Essay Sample on Assisted Suicide: Freedom, Factors & Government Intervention

Introduction

Assisted suicide refers to the action of taking part in helping someone take their own life. Mostly this action comes from having the victim willingly wanting to end their life. This is based on the victim's decision to do so as a result of how they see things due to the situations they may find themselves in. This type of suicide is most common in the health sector. Several factors can push the action. Since everyone has the freedom to do as they please, there is a need for the government to play its part in regulating to what extent they may do it. This paper discusses to what extent personal liberties may be limited in such a way that it may not cause harm in the society and the need for freedom to have people decide on committing suicide when in a situation that they feel is not fit for them, family and society health-wise.

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Suicide is a public health crisis, to some extent, one can argue that it is an excellent way to end suffering to a patient suffering from a disease or a condition that it is costly and has no cure. On the other hand, the government has always been on the lookout to govern this freedom of decision of ending self-life. This leaves many with no choice of free will to do what they see fit for themselves. Therefore, this leaves many with no option but to battle with their conditions until their very last time. Suicide is considered an offense, and therefore, the government is not usually supportive of the action (Thomson, 1999). Moreover, it is essential to put up rules and regulations that can be followed in case of someone having the will to have an assisted suicide as a result of the conditions they may find themselves in health-wise.

Having assisted suicide can be a result of a victim having to see their suffering and those close to them. Committing such a death can, in a way, end suffering for not only the victim but also those close to him. To expand on that, it is well known that it is very costly to maintain someone's health. Health is wealth, as they say. Therefore, someone suffering from a severe condition can only get them to spend large amounts of money to try and curb the situation. Moreover, those close to them get affected indirectly. They have to support them through their circumstances.

Therefore, when a victim decides to take their own life can be a relief to those close to them in terms of finances. They get to stop offering donations of money for their treatments and medications. Moreover, their family members also get relief from not seeing them in pain. Seeing someone they care about in a horrible health condition can even lead to stressing them, thus affecting them in many ways. This can mess up their careers, jobs, and even lifestyles. However, jobless people affected by such a situation can also turn into illegal activities to raise money to fight the case (Stevens, 2006). As stated earlier, health is expensive, and thus, having to provide medications and treatment can be very costly.

On the other hand, the actions of the victim may also have serious consequences that may affect many in negative ways. Starting with their families, they get to be at the point of never getting to see them again. In a scenario where the victim was a parent, it can lead to serious harm to their children. They get to grow with no parents or someone close that they can talk to. This may not only mess with the psychology of the children but also the family members (Frey & Hans, 2015). Besides, having a scenario where the child is the one suffering and the parent makes the decision, such an action can lead to a parent live with the guilt.

Moreover, the decision of the victim on whether to live or die can also have an impact on the government directly and indirectly. When a suffering patient decides to commit suicide, his actions can affect the economy of the health sector indirectly. Mostly, such patients use a lot of money in purchasing medications and treatments. Therefore, in a way, they contribute to boosting the economy (Yang & Lester, 2007). Thus, the government prefers having them alive to benefit from them in every way possible in keeping the country's economy stable.

The government is always keen on targeting areas in which it can generate tax income. And, the health sector is the most suitable area in which it finds favorable. This is because people cannot work or live having a specific health issue distracting them. This makes ethical health necessity for everyone. Thus, being the perfect target for the government to generate income from to have a stable economy (Yang & Lester). Therefore, having patients who spend their money in purchasing medication and treatments favors the government.

On the other hand, when the government is responsible for the wellness of the victim, it gets to lose a lot in having to finance the treatment of the patient. Thus, when they decide to commit suicide, in a way, they benefit by having to drop all the assistance they had for the victim. The money they were using get to be diverted in doing something else. However, in a scenario where the victim was employed and was financing the treatment or purchasing medications, then the government will have a loss since contribution the victim was making combined with others was of a greater good in making the economy stable. Thus, the extent to which one can have the freedom to decide on his life can have both positive and negative impacts on the economy (Yang & Lester). Therefore, having the government regulate such type of freedom is very crucial in maintaining the economy of the country more so in the health sector.

