is also an excuse that is used from time to time. But this excuse does
not always work. If a murder case was taken to court for "assisted suicide", it
would be justly proven whether it was an act of murder, or, rather, whether it
was an act of mercy.
The federal rulings state, "we see no real difference between allowing
terminally ill patients to die naturally and taking direct measures to kill
them."(America 1) I am in total agreement with their statement. However, I am
against what happened to a man by the name of Aaron McGuinn. In 1990 this man
tested positive for the HIV virus, and in 1996 he passed away by the means of
assisted suicide(Macleans). However, he was not yet suffering, for he had not
yet developed full blown AIDS, and was in no pain at all. This decision goes
against my personal morals for doctor assisted suicide.
Finally, I support doctor assisted suicide, but only within certain
limitations. First, the patient must be within close proximity to a natural
death, and this should be documented by a licensed physician. If a patient is
in unbearable pain, then it is also understandable to follow through with the
procedure. This decision should not be taken lightly in any way, and if it were
to become decriminalized, there should be some type of counseling service
established for those who are weighing their options with doctor assisted
suicide. A person's body is his own and his alone; therefore, when it is all
said and done, it should be he who is in full control of his own destiny.