WHAT IS THE RIGHT-TO-DIE MOVEMENT?

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Introduction According to Ullmann-Margalit (51) while dealing with the subject the agony of doubt deliberates that it is among the most confusing issues to deal with. Most people do not want to die, at least not now, and the debate of holding on to the inevitable and that of letting go heats up. Questions arise concerning the social, religious and ethical factors that have to be taken into play while considering end-of-life or right-to-die and thus bringing complexity to an otherwise easy decision. But the most crucial question to ask is: are those in support of the right-to-die justified in their movement? This will be the question that will be addressed in this argumentative essay. Why oppose the right-to-die movement For those in opposition of the right-to-die movement (Ullmann-Margalit 73), there are a number of issues that they raise. It is often argued that most of those involved in right-to-die decisions engage in such decisions because they are not given enough information (Samanta and Samanta 218, 219). This results in anger and frustration among family members for that decision (Health Commission n. pag. qtd. in Samanta and Samanta 219). Legally, the law provides that each individual has the right to live until such a time when life terminates naturally (Parhizgar, Parhizgar and Parhizgar 415). It is also argued that a person has the right to either live or die with dignity and assisted suicide does not count as part of dignified deaths (Parhizgar, Parhizgar and Parhizgar 415). It is also argued that the work of counselors who decide to deal with terminally ill patients and their family members have the mandate of letting their clients obtain the best end-of-life care possible (Werth and Crow 195). This ensures th... ... middle of paper ... ...rary Political Theory 7.2 (2008): 125,125-146. ABI/INFORM Complete. Web. 23 Sep. 2011. Parhizgar, Fuzhan F., Suzan S. Parhizgar, and Kamal Dean Parhizgar. "Analysis of Multicultural Meta-Ethical Clinical Perceptions Concerning Life and Death of Patients." Competitiveness Review 19.5 (2009): 409,409-422. ABI/INFORM Complete. Web. 23 Sep. 2011. Samanta, Jo. "Do Not Attempt Resuscitation Orders: The Role of Clinical Governance." Clinical Governance 13.3 (2008): 215,215-220. ABI/INFORM Complete. Web. 23 Sep. 2011. Ullmann-Margalit, Edna. "Difficult Choices: To Agonize Or Not to Agonize?" Social Research 74.1 (2007): 51,51-0_3. ABI/INFORM Complete. Web. 23 Sep. 2011. Werth, James L., and Laura Crow. "End-of-Life Care: An Overview for Professional Counselors." Journal of Counseling and Development : JCD 87.2 (2009): 194,194-202. ABI/INFORM Complete. Web. 23 Sep. 2011.

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