Uneshia Kinlock
Professor Kirsten Burkart
English 112-4201
2 November 2015
Right or Wrong
Euthanasia is one of the most controversial, and ethical issues in our society today. Physician Assisted Suicide (PAS) is the voluntary termination of one’s own life by administration of a lethal substance with the direct or indirect help of a physician. Physician Assisted Suicide has its proponents and opponents. Among the opponents are physicians who believe it violates the fundamental principles of medicine. They believe doctors should not aid with suicides because to do so is incompatible with the doctor’s role as a healer. Proponents of assisted suicide agree that patients faced with an inevitable death deserve the right to end their lives on their …show more content…
Mayo, Professor of Philosophy Emeritus, University of Minnesota, Board member of Death with Dignity presents a significant case for assisted suicide in his 2013 essay written for CQ Researcher. Mayo believes PAS is an intuitive and compassionate choice. He states “My father 93, and dying of colon cancer, remarked to the nurse enrolling him in hospice care that “the sooner this is over with, the better.” At that point, his father’s final life-projects were closing down. His father’s only remaining fundamental interest and concern were the time and circumstances of his death. Critics will argue that death with dignity is a departure from valuing human life. I agree that death with dignity is better than suffering and waiting. PAS is an ethically compassionate choice because we are all human beings who should have the right to end suffering when it becomes too …show more content…
There are legitimate arguments both for and against physicians aiding patients end their own lives. I believe that the right to end one’s own life is a basic human right. The freedom of choice is a basic human right that should not be taken away. PAS should be an available option for terminally ill patients who are suffering. Terminally ill people who opt for PAS as an alternative to suffering will continue to be subject to skeptics. These skeptics fear that if PAS is legally available it will do more harm than good. We as humans should embrace the option of PAS among the terminally ill. PAS allows patients the choice to choose a much needed alternative to palliative care. Palliative care only eases the pain. Patients are not just seeking a pain reliever, but a more dignified way of dying. Not any good is served by the government restricting an escape for those in their final weeks of slow
Professor Kirsten Burkart
English 112-4201
2 November 2015
Right or Wrong
Euthanasia is one of the most controversial, and ethical issues in our society today. Physician Assisted Suicide (PAS) is the voluntary termination of one’s own life by administration of a lethal substance with the direct or indirect help of a physician. Physician Assisted Suicide has its proponents and opponents. Among the opponents are physicians who believe it violates the fundamental principles of medicine. They believe doctors should not aid with suicides because to do so is incompatible with the doctor’s role as a healer. Proponents of assisted suicide agree that patients faced with an inevitable death deserve the right to end their lives on their …show more content…
Mayo, Professor of Philosophy Emeritus, University of Minnesota, Board member of Death with Dignity presents a significant case for assisted suicide in his 2013 essay written for CQ Researcher. Mayo believes PAS is an intuitive and compassionate choice. He states “My father 93, and dying of colon cancer, remarked to the nurse enrolling him in hospice care that “the sooner this is over with, the better.” At that point, his father’s final life-projects were closing down. His father’s only remaining fundamental interest and concern were the time and circumstances of his death. Critics will argue that death with dignity is a departure from valuing human life. I agree that death with dignity is better than suffering and waiting. PAS is an ethically compassionate choice because we are all human beings who should have the right to end suffering when it becomes too …show more content…
There are legitimate arguments both for and against physicians aiding patients end their own lives. I believe that the right to end one’s own life is a basic human right. The freedom of choice is a basic human right that should not be taken away. PAS should be an available option for terminally ill patients who are suffering. Terminally ill people who opt for PAS as an alternative to suffering will continue to be subject to skeptics. These skeptics fear that if PAS is legally available it will do more harm than good. We as humans should embrace the option of PAS among the terminally ill. PAS allows patients the choice to choose a much needed alternative to palliative care. Palliative care only eases the pain. Patients are not just seeking a pain reliever, but a more dignified way of dying. Not any good is served by the government restricting an escape for those in their final weeks of slow