Marcus Carrington

Professor Aisha Sidibe

Eng 21003 Sec A

Position Paper Final

10 October 2018

The Right to Die

     Having to live with a terminal illness can cause an individual to undergo extreme physical suffering and agony. Suffering from pain is a discomfort that no one ever wants to experience either being a small injury or a life threatening disease. Being terminally ill means that a person has been diagnosed with a disease that cannot be cured and are on the brink of death. With no way to control the pain or heal themselves, the individual could either continue to face their pain and die from natural causes or commit assisted suicide. Assisted Suicide has been argued about for decades and is deemed legal in some states in the U.S. and some countries around the world. The controversy behind assisted suicide is does the terminally ill patient have the right to kill themselves under the physicians care because of the pain they are facing. Those against assisted suicide believe that this operation goes against moral rights and the ethical  ancient Greek hippocratic oath however, no one shall be deprived of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

     Assisted suicide is suicide committed by a terminally ill patient facilitated by toxic drugs provided by a physician. The patients intent is to relieve themselves from their pain being that the process is absolutely voluntarily and not a forced option. Assisted suicide should be deemed legal because it’s what the patient feels is the best option for themselves and will relieve them of their treacherous pain. According to the 14th amendment,  “No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or the pursuit of happiness”(Cornell Law School). The 14th amendments states that citizens can not be deprived by the government the right to life, liberty or the pursuit of happiness which are all tested when with assisted suicide being deemed illegal. If a person no longer wants to live due to the circumstances revolving around their life, they should be granted this capability for they have the right of liberty to control their own life and the right to die(Icelandic Human Rights Center). The right to life means that nobody shall be arbitrarily deprived of their life(Claiming Human Rights). If the patient has control of the right to life and has control of what they do with their life, it only makes sense that they have the right to die as well. Moreover, if the patient is undergoing extreme pain and suffering, and assisted suicide is restricted to them, they are being deprived of the pursuit of happiness. No one can be happy in their own life if they are experiencing agony. The foundations of the U.S. are being tested when it comes to the legality of assisted suicide and patients that are terminal ill are forced to suffer.

     Assisted suicide should be a option for the terminally ill because it is the individual’s personal choice to want to die.  A major role in being a physician is honoring the patients requests. If the patient makes the aware choice of assisted suicide it should be granted and not ignored. When it comes to one’s life when terminally ill, the individual undergoes the motivating factors of illness related experiences, threats to sense of self, and fears about their future(Pearlman MD, 2004). They can no longer participate in activities that they use to, they have the feeling of no control, and are constantly fearing death that is to come making them want to commit suicide. Furthermore, the patient feels that they are a burden on their loved ones, they want to die with dignity, or they feel that there is no reason for them to stay living when they are experiencing severe pain and nearing death (Pearlman, 2004). When the patient feels that they are a burden on their family because of the medical finances and that they are close to death, the physician should be allowed to abide by the patients request without being penalized. The physicians are obligated to make the patients suffering as minimum as possible. Being that the medications are painless, the physicians put the care of the patients as their number one responsibility making dieing better(Quill MD., 2016).

     Though assisted suicide should be legal, some politicians and religious groups feel that it is unethical. One reason why assisted suicide is seen as unethical is because the process will start a slippery slope trend(Byock, 2015). The opponents of assisted suicide believe that everyone would want the medications to kill themselves and abuse the system. A person who is suffering from depression or anxiety would want to die and use assisted suicide as a solution. Even though the opponents feel this way, a slippery slope would not be able to take place due to the strict requirements for a patient to be approved for assisted suicide. The patient must be an adult, capable of making healthcare decisions, diagnosed with a terminal illness that is incurable and irreversible that will lead to death within six months, and receive two oral permission requests from their physician(Norman-Eady, 2002). It would absolutely be impossible for just anyone to receive assisted suicide.

     Another reason opponents feel that assisted suicide should remain illegal is because the idea goes against the Hippocratic Oath. The Hippocratic Oath is a sacred oath for “physicians to treat the ill to the best of one’s ability, to preserve a patient’s privacy, and to teach the next generation medicine”(MedicineNet). Opponents apply the beliefs from the hippocratic oath against assisted suicide. The Hippocratic Oath claims for the physician to, “Do no harm to the patient” and “neither give a deadly drug to anybody if asked for it, nor will I suggest this effect”(Pies MD, 2018). Though this Oath has been passed down through generations and has been followed, prolonging death and prescribing patients solutions that will extend their pain is unethical. The physician is doing harm to the patient by causing them to endure such pain. Some people need help when their lives are coming to an end and would rather end the pain instead of constantly enduring it. The Hippocratic Oath breaks the current fundamentals of a physician abiding by the patients requests. This could lead to the physician not supplying the patient with the best care abusing their rights. With assisted suicide being legal the patient wouldn’t be harmed anymore and would be taken care of.

     When looking at the 14th amendment and the morals of physicians, assisted suicide is protected. Everyone has the right to life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness and death. The terminally ill, should be taken care of with great hospitality and all of their requests should made. Is the terminally ill being abused by the government and not being given all of their rights?

 

Works Cited

 

“Before I Die: Opinions.” Legendary Violinists. Fritz Kreisler, www.thirteen.org/bid/vp-assisted.html.

“Does the Constitution Protect a ‘Right to Die’?” National Constitution Center – Constitutioncenter.org, National Constitution Center, constitutioncenter.org/blog/does-the-constitution-protect-a-right-to-die.

“Expanding the Right to Die.” The New York Times, The New York Times, www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2014/10/06/expanding-the-right-to-die/doctor-assisted-suicide-is-unethical-and-dangerous.

Jr, William C. Shiel. “Rheumatology: Rheumatic Diseases & Rheumatologist Training.” MedicineNet, www.medicinenet.com/rheumatology/article.htm.

