In a cruel and unnecessary twist, Max received access to a clinical trial; Austin didn’t. As a result, Max was able to get out of his wheelchair and play on his school soccer team while Austin continued to deteriorate until he could not even feed himself (Olsen 1).
If a patient in such a condition chooses to participate in a research study, they would be able to offset the costs of intensive or end-of-life care. Furthermore, the money spent annually on healthcare adds up to approximately: “$50 billion just for doctor and hospital bills during the last two months of patients' lives” (The Cost of Dying). This shows that people deeply care for their loved ones, and are willing to spend large amounts of money to preserve their …show more content…
If we valued economic efficiency over the survival of people, we would not be able to research the diseases that terminal patients suffer from. One of the best reasons to keep people alive longer is that scientists can use them to help develop a cure for their diseases. We cannot just allow people to take their own lives. Doctors are obliged to place the lives of their patients above all else, as stated by the Hippocratic oath. Finally, one cannot place a value on a human being, and the care for our loved ones should be prioritized above all else. When we look back on the stories of Danny and Arlie, we can see that even in the face of hopelessness, when people come together for the common good, they can accomplish