Ethical Perspectives on Assisted Suicide

1081 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Christian beliefs and framework on euthanasia

Death is one of the many controversial topics to discuss in ethics. When deciding whether it is permissible to die naturally or by assisted suicide, it is indeed difficult to decipher. In this case, Norma Jones plans to end her life if she develops an incurable disease. If that ever happens, she wants her friends to help in killing her via injection or smothering her with a pillow. Is assisted suicide morally justified in this case? If so, are there any circumstances that would override the justification of assisted suicide? Even though it is unnatural to assist in suicide because human life is intrinsically good, it is morally permissible it respects the law of autonomy and minimizes suffering. I am in favor for Kantians and utilitarian moral …show more content…

If there is ever a case when Norma is suffering from an incurable disease and dies a very slow, painful death, it would go against the utilitarian theory because it maximizes suffering. To combat that, her friends will take the pillow and smother her to death with the pillow to end the suffering. As long as Norma consented to this action and she demonstrates that using the pillow to end her life will end the suffering from the disease, it is morally permissible to aid in …show more content…

Human life is intrinsically good, and ending life goes against what is good about the human life. The human life has a natural life expectancy and natural disasters like AIDS or Ebola. In accordance to the natural law, dying from AIDS or natural causes is morally permissible. Depending on the severity of the causes, they can either die a peaceful or a slow and painful death. But, most of the time death or an illness is uncertain. So, this issue makes people think about whether they want to partake in assisted suicide. The major obstacle is that there are people who believe in the natural law and are willing to endure the suffering for a long period. However, there are people who do not want to suffer a painful death. Assisted suicide may be the best option to end suffering. Assisted suicide would be the best option for Norma because it minimizes the suffering and maximizes the overall good. Because the utilitarian principle favors assisted suicide for those with natural illness like cancer, it is therefore morally justified.
Indeed, death is a very controversial topic to discuss. Norma has many approaches to take. If Norma views that she has the autonomy to end her life and she believes that ending her life would end the suffering, therefore, it would it be morally and legally permissible. There were arguments like the natural law that were against the

Show More
Related

  • Physician Assisted Suicide: An Ethical Dilemma

    1581 Words  | 4 Pages

    Ethical decisions are being made by terminally ill patients as they face death. Some are choosing to end life through PAS, physician-assisted suicide. Dr. Jack Kevorkian has been helping patients end life through his machines. The public opinion is the use of this machine is considered murder, but some have changed their thinking and created laws to make it legal for a physician to help a terminally ill patient die. Physician assisted suicide is a dignified way to end life.

    Read More

  • Death with Dignity or Sanctity of Life: Who Gets to Choose?

    978 Words  | 2 Pages

    Starting with the argument of it not being ethical, Martin Levin a practicing attorney states; that when he first began his paper and research he believed people should have the right to an assisted suicide. After doing extensive research he changed his mind. Just some of these reasons include sanctity of human life. It is stated that God created the human life and therefore our lives and bodies are the property of God. It is also stated that no one has the right to destroy Gods’ property (Levin M. 2002). In many churches ho...

    Read More

  • Physician Assisted Suicide: A Compassionate Mean to End Suffering

    1116 Words  | 3 Pages

    Although physician assisted suicide may result in the fulfillment of another’s choice, be considered a compassionate mean to end suffering, or even be considered a right, I believe it is not morally acceptable. In the act of physician assisted suicide, a patient voluntarily requests his or her doctor to assist in providing the means needed for self killing. In most cases of physician assisted suicide, patients who request this type of assistance are terminally ill and mentally competent (i.e. have sufficient understanding of an individual’s own situation and purpose and consequences of any action). Those who have committed the action of physician assisted suicide or condone the act may believe that one has the right to end their own life, the right of autonomy (the right or condition of self governing), the right to a dignified death, believe that others have a duty to minimize suffering, or believe it (physician assisted suicide) to be a compassionate act, or a combination of these things. However, since this act violates the intrinsic value of human life, it is not morally acceptable.

    Read More

  • Euthanasia Essay: Assisted Suicide

    925 Words  | 2 Pages

    In her paper entitled "Euthanasia," Phillipa Foot notes that euthanasia should be thought of as "inducing or otherwise opting for death for the sake of the one who is to die" (MI, 8). In Moral Matters, Jan Narveson argues, successfully I think, that given moral grounds for suicide, voluntary euthanasia is morally acceptable (at least, in principle). Daniel Callahan, on the other hand, in his "When Self-Determination Runs Amok," counters that the traditional pro-(active) euthanasia arguments concerning self-determination, the distinction between killing and allowing to die, and the skepticism about harmful consequences for society, are flawed. I do not think Callahan's reasoning establishes that euthanasia is indeed morally wrong and legally impossible, and I will attempt to show that.

