Physician-Assisted Suicide Is It Morally Permissible

PHYSICIAN-ASSISTED SUICIDE | IS IT MORALLY PERMISSIBLE? INTRODUCTION TO THE ISSUE-QUESTION My essay topic is whether or not physician assisted suicide is morally permissible. I intend to argue that it is permissible because a competent patient ultimately has the right to choose for themselves the course of their life, including how it will end. To lie in a hospital bed in a vegetative state, unable to see, think, speak, eat, being totally unaware of your surroundings or those of your loved ones nearby speaks loudly of the pain and suffering at all levels for a terminally ill patient. Physician assisted suicide (PAS) is ethically justifiable in certain cases, most often those cases involving unrelenting suffering. While PAS is not†¦show more content†¦Since terminally ill patients are already free to refuse hydration and nutrition and thereby bring about death, there is no compelling need to legalize PAS. James Bernat, Bernard Gert and R. Peter Mogielnicki claim â€Å"that lack of hydration and nutrition does not cause unmanageable suffering in terminally ill patients.† Their basic point is that patient refusal or hydration and nutrition already provides a feasible and much less problematic alternative for patients who desire to shorten the dying process. OBJECTIONS/CRITIQUE/EVALUATIONS FOR EACH ARGUMENT, AND REPLIES MY OBJECTIONS ETC. TO FIRST â€Å"YES† ARGUMENT, AND MY REPLIES Similar to Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act, I do believe there should be a policy with relevant criteria that best describes how to respond to patients needs and to protect vulnerable people in regards to PAS. To respect others’ autonomy or right to self-determination is to treat them as individuals having the abilities required to be rational decision makers, capable of identifying their own interests and making their own reflective choices. At the end of the day, patients should have the right to autonomous decision-making to determine for themselves what will be done to their bodies. MY OBJECTIONS ETC. TO SECOND â€Å"YES† ARGUMENT, AND MY REPLIES Currently, Oregon is the only state thatShow MoreRelatedPhysician Assisted Suicide Should Be Morally Permissible1663 Words   |  7 PagesPhysician assisted suicide should be morally permissible. Patients who are in constant suffering and pain have the right to end their misery at their own discretion. This paper will explore my thesis, open the floor to counter arguments, explain my objections to the counter arguments, and finally end with my conclusion. I agree with Brock when he states that the two ethical values, self-determination and individual well-being, are the focal points for the argument of the ethical permissibility ofRead MoreVoluntary Active Euthanasia Essay1010 Words   |  5 PagesWhat is morally permissible? 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