History And The Definition Of Assisted Suicide example essay topic

It is evident that everyone will die one day, but people should have a choice whether to die painfully or peacefully. Death is not justifiable by anyone. Everyone has their own rights, and if some of these rights include death, then these rights should not be withheld. Suicide or even attempted suicide is not a crime. Assisted suicide is more the less a medical procedure to end a physically ill person's suffering. Some of the topics that need to be viewed are that of a patient's personal opinion and their rights, the history, and the definition of assisted suicide.

Justifiable suicide can be a rational and planned self-deliverance from a painful or hopeless physical ailment that results in death. In physician assisted suicide, the patient kills him or herself, and the physician supplies the means, knowing that is what the patient wants to do. Assisted suicide is not any form of euthanasia or mercy killings, legally or ethically. Assisted suicide can be carried out in many artificial or original ways, it all depends on the patient's preference. The U.S. Constitution gives physicians the inalienable unenumerated right to voluntarily provide compassionate relief through appropriate medical intervention. This claims that all sick people have a right to pursue happiness, even if it involves death.

The Ninth Amendment reads, The enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people. If these statements are in the by-laws of the United States, then assisted suicide shall remain legal and practicable. A person's life belongs to him or her; it is not a piece of property belonging to society or the government. Clearly, choosing death is a serious decision, but if after serious reflection, rational adults choose death, they must have a right to implement that decision. Most individuals don t understand that a personal quality of life is vital to some human beings.

If one's body has been severely destroyed by illness to a point of not living, then that is an intense personal decision that should not be reckoned with. Both sides of assisted suicide can be argued, but until you re the person lying in an intensive care unit, no one should be able to prevent you from easing your pain. People have been making their own decisions from a very early age, so the person should also make this one The history of physician assisted suicide in recent years is a short but also a very detailed one. The very first known case in the country was in the year 1938.

The public's first real involvement in the issue was when a court case in 1976 received an extensive amount of media coverage. Karen Ann Quinlan's trial in New Jersey was a very controversial one. She wanted a close family member to taken off "modern technology' which forced the patient to spend their remaining days in a "vegetative's tate of life. After this trial, the opinion polls showed an overwhelming support of viewers in favor of some types of assisted suicide. In fact, 60 percent of Americans supported the issue after viewing this case over it. As of recently, assisted suicide has been re-introduced to society by Jack Kevorkian.

Since June of 1990, he has been mentioned in the news several times off and on. Mr. Kevorkian has witnessed or provided help to aid assistant suicide in more than 130 cases with terminally ill patients. More recently, Dr. Kevorkian has been convicted of second degree murder in Michigan. He faces possible sentences of life in prison on April 14th. The "right-to-die' movement will be slowed down because of this trial, but someone will surely pick up where Jack Kevorkian left off.

In conclusion, assisted suicide is not a quick and easy solution to any problem. Facts, opinions, and most importantly, personal views and beliefs should factor into any major decision of the sort. A life is a very valuable and personal gift, what anyone chooses to do with it is their choice. Looking over the History, complete definition, and personal opinion, one should conclude a stand on this issue. Some would say, that dragging out a life with the help of "medical technology' to prolong death is, in its own way, murder.