    Read More

  • A Short Summary: The Pros And Cons Of Euthanasia

    1055 Words  | 3 Pages

    The law again Euthanasia is an unjustified attempt to restrict patients the right to control their life. Especially if they have the choice of continue living until a major organ gives out or riots away and have a painless death. Self-administered euthanasia: the patient administers the means of death. Other-administered euthanasia: a person other than the patient administers the means of death. For example, when the famous psychologist Sigmund Feud was in his last waking moments on a hospital bed, he had a desire to end his life by the hands of his friend Max Schur (Racheal, 98-101). Is it completely wrong to have a dignified right to die by one’s own consent. A Utilitarian would agree to the situation as hand. In their eyes, we should pursue of greatest happiness no make what the cost may be. In the sense that no personal will ever be inflicted. Sigmund Feud and the old woman both have a desire to die because they believe it is in their best interest and happiness. Thus, causing no suffering and pain to them in

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Assisted Suicide

    1277 Words  | 3 Pages

    Should people have the right to kill themselves if they’re on the verge of dying? People are allowed to kill themselves in everyday life, so why can’t a person who knows that there is no way he will be able recover from his illness choose to end his life on his own terms? Many people don’t support and agree with assisted suicide. Even though many people don’t believe in physician assisted suicide, there are people suffering when they shouldn’t have too. A person who is terminally ill should have the right to choose to die if they choose. Being suicidal is just as much as a sickness as the flu. Both might need medicine to help get better as well as seeking professional help to take care of their aliment.. Someone who is suicidal is not something to be taken lightly..

    Read More

  • Should People Have Moral Right To Die Essay

    1025 Words  | 3 Pages

    If an individual wants to end their life, due to age, illness, or any other reason, they should be allowed to decide for themselves what they want. As a culture, we generally look down on suicide, and even disapprove the thought of someone wanting to die. It is often delineated as being selfish, and often leads to preventative course of action to prevent suicide. However, if someone believes that he or she has a moral right to die, and someone else agrees or disagrees, then begins an ethical dilemma. In my personal opinion, if someone wants to die, he or she should be allowed to commit suicide, or be assisted in death. There are implementations, such as not allowing anyone not of a set legal age to commit suicide or seek out an assisted death. If someone has a utilitarian approach to his or her death, believing that they have no further purpose in life, who

    Read More

  • Ethical Issues With Physician Assisted Suicide

    824 Words  | 2 Pages

    The ethical issues of physician-assisted suicide are both emotional and controversial, as it struggles with the issue of life and death. If you take a moment and imagine how you would choose to live your last day, it is almost guaranteed that it wouldn’t be a day spent lying in a hospital bed, suffering in pain, continuously being pumped with medicine, and living in a strangers’ body. Today we live in a culture that denies the terminally ill the right to maintain control over when and how to end their lives. Physicians-assisted suicide “is the voluntary termination of one's own life by the administration of a lethal substance with the direct or indirect assistance of a physician” (Medical Definition of Physician-Assisted Suicide, 2017). Physician-assisted

    Read More

  • Ethics of Euthanasia

    1466 Words  | 3 Pages

    As patients come closer to the end of their lives, certain organs stop performing as well as they use to. People are unable to do simple tasks like putting on clothes, going to the restroom without assistance, eat on our own, and sometimes even breathe without the help of a machine. Needing to depend on someone for everything suddenly brings feelings of helplessness much like an infant feels. It is easy to see why some patients with terminal illnesses would seek any type of relief from this hardship, even if that relief is suicide. Euthanasia or assisted suicide is where a physician would give a patient an aid in dying. “Assisted suicide is a controversial medical and ethical issue based on the question of whether, in certain situations, Medical practioners should be allowed to help patients actively determine the time and circumstances of their death” (Lee). “Arguments for and against assisted suicide (sometimes called the “right to die” debate) are complicated by the fact that they come from very many different points of view: medical issues, ethical issues, legal issues, religious issues, and social issues all play a part in shaping people’s opinions on the subject” (Lee). Euthanasia should not be legalized because it is considered murder, it goes against physicians’ Hippocratic Oath, violates the Controlled

    Read More

  • Euthanasia

    1169 Words  | 3 Pages

    The voluntary active euthanasia is legitimately moral. It is morally right for a person to seek euthanasia because it is their freedom or autonomy to control their own lives. It ends the suffering of the patient without harming other people. Furthermore, it prevents the person to suffer by giving him/her lethal injection or medication that prevents a person to die slowly with pain. On the other hand, the arguments against euthanasia are not sound. A thorough assessment will protect patient who request euthanasia for the benefits of others. A patient who seek for euthanasia does not use him/herself as means, but as ends to respect his/her own humanity. Furthermore, God as a benevolent will not allow a person to suffer which endorse the purpose of euthanasia – to end suffering. Therefore, voluntary active euthanasia should be legalized in the United States.

