Should People Have Moral Right To Die Essay

. Should people have the moral right to end their lives if they so please?

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

are we as a society to decide an individual’s right to seek assistance in death?

2. Does being near the end of one’s life make the decision to end it justified?
Yes.

If someone is nearing the end of his or her life naturally, and he or she seeks to end it earlier, then that person is justified to end it if the individual deems fit. If someone is in pain, alone, or depressed at an elderly age, and if they feel as though they have lived a happy life, we as a society should not force our decision onto someone who no longer wants to be a part of society.

3. What does the phrase “right to die” mean?

The phrase “right to die” merely means that an individual has a right to die. However, this is a highly debated issue that determines an individual’s right to die. Currently, it is related to people who could continue life via life support or in a lesser capacity, such as in a vegetative state. Right to die also refers to the consent of terminally ill patients the right to commit suicide. Normally those exercising their right to die have previously established what they want in a will or a choice in receiving only minimum care to reduce pain (Right).

4. Do people have the right to seek assistance in

dying?
As a society unique with many different cultures, seeking assistance in death is morally wrong to some and frowned upon. However, people have the right to seek assistance in dying. People can even have predisposed means of aiding their choice such as writing out a living will or receiving minimal care if terminally ill (Right). I can personally go ask if someone can assist in my death. There is no law that states I cannot ask or seek assistance in death. Nevertheless, there are laws that prevent others from assisting in death, suicide, or anything related to it.

5. Do people have the right to give assistance in dying?
Five states allow in the assistance in dying: Oregon, Washington, Vermont, New Mexico, and Montana (Death). Three states offer assisted suicide, or better known as “death with dignity.” Oregon, Vermont, and Washington offer death with dignity to those that are eighteen years old, within six months until expected death, and must make requests to doctors before medications are administered (Death). In New Mexico and Montana, there are no regulated outlines; however, doctors can prescribe euthanasia related medication with a patient’s request in writing. This is only applicable for patients who are terminally ill, and protects the doctors from any sort of legal trouble following the administration of medication to commit suicide.

6. What kind of restrictions, if any, should there be on assisted suicide?
States that already offer death with dignity have the general basics of the restrictions set in place for assisted suicide. For instance:
- 18 years of age.
- Must have a terminally ill disease that will lead to death within six months.
- Must be able to make health related decisions, or be mentally capable of doing so.
- Have to wait 15 days before receiving medication.
-Must make a written request signed by two witnesses, but not a friend, personal doctor, or anyone entitled to the patient’s estate (Barone).
-A patient may rescind the decision at any point.
These regulations cover the basics, however in my personal opinion; there should be a few more regulations.
-A patient should be able to establish if they want assisted suicide via a living will in case they are not of the mental capacity. In addition, they should be allowed in that same case to appoint a warden (family member or friend) to aid in the decision in case a patient is unable to make decisions. However, if the patient shows a sense of emotion or fear, the choice can be immediately disregarded and no euthanasia will be delivered.
-Children’s fates cannot be determines by the parents. Therefore, parents cannot request the end of life at a child’s request.
-This should not be limited to anyone who is terminally ill. People of 18 years of age who suffer from different ailments or a number of ailments can seek assistance. For instance, if an individual is quadriplegic and wishes to die with dignity, they can also seek assistance if they deem so. If someone has deep and aggressive depression, and he or she feels as though suicide is the answer, he or she should be allowed to seek assisted suicide. However, anyone that is not terminally ill must complete a program that aids to prevent suicide, in an attempt to preserve life.
I personally believe the last regulation should be valid for those with severe depression. Due to personal experience, I have known people who have overcome bouts of depression, but later on, the depression they experienced had returned, and in some cases made their life even more miserable. In addition to being more miserable, some could not seem to come back from their bout with depression, causing severe sickness and death at an early age.