Argumentative Essay: Assisted Death
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Assisted suicide is a topic that has ignited a heated and severe debate due to the controversy that it entirely entails. Assisted suicide is when a patient expresses his or her will and intentions to die to a physician and request them to assist in the process. Physician-assisted suicide is defined as knowingly and intentionally providing a person with the knowledge or means or required to commit suicide, including counseling about lethal doses of drugs, prescribing such lethal doses, or supplying the drugs. It’s important to note that unlike euthanasia, where a physician administers the process, assisted suicide requires that the patient voluntarily initiates and executes the process themselves. The dying process is too often needlessly protracted by the medical technology and is consequently marked by incapacitations, intolerable pain, and indignity; thus, this essay argues and tries to prove why still assisted death remains unfit in the system.
Legally, Physician-assisted suicide has been legalized in Switzerland since 1942 and is accessible for noncitizens. In 2008, the Washington Death with Dignity Act passed with the same to Oregon law. Also, in 2013, the Vermont Patient Choice and Control at the End of Life Act has been in effect. In 2016, California’s physician-assisted dying law took effect according to the End of Life Option Act.
However, it is unfair to consider the only countries that have legalized it. Some countries still have not, and we think that that’s great. Physician-assisted suicide is illegal in china under Article 233 “whoever negligently causes death to another person shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than 3 years but not more than 7 years; if the circumstances are relatively minor, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than 3 years, except as otherwise specifically provided in this Law” (Criminal Law of People’s Republic of China.) In Turkey, physician-assisted suicide is illegal under Article 84; any person who commits, helps, supports, or encourages suicide is punched with imprisonment from 2-5 years. Therefore, it is still evident that it is still unacceptable even legally as more weight lies in countries that have illegalized it.
Some patients may benefit from physician assisted suicide. For dying patients, the motivation for requesting physician assisted suicide may not be physical pointless suffering but a loss of autonomy, in the ability to engage in enjoyable activities. The dying process could be beneficial to spiritual and existential healing through relational and personal wholeness growth, also an individual learning process for the patients, their families, and those who are caring for them.
In ethical principles of beneficence, which is working to achieve the patient’s best interest, no maleficence which is the avoidance of harm, the patient gains autonomy respect, as well as the promotion of justice and fairness (American College of Physicians Ethics, Professionalism, and Human Rights Committee, Pp. 21). Both professional and ethical traditions emphasize care and comfort. Physicians shouldn’t intentionally participate in ending a person’s life in the last revised of the International Code of Medical Ethics in the section which under the name of duties of physicians to patients states that “A physician shall always bear in mind the obligation to respect human life”(International Code of Medical Ethics). Palliative care should be given to all patients with terminal illnesses rather than allowing assisted suicide. Under ethics, assisted suicide is very unethical and thus should be disregarded by all. (J Palliat Care, Np.)
References
National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China “Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China.” Oregon’s assisted suicide law, Norman-Eady S (2002).
Physician-Assisted Suicide for Terminally Ill Patients. [online] Available at: <https://www.healthgrades.com/providers/peter-jaillet-364kc> [Accessed 20 November 2020].
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime “Turkey Criminal Code” (2004).
UK Legislation “Coroners and Justice Act 2009,” legislation.gov.uk, (2009)