    Read More

  • Physicians' Perspectives on Legalizing Assisted Suicide

    827 Words  | 2 Pages

    In order to appropriately comprehend the argument between these benefits and disadvantages of legalizing PAS it is essential to explore the opinions of those who would be administering and counseling patients. More recently physicians are releasing their point of view on the debate as they are increasingly pressured by society to defend a side. In 2006, a study was conducted by the University of Vermont medical students in association with university-affiliated physicians as well as other professors and staff members. The survey was designed to “assess whether clearly defined variables – gender, specialty, location of practice, whether the physician is currently practicing, whether the patients are cared for through the end of life and whether the physician has experience with patient requests of PAS – were predictive of physician support of the proposed PAS legislation…” (Craig et al. 400). The results of this study concluded that of the 1052 participants (with a 48% response rate), 15.7% were undecided, 16.0% believed it should be prohibited, 26.0% believed it should not be legislated and 38.2% believed PAS should be legislated. Furthermore, 50.1% responses back said they would participate in PAS under a law (Craig et al.

    Read More

  • Argument in Favor of Euthanasia

    1897 Words  | 4 Pages

    Today, medical interventions have made it possible to save or prolong lives, but should the process of dying be left to nature? (Brogden, 2001). Phrases such as, “killing is always considered murder,” and “while life is present, so is hope” are not enough to contract with the present medical knowledge in the Canadian health care system, which is proficient of giving injured patients a chance to live, which in the past would not have been possible (Brogden, 2001). According to Brogden, a number of economic and ethical questions arise concerning the increasing elderly population. This is the reason why the Canadian society ought to endeavor to come to a decision on what is right and ethical when it comes to facing death. Uhlmann (1998) mentions that individuals’ attitudes towards euthanasia differ. From a utilitarianism point of view – holding that an action is judged as good or bad in relation to the consequence, outcome, or end result that is derived from it, and people choosing actions that will, in a given circumstance, increase the overall good (Lum, 2010) - euthanasia could become a means of health care cost containment, and also, with specific safeguards and in certain circumstances the taking of a human life is merciful and that all of us are entitled to end our lives when we see fit.

    Read More

  • Assisted Suicide Arguments

    358 Words  | 1 Pages

    Personally, I support assisted suicide because if someone is terminally; ill going through lot of pain and they want to end their life that's solely up to them. We can't convince someone to live their life if they no longer want to and we really don't understand how much pain they are going through if we haven't dealt with it ourselves. However, I read Liz Carr's argument about how assisted dying can be a threat to disabled people because some people might expect those who are disabled to obtain assisted suicide instead of depending on others (Carr, 2016). She made a good point which I agree with 100%. When someone who doesn't have a disability want to commit suicide we see it as a tragedy, most of us would go out of our way to stop them from

    Read More

  • Euthanasia Should Be Legal

    2051 Words  | 5 Pages

    Euthanasia has been an ongoing debate for many years. Everyone has an opinion on why euthanasia should or should not be allowed but, it is as simple as having the choice to die with dignity. If a patient wishes to end his or her life before a disease takes away their quality of life, then the patient should have the option of euthanasia. Although, American society considers euthanasia to be morally wrong euthanasia should be considered respecting a loved one’s wishes. To understand euthanasia, it is important to know the rights humans have at the end of life, that there are acts of passive euthanasia already in practice, and the beneficial aspects.

    Read More

  • Is Euthanasia Justified?

    1061 Words  | 3 Pages

    The world is full of people, some of which are suffering every day from pain. Even with the advancements that have been made with medicine, it’s not enough to cure many diseases or to heal a person’s pain. Euthanasia is commonly referred to as a “mercy killing”. It is the intentional act of putting a person to death quietly and painlessly who has an incurable or painful disease, it is intended to be an act of mercy. According to (ANA, 2013), Euthanasia is the act of putting to death someone suffering from a painful and prolonged illness or injury.

    Read More

More about Ethical Perspectives on Assisted Suicide

Open Document