Assisted Suicide Case Study

Is Assisted Death right or wrong for an Individual with terminal illness to seek? this is a controversial dilemma that brings rise to a variety of ethical implications of ones’ belief of what is right or wrong and if patients have the right to self determination. Assisted death is commonly referred as physician assisted death or euthanasia, it gives patients the choice of terminating their life to relieve their suffering. As a nurse, this ethical dilemma can be challenging because one of the roles of nursing is to advocate for your patients and cause no harm; however, under certain circumstance, assisted death is considered a valid option for patients suffering from terminal illness and alleviating terrible pain. When using the Utilitarianism …show more content…
She plans to refuse food, water and medical aid because she believes that the life she is currently living is producing more pain then happiness. An objection that can arise against a utilitarian view is that society often views assisted death as diminishing value to an individual’s life. A utilitarian can argue that the elderly women is dying in a dignified death since she is voluntarily giving up her life which means she is accountable for her action and acknowledges the possibilities of improving her life. Another objection that can arise from this case is the idea that if the patient commits assisted suicide by self starvation, then how does it produce the greatest outcome? A utilitarian perspective against this argument is that one should respect her wishes by maximizing her pleasure and happiness which indeed produces the greatest outcome because by doing this, its alleviating her suffering in which is one is satisfying her last wish. Furthermore, she is benefiting the greatest amount of people by surrendering resources such as medicine and space in the nursing home that would give the opportunity of other individuals who want to live be able to utilize these