Euthanasia/Physician-Assisted Suicide

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses the argument that has sent the world into a tailspin as to whether or not people suffering from terminal or excruciatingly painful illness have the right to take their own lives by way of physician-assisted suicide. It shows that proponents contend that what one does with one's life is of no consequence to anyone else -- that it is humane to allow someone to be relieved of constant " if not unbearable " discomfort. On the other hand, critics claim that the act of euthanasia is nothing more than a fabricated form of murder. The paper shows that both sides have pertinent points when it comes to understanding and assessing the conflict, but argues that euthanasia supporters have a significantly stronger argument when considering the bigger picture. The general argumentative point of this paper is that physician-assisted suicide is not only the right thing to do for someone seeking such a decision, but it is ethical and humane for a physician to abide by the patient's wish.

From the Paper:

"The primary focus of conflict with regard to physician-assisted suicide is whether or not it is ethically sound. To determine what is ethically sound, however, one must first define the meaning of ethics. This may appear rather simple to achieve on the outset, but one would soon find that defining such a concept is an extremely personal interpretation. There is no black and white definition of ethics, because each and every person subscribes to his or her own value system; therefore, placing a blanket definition upon the ethical implications of physician-assisted suicide is no different than doing the same with religion or politics: one size does not fit all. To ascertain the ethical nature of euthanasia is to find out what it means to the person requesting the procedure. One will find that to these people, who have suffered terribly at the hands of debilitating and terminal illnesses, the ethical attributes of physician-assisted suicide are far more forgiving than to those who stand by and ignorantly criticize."

More papers on Euthanasia/Physician-Assisted Suicide:

• Argumentative Essay # 144312 : "Against Involuntary Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide"
• Term Paper # 88106 : "Physician Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia"
• Analytical Essay # 59089 : "Physician-Assisted Suicide"

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