Physician-assisted suicide should be made legal so that people with terminal illnesses who may be suffering are not put through a drawn out death and their families are not forced to watch them fade away. Though assisted suicide has been a highly debated issue since ancient times, a consensus has yet to be reached and it remains a controversial topic, especially in today’s society, where many are hopeful of finding a cure for everything tomorrow.
In ancient Greece, assisted suicide was legal, though not everyone agreed with this position. While Plato wrote, “Mentally and physically ill persons should be left to death; they do not have the right to life,” Pythagoras disagreed, arguing that man was not in charge of his own fate, and that he …show more content…
The movement was rooted in a book called Releasing the destruction of worthless animals, the contents of which became a sort of bible for the Third Reich. Alfred Hoche, who co-authored the aforementioned book, also advocated for the use of “assisted suicide” as a means of ridding the gene pool of undesirable characteristics. This led to what many opposed to legalizing assisted suicide had feared: involuntary euthanasia of those deemed unfit for life. . Those for the legalization of assisted suicide point out that although the terms euthanasia and assisted suicide are often used interchangeably, they are not the same thing; in euthanasia the doctor is the one who carries out the act, while in assisted suicide the doctor merely supplies the means and the patient is left to administer it to themselves. This distinction is central to the argument that physicians would not be able to abuse this power were assisted suicide to be …show more content…
During the 1996 court case, Compassion in Dying vs State of Washington, Circuit Judge Stephen Reinhardt brought up the example of those against abortion rights who worried that it would somehow lead to abuse of that right. He later says, “Recognition of any right creates the possibility of abuse… The legalization of abortion has not undermined our commitment to life generally; nor, as some predicted, has it led to widespread infanticide. Similarly, there is no reason to believe that legalizing assisted suicide will lead to the horrific consequences its opponents suggest" (Compassion).
Much of the opposition cites their religious beliefs, saying suicide in general is immoral. Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry states, “We are made in the image of God (Gen. 1:26), and it is the Lord God who gives us life (Job 33:4) and who has numbered our days (Job 14:5). This means that God is the sovereign Lord who determines the day that we die. Therefore, we are not to usurp God 's authority” (Slick). The same people present the fifth commandment, “Thou shall not kill,” as evidence of the immorality of assisted
In ancient Greece, assisted suicide was legal, though not everyone agreed with this position. While Plato wrote, “Mentally and physically ill persons should be left to death; they do not have the right to life,” Pythagoras disagreed, arguing that man was not in charge of his own fate, and that he …show more content…
The movement was rooted in a book called Releasing the destruction of worthless animals, the contents of which became a sort of bible for the Third Reich. Alfred Hoche, who co-authored the aforementioned book, also advocated for the use of “assisted suicide” as a means of ridding the gene pool of undesirable characteristics. This led to what many opposed to legalizing assisted suicide had feared: involuntary euthanasia of those deemed unfit for life. . Those for the legalization of assisted suicide point out that although the terms euthanasia and assisted suicide are often used interchangeably, they are not the same thing; in euthanasia the doctor is the one who carries out the act, while in assisted suicide the doctor merely supplies the means and the patient is left to administer it to themselves. This distinction is central to the argument that physicians would not be able to abuse this power were assisted suicide to be …show more content…
During the 1996 court case, Compassion in Dying vs State of Washington, Circuit Judge Stephen Reinhardt brought up the example of those against abortion rights who worried that it would somehow lead to abuse of that right. He later says, “Recognition of any right creates the possibility of abuse… The legalization of abortion has not undermined our commitment to life generally; nor, as some predicted, has it led to widespread infanticide. Similarly, there is no reason to believe that legalizing assisted suicide will lead to the horrific consequences its opponents suggest" (Compassion).
Much of the opposition cites their religious beliefs, saying suicide in general is immoral. Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry states, “We are made in the image of God (Gen. 1:26), and it is the Lord God who gives us life (Job 33:4) and who has numbered our days (Job 14:5). This means that God is the sovereign Lord who determines the day that we die. Therefore, we are not to usurp God 's authority” (Slick). The same people present the fifth commandment, “Thou shall not kill,” as evidence of the immorality of assisted