Assisted Suicide

Assisted Suicide

Introduction

Assisted suicide refers to any action in which one individual helps the other to put an end to his/ her life voluntarily. This assistance can be of several types, including the provision of drugs to the one interested in ending his life or helping to perform some other action or series of actions that would bring an end to one's life. It is eminent to mention here that the concept is different from Euthanasia, in which a physician helps a critically ill patient to end his life because there are no chances of recovery.

The topic has been under great debate since a number of years, and the conflict continues to date because of the cultural, religious and ethnic differences in various areas prevent the passage of unanimous decision in this regard. There are a number of legal issues attached with the topic as well, and different parts of the world have their own rules in this regard. Arguments for and against the issue would be presented in the following paragraphs, which would highlight both sides of the issue and would also present my opinion in this regard.

However, assisted suicide is purely linked to the person's right of life and death and as everyone has the right to live according to his own will, they must also be allowed to make decisions regarding their death.

Discussion

The recent global discussion on assisted suicide is not a new matter anymore, and has been ongoing for decades. The issue includes legal, religious, cultural as well as ethnic issues and is connected to the moral issues of right and wrong as well (Balkin, 2004). The practice has been so controversial that different parts of the world have different rules in this regard, that declare the practice as legal or illegal and also set certain limitations for the issue. The topic has been of great interest because the action once taken is irreversible: the person who loses his life cannot get it back again and thus the issue has to be taken seriously. In addition to the ethical implications, there are religious implications as well, and some of the religions declare suicide as sin and strictly forbid that. The following paragraphs contain various points and arguments for and against the issue, to make the matter clear:

Argument in favor of Assisted Suicide

Assisted Suicide can prevent the unbearable pain and suffering of the patient

There are a number of diseases and ailments, including a number of forms of cancer, which cause the patient to die a slow and painful death. Due to the advancements in medical technology, the doctors can now present accurate estimate regarding the number of days a patient might live and also the project the extent to which his condition might deteriorate (Foley and Hendin, 2002). When it is known that no improvement would come about and the suffering would only increase with the passage of time, what is the good use of letting the patient suffer endlessly, waiting for his death? The patients who ...