The Legalization of Physician Assisted Suicide
Abstract
The process of dying can be slow, painful, and undignified when you have an untreatable disease. The ethical dilemma of legalizing physician assisted suicide has been fought over for many years. Physician assisted suicide, which is different from euthanasia, is when terminally ill patients commit suicide facilitated by means of a lethal dosage of prescribed drugs which have been provided by a physician who has talked to the patient and is aware of how them plan to use them. (Merriam-Webster, 2011) In this paper, arguments in favour of physician assisted suicide are explored, as well, some arguments against are addressed and refuted. The points which are analyzed are as follows; since the criminal code stipulates that it is a criminal offence to assist someone in committing suicide, a patient who is terminal and does not possess the ability to take their own life, this code then deprives these people of their section 7 Charter rights which states that everyone has the right to life and the right to take it away. Secondly, when patients cannot confide in their physicians, it is much more likely for their family to need to aid in their suicide. This then puts their family in grave risk of jail. Lastly, it has been quoted that many physicians already secretly assist some terminal patients in committing suicide. Physician assisted suicide should be legalized in every country.
Everyday many terminally ill people are faced with very difficult decisions regarding how they want to continue or end their painful life. When a person has come to terms with their decision to end their life and is unable to due to disability or sickness, they may try to turn to physicians in order to receive assistance in the termination of their life. While at the moment in Canada physician assisted suicide is illegal, the controversy around the topic is of great debate. Many people and religious groups believe that it is wrong, no matter what your state of
The process of dying can be slow, painful, and undignified when you have an untreatable disease. The ethical dilemma of legalizing physician assisted suicide has been fought over for many years. Physician assisted suicide, which is different from euthanasia, is when terminally ill patients commit suicide facilitated by means of a lethal dosage of prescribed drugs which have been provided by a physician who has talked to the patient and is aware of how them plan to use them. (Merriam-Webster, 2011) In this paper, arguments in favour of physician assisted suicide are explored, as well, some arguments against are addressed and refuted. The points which are analyzed are as follows; since the criminal code stipulates that it is a criminal offence to assist someone in committing suicide, a patient who is terminal and does not possess the ability to take their own life, this code then deprives these people of their section 7 Charter rights which states that everyone has the right to life and the right to take it away. Secondly, when patients cannot confide in their physicians, it is much more likely for their family to need to aid in their suicide. This then puts their family in grave risk of jail. Lastly, it has been quoted that many physicians already secretly assist some terminal patients in committing suicide. Physician assisted suicide should be legalized in every country.
Everyday many terminally ill people are faced with very difficult decisions regarding how they want to continue or end their painful life. When a person has come to terms with their decision to end their life and is unable to due to disability or sickness, they may try to turn to physicians in order to receive assistance in the termination of their life. While at the moment in Canada physician assisted suicide is illegal, the controversy around the topic is of great debate. Many people and religious groups believe that it is wrong, no matter what your state of
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