Physician Assisted Suicide Summary

The debate whether Physician Assisted Suicide should be legal in California is one that will always be a topic that is some agree and some disagree with. I will be analyzing two articles from opposing sides of this topic. Is there ever a good reason for a person to commit suicide? If you or someone you love had only months to live and were in constant uncontrollable pain and begging to die, would you be able to help them end their life? An analysis of Ira Byock’s belief that Physician Assisted Suicide should be illegal, his stance on this issue is that fundamental social and ethical principles are what make us human beings, and taking another person 's life is immoral and unethical. The author expresses his opinion that it is wrong to take another person’s life for no reason other than self-defense. This reveals that Byock is concerned about the long term damage this …show more content…
Both can be viewed as compassionate individuals who are trying to find the best way to help those suffering alleviate their pain. Byock states, “The medical profession was formed to protect and preserve life and to alleviate suffering.” Kleiman argues, “He [Dr. Byock] sees the question as “whether society should sanction hastening death.” “I see the question as whether there is an entity called “society” that can rightfully claim more power over my life then I have.” Byock writes, “preventing death is not always desirable, and many people are suffering. The question is whether society should sanction hastening death.” Kleiman states that the answer to Byocks’ question of “what level of suffering qualifies for a hastened death?” Kleiman answers, “whatever level of suffering the person actually doing the suffering finds