The Argument for Euthanasia Death comes for every individual regardless of whether a person becomes terminally ill, a horrific accident caused death to come too early, or if it simply became time. No one can escape death, this everyone knows; however, what about the individuals who possibly want death to come early? This can occur by way of doctor-assisted suicide, or euthanasia, known as a controversial topic dating back centuries. Ethical relativism, a philosophical theory, will also be used in this paper to explain the legality of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. Physician-assisted suicide, defined by Merriam-Webster as, “Suicide by a patient facilitated by means or information (as a drug prescription or indication of the
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Though it has been around for a few decades, the lines have not always been black and white—they still aren’t. For one to understand physician-assisted suicide and to become immersed in the rich background of the subject, Jack Kevorkian needs to be present in the conversation. Jack Kevorkian became a doctor of medicine in the 60s. It is safe to say that he was the first doctor to publicly support physician-assisted suicide (Bernstein, 2015). Many individuals and even fellow doctors of Kevorkian spoke out against what he stood for and what he did. Dozens of people would ask how Kevorkian could live with himself, how could he practice medicine when all he was doing was ending lives. But Kevorkian made it known that he believed he was doing the best by the patients, “My intent was to carry out my duty as a doctor, to end their suffering. Unfortunately, that entailed, in their cases, ending of the life” (Lessenberry, 1994). If a person who is mentally competent and understands what he or she is agreeing upon, who’s to say physician-assisted suicide is wrong? Furthermore, when a terminally ill patient becomes aware of his or her unfortunate predicament, there’s a lot of uncertainty that follows such as prognosis, treatment options, and ultimately, what will happen in the last moments. Death is an ominous, unpredictable, yet beautiful finale to life; however, for many individuals, death is terrifyingly intimidating, yet there is no way to escape it. If one could choose the details leading up to death, perhaps people would have differing opinions regarding the bittersweet end everyone must
Though it has been around for a few decades, the lines have not always been black and white—they still aren’t. For one to understand physician-assisted suicide and to become immersed in the rich background of the subject, Jack Kevorkian needs to be present in the conversation. Jack Kevorkian became a doctor of medicine in the 60s. It is safe to say that he was the first doctor to publicly support physician-assisted suicide (Bernstein, 2015). Many individuals and even fellow doctors of Kevorkian spoke out against what he stood for and what he did. Dozens of people would ask how Kevorkian could live with himself, how could he practice medicine when all he was doing was ending lives. But Kevorkian made it known that he believed he was doing the best by the patients, “My intent was to carry out my duty as a doctor, to end their suffering. Unfortunately, that entailed, in their cases, ending of the life” (Lessenberry, 1994). If a person who is mentally competent and understands what he or she is agreeing upon, who’s to say physician-assisted suicide is wrong? Furthermore, when a terminally ill patient becomes aware of his or her unfortunate predicament, there’s a lot of uncertainty that follows such as prognosis, treatment options, and ultimately, what will happen in the last moments. Death is an ominous, unpredictable, yet beautiful finale to life; however, for many individuals, death is terrifyingly intimidating, yet there is no way to escape it. If one could choose the details leading up to death, perhaps people would have differing opinions regarding the bittersweet end everyone must