LII Staff. “14th Amendment.” LII / Legal Information Institute, Legal Information Institute, 17 May 2018, www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/amendmentxiv.

Norman-Eady, Sandra. “OREGON’S ASSISTED SUICIDE LAW.” Summary of Federal “USA PATRIOT Act”, www.cga.ct.gov/2002/rpt/2002-R-0077.htm.

“The Right to Liberty.” Icelandic Human Rights Centre, www.humanrights.is/en/human-rights-education-project/human-rights-concepts-ideas-and-fora/substantive-human-rights/the-right-to-liberty.

“Top 10 Pro & Con Arguments – Euthanasia – ProCon.org.” Should Euthanasia or Physician-Assisted Suicide Be Legal?, euthanasia.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000126.

“Why Do Patients Request Physician-Assisted Suicide? – Euthanasia – ProCon.org.” Should Euthanasia or Physician-Assisted Suicide Be Legal?, euthanasia.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=000199.

 

Marcus Carrington

Professor Aisha Sidibe

Eng 21003 Sec A

Position Paper Draft

6 October 2018

The Right to Die

     Having to live with a terminal illness can cause an individual to undergo extreme physical suffering and agony. Suffering from pain is a discomfort that no one ever wants to experience either being a small injury or a life threatening disease. Being terminally ill means that a person has been diagnosed with a disease that cannot be cured and are on the brink of death. With no way to control the pain or heal themselves, the individual could either continue to face their pain and die from natural causes or commit assisted suicide. Assisted Suicide has been argued about for decades and is deemed legal in some states in the U.S. and some countries around the world. The controversy behind assisted suicide is does the terminally ill patient have the right to kill themselves under the physicians care because of the pain they are facing. Those against assisted suicide believe that this operation goes against moral rights and the ethical  ancient Greek hippocratic oath however, no one shall be deprived of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

     Assisted suicide is suicide committed by a terminally ill patient facilitated by toxic drugs provided by a physician. The patients intent is to relieve themselves from their pain being that the process is absolutely voluntarily and not a forced option. Assisted suicide should be deemed legal because it’s what the patient feels is the best option for themselves and will relieve them of their treacherous pain. According to the 14th amendment,  “No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or the pursuit of happiness”(Cornell Law School). The 14th amendments states that citizens can not be deprived by the government the right to life, liberty or the pursuit of happiness which are all tested when with assisted suicide being deemed illegal. If a person no longer wants to live due to the circumstances revolving around their life, they should be granted this capability for they have the right of liberty to control their own life and the right to die(Icelandic Human Rights Center). The right to life means that nobody shall be arbitrarily deprived of their life(Claiming Human Rights). If the patient has control of the right to life and has control of what they do with their life, it only makes sense that they have the right to die as well. Moreover, if the patient is undergoing extreme pain and suffering, and assisted suicide is restricted to them, they are being deprived of the pursuit of happiness. No one can be happy in their own life if they are experiencing agony. The foundations of the U.S. are being tested when it comes to the legality of assisted suicide and patients that are terminal ill are forced to suffer.

     Assisted suicide should be a option for the terminally ill because it is the individual’s personal choice to want to die.  A major role in being a physician is honoring the patients requests. If the patient makes the aware choice of assisted suicide it should be granted and not ignored. When it comes to one’s life when terminally ill, the individual undergoes the motivating factors of illness related experiences, threats to sense of self, and fears about their future(Pearlman MD, 2004). They can no longer participate in activities that they use to, they have the feeling of no control, and are constantly fearing death that is to come making them want to commit suicide. Furthermore, the patient feels that they are a burden on their loved ones, they want to die with dignity, or they feel that there is no reason for them to stay living when they are experiencing severe pain and nearing death (Pearlman, 2004). When the patient feels that they are a burden on their family because of the medical finances and that they are close to death, the physician should be allowed to abide by the patients request without being penalized. The physicians are obligated to make the patients suffering as minimum as possible. Being that the medications are painless, the physicians put the care of the patients as their number one responsibility making dieing better(Quill MD., 2016).

     Though assisted suicide should be legal, some politicians and religious groups feel that it is unethical. One reason why assisted suicide is seen as unethical is because the process will start a slippery slope trend(Byock, 2015). The opponents of assisted suicide believe that everyone would want the medications to kill themselves and abuse the system. A person who is suffering from depression or anxiety would want to die and use assisted suicide as a solution. Even though the opponents feel this way, a slippery slope would not be able to take place due to the strict requirements for a patient to be approved for assisted suicide. The patient must be an adult, capable of making healthcare decisions, diagnosed with a terminal illness that is incurable and irreversible that will lead to death within six months, and receive two oral permission requests from their physician(Norman-Eady, 2002). It would absolutely be impossible for just anyone to receive assisted suicide.

     Another reason opponents feel that assisted suicide should remain illegal is because the idea goes against the Hippocratic Oath. The Hippocratic Oath is a sacred oath for “physicians to treat the ill to the best of one’s ability, to preserve a patients privacy, and to teach the next generation medicine”(MedicineNet). Opponents apply the beliefs from the hippocratic oath against assisted suicide. The Hippocratic Oath claims to, “Do no harm to the patient” and “I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody if asked for it, nor will I suggest this effect”(Pies MD, 2018). Though this Oath has been passed down through generations and has been followed, prolonging death and prescribing patients solutions that will extend their pain will not help. Some people need help when their lives are coming to an end and would rather end the pain instead of constantly enduring it.

     When looking at the 14th amendment and the morals of physicians, assisted suicide is protected. Everyone has the right to life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness and death. The terminally ill, should be taken care of with great hospitality and all of their requests should made. Is the terminally ill being abused by the government and not being given all of their rights?