Doctor Assisted Suicide Research Paper

Introduction
Physician-Assisted Suicide, also commonly known as Doctor Assisted Death , is the act of a Physician or Nurse Practitioner administrating or providing a substance to a patient, which ultimately results in their requested death . As of today, Canadians can rest easy knowing that they have the right to a Doctor Assisted Death, but this was not always the case. For decades, many Canadian citizens fought for their right to a Physician-Assisted Suicide. Many of these individuals had either a disease or disability that is described as “grievous and irremediable”, which refers to any disease or disability that causes enduring suffering that is intolerant for a person to live with . One famously known individual is Sue Rodriguez who suffered
Anyone suffering from ALS will experience a gradual deterioration of the nervous system and at some point will no longer able to swallow, speak, walk, or move . Aware of these outcomes, Sue Rodriguez decided to submit an application to the Supreme Court of British Columbia, and eventually the Supreme Court of Canada, where both times the courts ruled against her . Sue argued that s. 241 of the Criminal Code of Canada was invalid because it denied her right to security of the person under s.7 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms . The Supreme Court of Canada ruled against her because they believed that by deeming s. 241 of the Criminal Code of Canada invalid would put vulnerable patients at risk . Sue Rodriguez died on February 12, 1994, when she committed suicide with the help of an unknown doctor . The question regarding, ‘whether or not Physician-Assisted Suicide is right?’ has sparked many controversial debates. This report will not only touch base with the fundamental ideas of Physician-Assisted Suicide but will also examine the current issues revolving around Doctor Assisted Death and its effects on the
In doing so, a clear understanding of whether or not ‘Doctor Assisted Suicide is right?’ can be determined. This section of the report will take a look at four philosophers, as well as their own philosophies on the law in general. By doing this an accurate determination of how each philosopher would have viewed Physician-Assisted Suicide can be made. The four philosophers are Plato, Aristotle, John Locke, and Jeremy Bentham. Natural law is defined as a body of unchanging moral principles, right and wrong, which reflects how humans should act in their society . Postive law, on the other hand, is defined as any law that has been put in place by legislators, the court, or other institutions, these laws strive for the greatest good for the greatest amount of people in a country, this concept is called Utilitarianism and will be expanded upon later . These laws must be followed or else individuals who break the laws can face the consequences put forth by the lawmakers. Plato was a natural law philosopher who thought humans were social by nature and therefore an organized society was a natural institution . The major concept in Plato’s philosophy was the idea that society or the country