Assisted Suicide Essay Example

Throughout the world, the concept of death is well known, but laws and public perception of it are still constrictive and stifling. One such controversial example of death that has prompted worldwide debate is assisted suicide. With a terminally ill patient’s explicit consent, a physician provides lethal drugs for the patient to consume by their own hand at a time they feel is right. As of now, assisted suicide is legal in seven countries and 8 states in the US, greatly restricting the rights of a dying person. Without assisted suicide, patients become condemned to live the rest of their life, however long or short, suffering and are subjected to the elimination of their autonomy. Patients are not the only ones affected by these regulations, but so are physicians as they are unable to fulfill their duty to their patients.

The process of death is multi-staged, and in some cases, drawn out over many months if not years. Throughout this process, a myriad of different debilitating ailments and conditions batter on the person’s body, causing extraordinary amounts of pain. And although programs and treatments designed to treat this pain exist, such as palliative care and hospice, they do not work for everyone and are simply not feasible or accessible for others (Hawley). For a dying patient, suffering is not strictly confined to physical pain. Dr. Eric Cassell has suggested that we define suffering as “…the state of severe distress associated with events that threaten the intactness of the person”. This “intactness”  refers to one’s values and discerning what they truly want out of their life. The loss of this key factor results in a life devoid of quality and meaning, a life not worth living. Prioritizing treating the body overtakes the importance of the person as a whole, resulting in a life filled with suffering.

Autonomy, the ability to discern, understand, and decide between options without the influence of others, is the pinnacle of independence. Especially in healthcare, the ability to exert one’s patient autonomy is fiercely important as it allows them to make more educated health decisions. This knowledge is a crucial component in advocating for assisted suicide due to the nature of death. At the end of life, basic functions are stripped away until the patient is no longer capable of making decisions, placing complete dependency on caretakers. A study analyzing the trends of assisted suicide in the states of Oregon and Washington discovered that out of the combined 28 years of data and 2558 patients who underwent the procedure, 87.4% stated that the loss of autonomy was the most influential reason for pursuing assisted suicide (Rabdi).  At such a high percentage, it is evident that this intense fear of losing control over one’s life has a profound effect that contributes to proceeding with assisted suicide. Without assisted suicide, the infringement of one’s right to die is a principle that should remain with the patient.