Persuasive Essay On Physician Assisted Suicide

The will to undergo physician-assisted suicide most often comes from a fear of disability rather than as a mechanism to end the pain associated with a disability or terminal illness. In fact, polls have never found pain to be in the top three reasons for why individuals wanted assistance in their death. For instance, Amundson & Taira (2005) reported that the top three reasons individuals wanted to undergo physician assisted suicide was due to losing autonomy (84%), having a decreased ability of being able to participate in pleasurable activities (84%), and losing control over bodily functions (47%). This demonstrates that pain is not the primary factor that comes into play when individuals consider opting for physician-assisted suicide. The plethora of reasons patients want to opt for

physician-assisted death equates to their will to die with dignity.
The idea that physician assisted death allows individuals to die with dignity is one that is often argued by groups such as Dying with Dignity, but is also a notion that reflects the negative perception society has on the lives people with disabilities live.

Calling physician assisted death a means of dying with dignity indicates that a life with disability is one that is not worthy of assistance and one not worthy of being lived. This is a widely held conception among a society who’s ideologies are deeply rooted in the belief that having a disability is an extremely undesirable outcome that leads to a decrease in life quality. Due to the fear associated with acquiring a disability “many people are convinced that death is better than the loss of (what amounts to) their self image” (Amundson & Taira, 2005, p.57). As a result of this fear many able bodied individuals are persuaded into supporting the right to physician-assisted suicide as a precaution for if they are to ever obtain a disability in the future. However, uplifting the ban on physician-assisted suicide will have many connotations that need to be addressed, as physician-assisted suicide is a complex issue with many

facets.
There are numerous concerns that arise when debating the potential legalization of physician-assisted suicide. A key issue that surfaces during this debate is determining what members of society will be able to apply for this service. Developing criteria that determines who is allowed to get assistance in ending their life often demonstrates a bias society has towards certain groups. This paper will analyze how it may not be possible to prevent physician-assisted suicide to extend to populations who would not merit this service. Another issue that develops is determining who should hold the ultimate power in determining whether or not individuals are cogent enough to decide they would like to opt for physician-assisted death. The debate on whether doctors are the appropriate choice to be awarded this decision will be further discussed I this paper.