Debate - Capital Punishment and Assisted Suicide

Suicide of any type is considered a sin and assisted death goes against religious beliefs, but do we show more compassion to animals than we do to ourselves? An attempt to answer this question is made through a review of the arguments on both sides of the debate, namely the Right to Die arguments and the Right to Live arguments. The key elements of each side of the debate are reviewed, followed by a conclusions section in which the elements are examined in relation to the thesis statement.

Batting (2005) states that the phrase 'right to die' typically refers to a host of issues, both legal and social, that surround end of life decisions such as whether an individual should continue to live in a diminished or enfeebled state, whether a terminally ill patient should be allowed to and/or given help with suicide efforts. Specifically, right to die centers around who should be allowed to make decisions about one's own death.

The policy of granting people a right to die has both advantages and disadvantages. Hillyard and Dombrink (2001) state that the advantages include allowing a person to feel that there is dignity to their death. It also gives the person a sense of empowerment in a situation where a terminal illness is making him or her feel powerless. Choosing death with dignity is also a means to end the guilt that many fatally ill patients feel as the disease saps family and relatives' resources. Further, i

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hat family members are not acting in a patient's best interest, then the state may move against the expressed wishes of the family member in favor of sustaining life. It is noted that the Court also ruled that refusal of all medical treatment, including hydration and nutrition, is allowed not only by terminally ill patients but also severely incapacitated patients who could, theoretically, live for years with medical support equipment. Thus, the legalities surround the right to die include rulings that support the right in specific instances. Netherlands The Netherlands introduced legislation to legalize assisted suicide and active euthanasia in 2002, but the country's courts have permitted these since 1984. Very strict and clear guidelines were set forth for doctors and many report that in practice, these guidelines are followed. However, in fact, they are not always followed. Emanuel, as early as 1997, states that research conducted on practices related to right to die showed that, in a large number of cases, neither the patient nor the family actually gave permission for euthanasia to be conducted. Indeed, Crane (2009) reports that in 2008 alone, 550 people were killed in the Netherlands without their request. Oregon

Category: Philosophy - D