Personal liberty is the freedom that someone has to do anything that pleases them, and it is usually limited by the authority of the government to regulate one's actions to safeguard the moral, physical, political, and economic welfare of others. This freedom, in a way, should be used in an appropriate way that does not lead to harm but benefits both an individual and the public as a whole. In this case, assisted suicide can be considered as an action of interest (Dieterle, 2007). When someone decides to commit suicide, there is a need first to figure out possible outcomes that it may bring along.

It is evident that personal liberties, when used in the wrong way, can lead to negatively affecting the public. However, when used appropriately, it can be vice-versa. Therefore, for a person to decide to have assisted suicide, the committee in charge should discuss the issue and see if it the right thing to do (Dieterle, 2007). This gives a platform on which matters can be discussed and evaluated.

Moreover, there is also a need for people to be given the freedom to decide on their lives. For instance, someone who is sick and in pain infected with the condition that is incurable. It is suitable for them to have the freedom to end their life if they see it necessary. The government should only allow those facing extreme conditions in their health to have this as an option to end the suffering. Thus, extending personal liberties to which on is free to take their own life should not be for everybody but those in critical conditions. Conditions that lead to suffering not only to themselves but also to the public. The public gets affected in indirect ways. For instance, they are having a community fundraise money for the victim's treatment or medication (Frey & Hans, 2015). Therefore, by having alternative ways to eradicate the problem facing them can be of great help.

Committing suicide is usually considered as an offense in most countries. Therefore, the government has regulated personal liberties is very important since many would use the chance to violate the rules. Taking self-life can be considered as an act of cowardness. Thus, when people are given freedom to such an extent, it is very vital to put rules that govern the way people use the privilege. This is because, when one decides to take their own life, most people, more so in the society were are intake it as an act of cowardness. In the fact that they had no guts to fight till the very last breath (Stevens, 2006). Therefore, having people take it as such can harm those left behind.

However, public health, in a way, has always been trying to fight for ordinary citizens. This, by providing health insurance platforms, medication, and treatments, is made affordable to most people. Most of the public health facilities in a way try to prevent the consequences that can be brought about by assisted suicide. By doing this, it provides the option of living since the price on the medication and treatment get to be covered by health insurance.

Therefore, an extent to which personal liberties should go should be considered given the fact of the effects they may have to not only an individual but also others. In this case, the issue of assisted suicide. As discussed earlier, it may be taken for a better course or even worse by different people. Therefore having the government regulate the freedom to decide for oneself is very important. However, for a person suffering or in a condition that is not curable and is in great pain can be considered for them to decide for themselves whether to live until the last breath or die. It is also evident that the decision of the victim can have serious consequences not only to those close to them but also to the public in many indirect ways.

Works Cited

Dieterle, J. (2007). Physician-Assisted Suicide: A NEW LOOK AT THE ARGUMENTS. Bioethics, 21(3), 127-139. Doi:10.1111/j.1467-8519.2007.00536.x

Frey, L. M., & Hans, J. D. (2015). Attitudes toward Assisted Suicide: Does Family Context Matter? Archives of Suicide Research, 20(2), 250-264. Doi:10.1080/13811118.2015.1004477

Stevens, K. R. (2006). Emotional and Psychological Effects of Physician-Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia on Participating Physicians. The Linacre Quarterly, 73(3), 203-216. Doi:10.1080/20508549.2006.11877782

Thomson, J. J. (1999). PhysicianAssisted Suicide: Two Moral Arguments. Ethics, 109(3), 497-518. Doi: 10.1086/233919

Yang, B., & Lester, D. (2007). Recalculating the Economic Cost of Suicide. Death Studies, 31(4), 351-361. Doi: 10.1080/07481180601187209