DOCTOR ASSISTED SUICIDE



Doctor Assisted Suicide



Abstract

Doctor Assisted Suicide is the act of killing that provides patients an ultimate relief from prolonged state of agony. The concept of doctor assisted suicide gained fame by the untiring efforts of Dr. Jack Kevorkian. Terminally-ill patients should be given the basic human right to decide themselves when to cease their lives, if in a state of prolonged anguish. As the issue is very controversial, difference of opinions exists on this regard among different doctors, patients and the general public. It seems more reasonable to base our decision on the right of individual to die with dignity and get rid of long suffering. Therefore, Doctor-assisted suicide should be legalized in all the states of United States under circumstances of a disease causing slow and painful death.

Doctor Assisted Suicide

Introduction

Doctor assisted suicide is a term used to provide ultimate relief to the severely ill patients who have no or very little change to recover. Although the concept is crafted to provide ease in the society, one will confer whether it should be legalized or not. “Doctor assisted suicide” should be legalized within the United States under circumstances of a disease causing slow and painful death. Society considers it an act of kindness to kill an animal that is in unbearable pain and cannot do anything to help itself, so what things are hindering humans to do the same for their fellow human beings?

Religion is the basic hurdle in legalizing doctor assisted suicide. However, one cannot overlook the concept of self determination that focus on the human's intrinsic motivation to escape the pains. Both schools of thoughts have their valid arguments that play a crucial role in determining whether this act should be legalized or not.

Doctor-Assisted suicide is a natural phenomenon as every one of us seeks pleasure and try to avoid pain with the best of our efforts. As mentioned before that the main obstacle in legalizing this compassionate act is religion and Physicians like Dr. Jack Kevorkian spent all his life in battling these beliefs endorsed by a minority group of Catholic Church.

Patients, who take the decision of euthanasia or doctor assisted suicide, utilize all the means and resources available to them and when it seems that nothing can cure their pain, there is no other option left than to pray for death or ask the physician to provide assistance in it. Patient does not only think to his pain, he has other stresses too that raises the self hatred in them. These stresses included the physical, mental, emotional and financial pain that is causing to the family and relatives of patients.

Only the patients can comprehend their agony, and sometime it becomes too cruel and spiteful that they are unable to undergo a peaceful death. In the debate on euthanasia, the basic argument is that why a person dies a painful death when he has the option to die peacefully. When natural death becomes difficult for a patient, doctor assisted suicide facilitates a peaceful death (Straussner ...