Persuasive Essay On Legalizing Assisted Suicide

The role of a physician involves treating patients and caring for their illnesses, however with the advancements of technology patients are able to live longer. Now a concern is that doctors are prolonging the lives of patients with terminal illnesses in a negative way, leading to a controversial argument that doctors should start assisting terminally ill patients in committing suicide. Currently, the United States in torn on the issue and only a handful of states have legalized assisted suicide. The most well-known state is Oregon where assisted suicide has been legalized for over a decade. However, assisted suicide also brings multiple issues and concerns, many are unethical. While opponents explicate the importance of dying with dignity, the reality …show more content…
The Netherlands and Belgium have proven that the domino effect is a problem that could happen to states in the United States. Those with mental health concerns should not be allowed to be assisted in committing suicide, their judgment could be clouded by their disorder. If assisted suicide is legalized, then all patients should receive a psychiatric evaluation prior to being prescribed medicine to help them commit suicide, instead of having a physician with little experience look for symptoms of an underlying mental illness. Furthermore, the legalization of assisted suicide could lead to child assisted suicide, which is morally wrong due to the fact that children are incapable of making these types of decisions at a young age. Also, outside factors play a key role in a patient 's decision, especially financial and family concerns. These concerns dictate a patient’s choice, which in reality, is not truly a choice if other factors are eliminating their options. This issue is highly important because it deals with human life, which should never be taken away from anyone or