Arguments About Should Physician Assisted Death Be Legal

This is should physician assisted death be legal essay. Physician-assisted suicide is a controversial topic; the arguments over the morality and legality of PAS have been a topic of heated discussions for many years now. Currently in the United States, only eight out of the fifty-two states have legalized assisted suicide. There is a push for the acceptance of assisted suicide in the society, however, opponents of PAS are strongly against the idea. I am trying to answer the question that has been raised on the legalization of physician assisted suicide: should physician assisted suicide be legalized?

Main Body

Many of us have family members that have suffered or are suffering from an illness or disease. This topic is relevant to them because it gives the terminally ill an option to take their own life and free themselves from suffering. It will be interesting to learn more about this issue that essentially sounds right but could be morally wrong.

Argument/Thesis: Physician assisted suicide should not be legalized, because if done, then it can have the tendency to go down a slippery slope; there are many ethical and legal challenges that will be brought on about the legalization of physician assisted suicide in addition to the questions of morality that will be raised.

Confirmation: My Evidences to Support My Argument

Ethical Argument: The Hippocratic Oath, recited by physicians upon graduation, claims that a physical should do no harm to patient; the Oath clearly states: “I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody if asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect…” If PAS is legalized, this ethical code, a promise that has been practiced for decades, will be broken Moral Argument: If physician assisted suicide is legalized, then terminally ill patients will choose quick death more frequently. Logical Argument: The legalization of physician assisted death will go down a slippery slope towards voluntary euthanasia.

Counterarguments: What Do Others Say Against My Argument?

The terminally ill should have the right to free themselves of immense pain and suffering. They should be able to die with dignity. It is the individual human right for a person to decide their own fate. If people have the right to refuse lifesaving treatments, then they should have the right to die if and when they choose.

Refutation: How Do I Respond to These Counterarguments?

There is no relation between the pain intensity of a patient and their desire for a quick death. Studies show that terminally ill patients feel as if they are a burden upon their family members; thus, they wish to pursue quick death out of the fear of being fully dependent upon them. The argument that people should be able to commit suicide is not supported by research or studies; thus, it is invalid.

Terminally ill patients are often in situations that can impair their ability to make an informed decision. Therefore, during this time of suffering, they are not in their right senses to make a decision of life and death.

Conclusion

Advocates of assisted-suicide in believe that terminally ill patients should have the option to pursue physician-assisted death because it is within the basic human right for an individual to decide on their own fate; suicide proponents argue that PAS will free competent patients from suffering and relieve their families of financial responsibilities, but they fail to realize that terminally ill patients are often in situations that can impair their ability to make an informed decision. Thus, they may, against their will, decide to pursue PAS because they don’t want to be a financial, physical or emotional burden to their family. Furthermore, medical prognoses are often inaccurate; sometimes people who have been told they will die soon end up living for a longer time period. Not to mention that, PAS goes against the Hippocratic Oath and challenges a physician’s role as a healer.