Physician Assisted Suicide Persuasive Speech
On California’s political calendar, physician-assisted suicide is considered to be a “done-deal” as the End-of-Life Option Act (SB 128) has many supporters. Their message is clear: like women’s suffrage, gay marriage, and higher minimum wage, it's inevitable that physician-assisted suicide becomes legal because, after all, it is a human right to make that decision.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
State legislatures across America debate whether to make it legal for doctors to administer lethal drugs to terminally ill patients upon request. It is viewed as a choice issue, and oftentimes the word “suicide” is considered insensitive to use in this context: some advocates argue that people do not choose this route because they are suffering from a psychiatric condition or are distressing over life. They …show more content…
Physician-assisted suicide is not a choice issue because it is discriminatory: unlike same-sex marriage or women’s rights, the movement does not extend an equality status. Ironically, the general public sees suicide prevention as a valuable aspect of society, but if people with less than 6 months left to live are allowed to terminate their lives, the balance is skewed. If it’s rational to end a burdensome life before natural death, target groups will increase to include more people as opinions change over time. Why not include people over the age of 80? Or people with incurable disabilities? As a part of a medical field with economic and social implications, the idea of physician-assisted death will come in direct contact with forces such as costs reduction, personal prejudices, and limited access to care. For example, people with disabilities are often seen as individuals unable to live good, happy lives, and their impairment can be misdiagnosed as a terminal illness. Put simply, we all must be able to consult our physicians without the fear that their recommendations will be affected by quality-of-life
Nothing could be further from the truth.
State legislatures across America debate whether to make it legal for doctors to administer lethal drugs to terminally ill patients upon request. It is viewed as a choice issue, and oftentimes the word “suicide” is considered insensitive to use in this context: some advocates argue that people do not choose this route because they are suffering from a psychiatric condition or are distressing over life. They …show more content…
Physician-assisted suicide is not a choice issue because it is discriminatory: unlike same-sex marriage or women’s rights, the movement does not extend an equality status. Ironically, the general public sees suicide prevention as a valuable aspect of society, but if people with less than 6 months left to live are allowed to terminate their lives, the balance is skewed. If it’s rational to end a burdensome life before natural death, target groups will increase to include more people as opinions change over time. Why not include people over the age of 80? Or people with incurable disabilities? As a part of a medical field with economic and social implications, the idea of physician-assisted death will come in direct contact with forces such as costs reduction, personal prejudices, and limited access to care. For example, people with disabilities are often seen as individuals unable to live good, happy lives, and their impairment can be misdiagnosed as a terminal illness. Put simply, we all must be able to consult our physicians without the fear that their recommendations will be affected by quality-of-life