_ssisted Suide _
By: Nathan Stevic
Questions concerning the right to end ones life have long generated storms of
controversy. These questions, involving intensely personal views on issues no
less profound than the meaning of life and liberty, are unlikely to disappear
any time soon. The conservative nature of the medical profession, and the
organized opposition of the right to life movement, along with disagreement
among disabilities rights organizations, perpetuate the controversy. The heat
from the debate in turn only intensifies the difficult choices people with
end-stage AIDS, and their loved ones, may face when life is overwhelmed by
irreversible illness and unrelenting pain. In this essay I am going to discuss
what I have learned about assisted suicide, give my opinion on the issue, and
back it up with a few approaches I have learnedWhen we speak of assisted
suicide, there are several definitions to describe it. First of all there is
Physician-Assisted suicide. This means that a qualified medical practitioner
in fulfilling the wishes of a competent, terminally ill patient to end his/her
own life, usually by means of lethal injections. Next there is Euthanasia.
This is the act of mercifully ending the life of a hopelessly suffering
patient. The difference between the two: during euthanasia, when death itself
occurs, its carried out by the doctor; in doctor assisted suicides, the
patient fulfills the final step of terminating his/her own life. One of the
most well known practitioners of Assisted suicide would be Dr. Jack Kevorkian.
He uses the method of lethal injection, in which the patient releases the
solution into the body. Although assisted suicide is not a common practice in
the United States, I have found one place in which it is almost an everyday
practice. Switzerland uses a program called EXIT. EXIT is a program in which
requests for assisted suicide are processed. The cases are reviewed on an
individual basis and are thoroughly investigated for other means of the
request. Swiss laws stipulate that persons who assist a suicide do so for
humane reasons with no chance for personal gain. The applicant must be at
least 18 years of age, a Swiss resident, mentally competent and suffering from
intolerable health problems. He or she must personally apply for the service
and convince EXIT that there is no coercion or third party influence involved
in the decision. Each suicide is performed with the swallowing of two
DramamineQ tablets (which induces a deep sleep), and then is followed up by a
lethal dosage of sodium pentobarbitone. After death the proper authorities are
notified and a investigation is performed. They only investigate because it is
considered an exceptional death. Then everything is taken care of, the
funeral, etc I guess, in my opinion I would agree with the issue. I think
that if a person is severely ill, without cure, and knows that there isnt
much time left anyway, that they have the right to end their own life. Who
would want to spend the next few years bed ridden and in constant suffering?
The only thing you are accomplishing is costing people, your family members
specifically, money, sometimes in large amounts. No health care is cheap,
especially if there is no cure. Assisted suicide is a touchy issue. Not
everyone has the same opinion about it. Who would? But you have to look at it
from both sides to truly understand it. Yes, you are ending the persons
suffering, but on the other hand you are also ending their life. What if a
miracle cure was discovered only weeks after the procedure? Yes, you are
saving the family from expensive treatments in the future that will only
prolong the patients suffering, but on the other hand there is always that
chance of survival and cure. There are just so many possibilities, in the end
it comes down to personal preference As read in chapter 4 of our textbook,
it describes different approaches to reasoning. I have found a couple that I
feel will back my opinion on assisted suicide. First of all there is the
Egoism approach. This emphasizes the aim of always acting for perceived
self-interest, usually in the long-term, even at the expense of the well being
of others. When a person contemplates suicide, they are acting in
self-interest. They feel it is the best thing for them to do at the time. They
do not care about what the effect will be on their loved ones or friends, all
they see is that suicide is a way out of their long-term suffering, and in a
way they are right for thinking that. Sometimes we have to let go of the ones
we love, even though we do not want them to go, it is in their best interest
that they do not suffer. Next there is the Virtue-Ethics approach. This
emphasizes the aim of excellence by doing the right thing as a result of
focusing on certain character values. When a person is suffering, all they can
think about is ending the pain. At most times that is the only thing on their
mind. They focus on their character values and determine whether or not that
suicide is the right thing. Sometimes it is and sometimes it isnt. Do they
want the pain to end? Yes, they do. Do they want their family to suffer from
overwhelming debt? No, they dont. Do they want their family to suffer from
their loss? No, they dont. In the end, the patient will determine the right
thing to do In conclusion I feel that this issue will continue to go on as
controversial. There will never be an end to it. But the need for ended
suffering will go on. The need for better health care will go on. No matter
what happens there will always be someone who will object to the procedure.
But when you think about it, which is the most humane? The person saying it is
wrong to end a life? Or would it be the person suffering who wants to die in
dignity? All in all, it is up to the person to make their own opinion on the
situation.
_Bibliography _
http://pages.prodigy.com/doctorinforum/suicide.htm Doctor assisted suicide
a bad oxymoron and a bad idea Stephen R. Katz, M.D. April 27, 1998
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/euthanasia-voluntary/ Voluntary Euthanasia
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy August 15, 1996
http://www.finalexit.org/swissframe.html The Practice of Assisted Suicide in
Switzerland Professor Meinrad Schaer, M.D. November 7, 1999
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