Assignment Instructions
value conflicts in assisted suicide
Sample Answer
Assisted suicide can be described as the act of assisting people suffering from progressive conditions to evade the suffering by dying. Assisted suicide is a legal practice in some countries as clinicians are licensed to prescribe lethal drugs to patients. Countries such as Canada, Luxembourg, Belgium, Spain, Netherlands, and Columbia have legalized assisted suicide. This paper will assess the value conflicts in assisted suicide.
Proponents of assisted suicide start their argument by acknowledging that, patient's right to self-determination. All patients have the right to receive healthcare services and request care services that improve the quality of health of the patients. However, when it comes to death, all the virtues and values of the living are automatically terminated. This means that, even for patients with special conditions, death is not considered a right and it does not yield any benefits to the patients or the entire society (Lee, 2023). Thus, the right of the patients to die with dignity as requested in the terminal stage of the last days of life should not be a right but instead, the patient has the right to be cared for and be comfortable until the end of life.
Religion is against assisted suicide and any efforts to deprive human life. In Christianity, there are various passages that describe the consequences that will be faced by the people who deprive of human life. Exodus 20:13 instructs the Christians not to kill (Grove et al., 2023). This prohibition relates to the value of human nature and the nature of God as the sustainer and creator of life. Also, the Islamic code of law forbids taking another person's life. Islamic views life as sacred and as a gift from Allah and it emphasizes the importance of preserving the wellbeing and life of the patients. Thus, the followers of the Islamic religion have no right to terminate life.
On the other hand, the advocates of assisted suicide assert that healthcare providers should manage the end of life with the same compassion that they use in care delivery. