Paper Example on Physician-Assisted Suicide

Introduction

Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS) involves the intentional administration of lethal drugs or providing people with for instance severe conditions as well as the knowledge required to commit suicide. It also includes counseling, supply, and administration of the lethal drugs. Also referred to as euthanasia, has been a debatable topic in many parts of the world. A couple of countries argue that deliberate ending of someone's life eases them from prolonged suffering whereas those against it reason that it goes against the fundamental right to life (Baker, Sharpe, and Lauks 148). The debate centralized initially around the Hippocratic Oath, which refers to the codes of ethics of medical doctors swear to uphold and practice. With the changing time, the Hippocratic Oath has been subjected to many questions by doctors. It has been argued that many times, a patient reaches a point of illness when it becomes incurable that the doctors and patient both know that the patient is going to die, the PAS should be allowed (Emanuel et al. 79). In such an instance, if the patient agrees he or she is relieved of the pain and suffering hence "dies with dignity," he goes ahead to say that a patient with the terminal illness has the right to choose how and when he or she wants to die. Terminal illness, in this case, refers to a condition where either way the patient will die.

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Background of Physician-Assisted Suicide

The proponents of the Physician-Assisted Suicide primarily base their arguments on the benefits associated with the procedure. According to Battin (p. 45), the advantages of Physician-Assisted Suicide include the painless and quick relief of pain with the help of a physician to a terminally ill patient. In the same way, it also meets the fundamental right to die in states and countries that have already passed such a law, for example, the Netherlands. Fundamentally, the Physician-Assisted Suicide can stop the unbearable pain that some feel every day when they get sick with a terminal illness. Emanuel et al. (p. 86) assert that it does not seem proper for an individual or patient to spend his final days on earth in pain without any good memories to part with. Undeniably, some patients cannot handle this kind of the extreme pain in their bodies and know that they will eventually die from the same illness. Without the PAS, the prolonging the pain would still cause immense suffering for the patient.

In his view, Paterson (p. 42) reports that the PAS enhances dying with dignity. Although there are substantial reasons why there are more reasons why the procedure should be legal, it is undeniable that the comfort and happiness should be the first fundamental feeling that patient feels in the moment of dying. In the most occasion, this will involve killing in a place filled with the love and warm memories. It could be a place where one was married, a college where one schooled, a place where one's baby was born and numerous other options. Terminally ill patients require much love and memories to have great flashbacks with the loved ones to fill their mind when passing away. Without the PAS, the hospital would only be surrounding that the patient will have and see around would be the cold walls and the sad hospital room. In reality, this is never the setting most ill people would love or choose to have their lives end in.

Personal Claim

Being that some states only allow killing in war, self-defense and during capital offenses, it has been somewhat difficult to pass such a law in a couple of rules. Euthanasia has got its disadvantages. Firstly, the physical, mental effects on the families of the deceased are often immeasurable with the PAS. In the most occasion, the members of the family will develop a feeling of regret for having participated in the termination of their beloved one's life. Studies have shown that relatives of the patients who were involved in the PAS reported regret and guilt for not doing enough to prevent their loved ones from losing their lives.

As part of the ethics and morals that govern the doctor's profession, it is the responsibility of the doctor to treat and not to kill. I believe that the PAS is a form of murder as it is valid because the doctor provides vital medical information to let the patient die (Kim, Raymond, and John 365). In my view, there is no doubt that murder is described as killing other people deliberately. It, therefore, implies that any doctor who helps people to commit suicide should be charged with an offense as a murderer as a form of punishment. Doctors who commit these crimes have violated many types of rules as well as values that they agreed upon to follow in their quest of becoming doctors. The PAS in this case completely distorts the benefits that humanity has always insisted on such as the protection of the fundamental rights to live.

Conclusion

While it is evident that some people think that PAS is morally right, the act or process should not be legalized or allowed in any way. The procedure is ethically wrong and stands against their cultural beliefs that everyone should die naturally. Additionally, the PAS is based against the fundamental religious principles such as the right to live and prohibition of killing or taking away someone's life. Both the psychological and emotional effects associated with PAS is extreme. In this case, therefore, it should not be legalized in any way to allow the patients to die in natural ways.

Works Cited

Baker, David, G. Sharpe, and R. Lauks. "Federal and Provincial Responsibilities to Implement Physician Physician-Assisted Suicide." Health law in Canada 36.3 (2016): 148.

Battin, Margaret P., Rosamond Rhodes, and Anita Silvers. Physician Physician-Assisted Suicide: expanding the debate. Routledge, 2015.

Emanuel, Ezekiel J., et al. "Attitudes and practices of euthanasia and physician-Physician-Assisted Suicide in the United States, Canada, and Europe." Jama 316.1 (2016): 79-90.

Paterson, Craig. Physician-Assisted Suicide and euthanasia: a natural law ethics approach. Routledge, 2017.

Kim, Scott YH, Raymond G. De Vries, and John R. Peteet. "Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide of patients with psychiatric disorders in the Netherlands 2011 to 2014." JAMA psychiatry73.4 (2016): 362-368.