Ethical Perspective On Assisted Suicide Essay
Ethical Perspective on Assisted Suicide
In every state in the United States of America, except Oregon, it is illegal to assist any person in ending their own life. It does not matter what the condition of the person is, how sick, or how much pain they are in. Have you ever considered what position you would take if you or one of your loved ones were in the situation where they would rather end their life, than continue living in excruciating pain and agony? Would you die in pain, slowly succumbing to cancer and being brutalized by chemotherapy, or would you rather die with dignity and ease? I believe that assisted suicide ought to be legal in every state and that patients have the right to die an easy and painless death. "Having a terminal illness and being in excruciating pain is like being locked in a room without knowing where the key is, this measure gives patients a means of escape." (Rollin) Euthanasia, also known as assisted suicide, comes from the Greek word "euthanatos" or easy death. There are two types of euthanasia: active and passive. Active euthanasia is when a physician administers lethal drugs to a patient, ending the patient's …show more content…
One of the founders of the Hemlock Society, Derek Humphrey wrote a book called Final Exit, which was number one on the New York Time's list of best selling how-to, self help books where it stayed for eighteen consecutive weeks. Final Exit was a basic guide on how to commit suicide successfully. The strategy was to overdose on certain prescription drugs. To ensure that death would follow, he suggested putting a plastic bag over the head secured with a rubber band. I think that this is a quite barbaric way of ending one's life, and is not one hundred percent effective. I believe that by legalizing assisted suicide, it would put an end to people trying to end their lives by going around the law, and without proper
In every state in the United States of America, except Oregon, it is illegal to assist any person in ending their own life. It does not matter what the condition of the person is, how sick, or how much pain they are in. Have you ever considered what position you would take if you or one of your loved ones were in the situation where they would rather end their life, than continue living in excruciating pain and agony? Would you die in pain, slowly succumbing to cancer and being brutalized by chemotherapy, or would you rather die with dignity and ease? I believe that assisted suicide ought to be legal in every state and that patients have the right to die an easy and painless death. "Having a terminal illness and being in excruciating pain is like being locked in a room without knowing where the key is, this measure gives patients a means of escape." (Rollin) Euthanasia, also known as assisted suicide, comes from the Greek word "euthanatos" or easy death. There are two types of euthanasia: active and passive. Active euthanasia is when a physician administers lethal drugs to a patient, ending the patient's …show more content…
One of the founders of the Hemlock Society, Derek Humphrey wrote a book called Final Exit, which was number one on the New York Time's list of best selling how-to, self help books where it stayed for eighteen consecutive weeks. Final Exit was a basic guide on how to commit suicide successfully. The strategy was to overdose on certain prescription drugs. To ensure that death would follow, he suggested putting a plastic bag over the head secured with a rubber band. I think that this is a quite barbaric way of ending one's life, and is not one hundred percent effective. I believe that by legalizing assisted suicide, it would put an end to people trying to end their lives by going around the law, and without proper