The Right to Die: The Dangers of Legalization

Paper Summary:

In this paper, the writer discusses that the danger of legalizing the patient's right to die blurs the boundaries that distinguish killing and letting one die; euthanasia and suicide. The writer maintains that there is little difference between a physician taking a back seat and watching a patient succumb to his death without intervening, and watching a person tie a rope around his neck to hang himself. If a physician was allowed to administer a lethal dose of medicine upon the request of a patient, how different is he from a drug pusher who provides illegal substances to an addict? The writer discusses that according to the Hippocratic Oath, allowing the patient to die contradicts the very essence of medicine. The writer argues that legalizing certain methods that supposedly provide a dignified death to a terminally ill patient will blur the lines of what is ethically and morally acceptable, from what is a criminal act.

From the Paper:

"Like any patient who is suffering from an illness, he is given informed options on how he wants his caregiver to manage his condition. In making these decisions, the patient's best interest should be prioritized. In the case of a patient who simply comes in for a medical treatment, a patient is given options on how to get better. In the case of a dying patient, is death a better option than living through the consequences of his terminal disease? Does death concord with the best interest of the patient?
"The Hippocratic Oath resonates at the center of a physician's career. A physician promised to treat patients to the best of his ability and judgment for the benefit of his patient. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Anonymous. (1 April 2002). "Dutch legalize euthanasia." BBC News. [Online.] Retrieved 29 June 2008 from the Web site: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1904789.stm
• Care Not Killing Alliance. (30 June 2008). Euthanasia statistics highly spun. [Online.] Retrieved 30 June 2008 from the Web site: http://www.doctorsfed.org.uk/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=300
• Editor. (5 Oct 2005). "The right to die." The New York Times. [Online.] Retrieved 28 June 2008 from the Web site: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/05/opinion/05wed2.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
• Green, B. (2 July 2001). Medical ethics. [Online.] Retrieved 29 June 2008 from the Web site: http://www.priory.com/ethics.htm
• Hurst, S. A., and Mauron, A. (2003). "Assisted suicide and euthanasia in Switzerland: allowing a role for non-physicians." British Medical Journal, 326: 271-273.

More papers on The Right to Die: The Dangers of Legalization:

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