Doctor-Assisted Suicide

Have you ever thought about what you would do if you became diagnosed with a terminal illness that changed your life completely? There are many choices in the world that one could make, such as seeking physician-assisted suicide or deciding to live with a terminal illness. It is not everyday a person sits around and think about what they would do if an illness became unbearable to them. One could agree with Diane Coleman’s article “Doctor-Assisted Suicide Should Not Be an Option” or one could agree with Kathryn Tucker’s article “People Should Be Allowed To Choose Doctor-Assisted Suicide.” To better understand the authors’ opposing positions concerning physician-assisted suicide, one must examine their differing views on the reasons for choosing suicide, the possibility of doctors’ abuse or coercion, and the societal impact of legalization of doctor-assisted suicide.

The reasons why one would choose physician-assisted suicide may vary from patient to patient due to their individual diagnoses; however, both Coleman and Tucker believe that the lost of activities of daily living plays a major part in one concluding to seek assistance in suicide. Tucker states, “The patient’s most frequently cited concerns include a decreasing ability to participate in activities that made life enjoyable, the loss of autonomy, and the loss of dignity” (Tucker) as reasons for wanting to hasten death. Coleman concurs by stating, “The reasons doctors actually report for issuing lethal prescriptions are the patient’s loss of autonomy, loss of dignity, and feelings of being a burden” (Coleman). While Tucker believes her reasons are valid enough to seek assistance, Coleman does not think the reasons are valid. Coleman implies that becoming more depende...

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... to make when they are dealing with illness. For those who choose to hasten death, it is their personal option, and I’m certain that they believe it is the right choice for them.

Works Cited

Tucker, Kathryn. "People Should Be Allowed To Choose Doctor-Assisted Suicide." www.CompassionandChoices.org (25 May 2006). Rpt. in Suicide. Ed. Jacqueline Langwith. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. Opposing Viewpoints. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 16 Feb. 2011.

Coleman, Diane. "Doctor-Assisted Suicide Should Not Be an Option." Judiciary.senate.gov (25 May 2006). Rpt. in Suicide. Ed. Jacqueline Langwith. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. Opposing Viewpoints. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 16 Feb. 2011.