Essay On Assisted Suicide

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Assisted suicide (euthanasia) has come to be one of the most controversial topics of our time. Assisted suicide occurs when a physician facilitates a patient’s death by providing the necessary means or information to enable a patient to take away their life when facing a terminal illness. In many cases, it is carried out at the person 's request but there are times when they may be too ill and the decision is made by relatives, medics or, in some cases, the courts To some, it may be understandable, though tragic, that some patients in extreme hardship--such as those suffering from a terminal, painful, debilitating illness--may come to decide that death is preferable to life. Along with this controversy, come different religious views and opinions …show more content…

They believe that life is given by God, and only God should decide when to end it. Another possible problem is doctor malpractice. Doctors could kill patients and say that they gave their consent, but the patient wouldn’t be able to testify, because their patients are dead. Opponents also argue that assisted suicide violates the doctor’s Hippocratic Oath, which means that doctors will not do harm to others. This causes a lack of trust in doctors. The oath was created so patients could be reassured that doctors only wanted to help them, not hurt them (Kumar, 2010). Also, those who have terminal illnesses still sometimes have a chance of living. With the great advances of technology and medicine, there is often a possibility, and they’ll never know if they decide to just end their life. Furthermore, physician assisted suicide would hurt the patients’ family and friends, as the only person who has to give consent is the ill one. This, alone, is very traumatic to the persons’ loved …show more content…

Through the United Church of Christ perspective, they support the right of terminally ill patients to make their own decisions about when to die or hastening their deaths. This stance stresses the importance of respecting individual moral and choice. This most liberal Protestant denomination has become one of the few Christian churches to endorse euthanasia. As Rev. Timothy Tutt, a senior minister at Westmoreland Congregational United Church of Christ in Bethesda, Md. states, “We believe that each of us approaches God on our own terms, and this includes at the end of our

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