Physician Assisted Suicide

Back-groundHistorically, suicide has been condemned due to Judeo-Christian belief that all life is sacred and only God, being the creator, has the right to end it (Tomasini, 2014).These days, debate on this issue has shifted away from theology and has been more focused on philosophical and psychological aspects of this phenomenon.

Physician assisted suicide

DefinitionPhysician assisted suicide is a situation where a patient intentionally decides to end his life and secures the means to do so with the help of a physician (Corr ' Corr, 2013).

How could you?Immoral: Life has an intrinsic value and that value exist independent of external circumstances. So, life in every form is sacred and cannot allow to be ended at will (Tomasini, 2014).Nobody can think about suicide in their right mind: For an individual to make an informed and rational decision, he must be free of any mental illness (Boudreau ' Somerville, 2014). But, research shows that there is a strong correlation between mental illness and suicidal ideation. Thus, desire to commit suicide should be seen as a “cry for help” and not a rational decision.A physician should never kill: Physicians are not supposed to take patients’ life under any circumstance (Barbuzzi, 2014). Such actions go against their oath and core ethics of their profession.

Why NotCan be justified morally: If quality of life and prospects of future are seriously compromised then the argument that life has an intrinsic value becomes irrelevant (Tomasini, 2014).Can be a competent decision: If the decision to commit suicide can be evaluated against some well-established criteria then we can safely say that such decision can be a competent one. For example; decision to commit suicide should be screened for any irrational ideation and any transitory desires and emotions (Boudreau ' Somerville, 2014).Physicians’ duty to patients: Physicians are supposed to help patients. Thus, if a patient decides that due his unique situation dying is a better option than living then physician should be able to respect that choice (Barbuzzi, 2014).

ReferencesCorr, C. A. ' Corr, D. M., (2015) Death and dying life and living (7th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage.Barbuzzi, M. (2014). Who Owns the Right to Die? An argument about the legal status of euthanasia and assisted suicide in Canada. Penn Bioethics Journal, 10(1), 16-20. Retrieved from: http://bioethicsjournal.com/Boudreau, J. D., ' Somerville, M. A. (2014). Euthanasia and assisted suicide: a physician's and ethicist's perspectives. Medicolegal ' Bioethics, 41-12. doi:10.2147/MB.S59303Tomasini, F. (2014). Stoic defense of physician-assisted suicide. Acta Bioéthica, 20(1), 99. Retrieved from: http://www.scielo.cl/scielo.php?lng=es