I took a topic for persuasive paper I had no standing on. Now, I have a problem. I don't know which standing to take.
Does a patient have the right to suicide if terminally ill/suffering?
An obvious answer would be "Yes, it's his/her body!", but think about how a cure could come or the patient's mental stability. The fact that getting through hard times only lets you enjoy life better when they're over...
Mental stability is not an issue, their life belongs to them alone. If they wish to die, then they have every right to ask for it. No one, and I mean no one should be forced to live while they're suffering in such a way.
I believe that it is one thing if someone makes the choice for themselves, I would try to talk to them and reason with them. I do not believe, however, that it is right for someones family to make the choice to pull the plug on a person without prior written permission.
You may be correct in the rights of patients; they have the right to do what they want with their bodies, even if it is suicide. But you can't expect the doctors keeping them alive to suddenly pull the plug. Doctors pledge a hypocratic oath to not to the opposite of what they are trained to do, which is help kill the patient. We can go on and on about the moralities of "the right thing to do" when keeping a terminally-ill patient alive, but the fact is, doctors cannot do this--their job depends on it. It's not just any job either; it's a job that specializes in keeping the health and well-being of the patients in good standing.
A patient has every right to end their own life - even if you don't agree with it being 'good' you must surely agree that it can be the lesser of two evils for terminally ill people or those in incurable pain.
I disagree Freakenstein. The Hypocratic oath says that if they can do no good then to at least do no harm. By removing a patient from a machine that is keeping them alive, or in offering large doses of pain medication which will allow the patient to die peacefully, I personally see that as doing good.
If the patient is in constant and debilitating pain then sometimes the only way to relieve them of their pain is to help them die quickly and painlessly. How is that doing more harm than letting them lay in the hospital suffering? Given a choice would you rather suffer immense pain until you died, or go peacefully?
I disagree Freakenstein. The Hypocratic oath says that if they can do no good then to at least do no harm.
[quote=Hippocratic Oath]I will respect the privacy of my patients, for their problems are not disclosed to me that the world may know. Most especially must I tread with care in matters of life and death. If it is given to me to save a life, all thanks. But it may also be within my power to take a life; this awesome responsibility must be faced with great humbleness and awareness of my own frailty. Above all, I must not play at God.[/quote]
Oops! My bad X-P
Hmm...It isn't like me to be so far off the wall on things like this. Since it's not against the Hippocratic Oath (used as a last resort), I guess it can be plausible to have assisted suicide. If there can be no means of saving the health of the patient and he or she is pleading death, then only then can a doctor euthanize the patient (in my opinion).
If there can be no means of saving the health of the patient and he or she is pleading death, then only then can a doctor euthanize the patient (in my opinion).
I agree. Also, we have recognized euthanasia as a humane means of dealing with terminally ill animals, especially pets, for many years. Often times people feel that their pets are loved family members, so why is it acceptable to end the suffering of a loved animal but not a loved human? After all, we are just a more advanced animal. I have never understood how one can see the mercy and care involved in euthanising their dog, but grandma has to lay in that hospital bed in immense pain for months until she dies.
Does a patient have the right to suicide if terminally ill/suffering?
It is all about the patient decision, even if it could be good for finding a cure, death and life should be decided by the owner of the body. We can try to persuade not to suicide, but we should force him to not, or do something against its own will
