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The Pros And Cons Of Physician Assisted Suicide

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Physician assisted suicide is morally and ethically wrong due to the Hippocratic oath doctors take at the beginning of their term, and unlike euthanasia, it is therefore the patient that triggers the death and not a third party. Our culture subscribes to the notion of the “absolute sanctity of life”, Western religions do not plainly forbid suicide, and assisted suicide would result in overall no harm on the society. The physician-assisted suicide controversy surrounds the idea that assisted suicide rests on the difference between dying with dignity and dying suffering. The ethical issues of physician-assisted suicide are both emotional and controversial. It is ethically permissible for a dying person who has chosen to escape the unbearable …show more content…

Physician-Assisted suicide is morally and ethically wrong because it contradicts the traditional duty of a physician to preserve life and to do no harm. The Hippocratic oath states “1st do no harm” (Tyson 4). This historic Hippocratic oath requires a new physician to swear, by a number of gods, to uphold specific ethical standards and traditional values. Another ethical dilemma faced is who gets to determine your life. You or God? The majority of religions view suicide as a one of the greatest sins to a spiritual journey. For example, those who follow the Christianity and Catholic religion believe that God makes the decision on when to end your life. Suicide to their religion is objectively a sin which violates the commandment "You shall not murder” (New Testament Bible, Exodus …show more content…

Jack Kevorkian, known as “Doctor Death”(The New York Times 00:00:21), was a U.S. based supporter of the practice, played a supporting role in more than one hundred assisted suicides before he was charged with murder. Kevorkian focused attention on an important question, “What should doctors do when suffering patients want to die?” (The New York Times 00:00:45). He became infamous by his first assisted suicide preformed on 54-year-old Alzheimer’s patient, Janet Adkins. Janet was suffering in pain and wanted to find a way to die with dignity. All Janet had to do was push a button, then lethal chemicals began flowing. Dr. Kevorkian said that he took Ms. Adkins to a park in a van with this machine in the back. Kevorkian said she was conscious of what she wanted to do, and that she wanted to end her life. He was clever enough to create this machine so he didn’t get charged with murder. His lawyer, Jefferey, said to the district judge that “Michigan has laws against murder, but not assisted suicide” (The New York Times 00:02:02). He continued helping people die, and Michigan continued trying to stop him. He was opposed by the police, churches, the governor, and the legislator. They did everything they could to try and get him. Jack Kevorkian faced four trials for assisted suicide and was found not guilty, but never convicted. Subsequently, the state of Michigan was the first to put in place laws against this practice. In 1999, Kevorkian was convicted of second-degree murder

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