Colleen McCracken
Mrs. Mercer
Honors Freshman Lit.
6 February 2017
Physician Assisted Death Although some people say that physicians should not assist in death because it is morally wrong and hypocritical, physician assisted suicide may be the best option for terminally ill patients and should be legal because it ends suffering, allows for organ donation, and gives the patient the dignity of choosing his/her own fate. A very important aspect of why physician-assisted suicide should be legal is that it ends suffering. Terminally ill patients go through much suffering, and it can get to the point where no medication helps with the pain. Only so much of the pain can be managed (Quill, “Dying Patients Should” 61).This is one of the main reasons …show more content…
A patient can choose to donate his/her organs after his/her chosen death. One example of this is Dave Adox. Dave had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and was paralyzed within months. He was only forty-four years old and could only move his eyes. Dave would breathe because of a ventilator and wanted to go off the machine. This would end his life. Adox could go off the ventilator at home, and it would not be considered physician-assisted suicide. However, Dave wanted to donate some of his organs. In order to donate them, he would have to go off the ventilator and die in a hospital. When Dave was ready, he went to the hospital to go off the ventilator. Unfortunately, the lawyers of the hospital intervened, deciding that it would look too much like physician-assisted death, which is not legal in the state. A different hospital was able to admit Dave, and he died in a very deep state of sedation. His liver and kidneys were donated to other people. In fact, a direct donation was achieved with his kidneys, and that man has Adox’s kidneys right now …show more content…
These people argue that this makes the doctor a hypocrite. The word “medical” actually comes from the word Medicor, which means “to heal” (McManaman, 24-25). This makes the use of medical professionals to die very hypocritical and it also violates the Hippocratic Oath that doctors take. Doctors pledge to “do no harm,” but some consider physician-assisted death as harm. In actuality, trying to do everything to keep the patient alive can do more harm than good. Sometimes the best way to do no harm is to allow the patient to die as they wish. Others against PAD will argue that it makes life meaningless. If the life the patient is living is already meaningless and he/she has no quality of life, then they should be able to end it. Being forced to live that sort of life is what makes life meaningless. Another argument against physician assisted death is that it is suicide, which is considered to be morally wrong, and associated with a mental illness. Suicide is actually not the right word for this situation (Quill, “Dying Patients Should”, 61). PAD is still death of an illness, the death is just sped up for the patient’s sake of suffering, helping others, and dignity. Physician assisted death (A.K.A. physician assisted suicide) is not wrong and should be legal in the United States of America. This option ends suffering. Allows for organ donation, and gives the patient the dignity of choosing his/her own