Physician Assisted Suicide Argumentative Essay

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According to Endoflife.edu, physician-assisted suicide (PAS) is when a physician gives a terminally ill patient materials and information needed to end their life peacefully (EndLink, n.d.). PAS ends patient suffering and promotes the dignity of dying patients. This act gives patients the power to control their lives, especially when their illness has controlled them. Granted, patients need to assess all avenues of pain relief, physiological treatment and life fulfillment before coming to the permanent solution of PAS. However, physician-assisted suicide is morally acceptable in certain circumstances when a consenting, terminally ill adult decides, after thorough deliberation, to end their suffering by ending their life. Although there are reasonable arguments against suicide such as motivation for medical advancement and the chance of the terminally ill getting better, they do not supersede an individual’s right to make decisions about their life and their death. Assisted suicide has been an issue for debate throughout …show more content…

public. According to Gallup.com, 68% of Americans support doctor-assisted suicide (Dugan, 2015). With good reason, as there are compelling arguments to support PAS. First and foremost, every individual has a civil right to make decisions about their own person. This stance also extends to the right to end one’s life if that individual has a terminal illness with an inevitable death. A person’s right to die should not be impeded, and that person should be afforded a painless option in doing so. It is understood that all Americans have the right to refuse life-saving or life-sustaining treatment by the Patient Self-Determination Act, but that law does not extend unto self-determining termination of one’s own life in order to be relieved of pain and suffering (ProCon.org, 2013). It is unfortunate that an individual can refuse medical treatment, but does not have the option to die

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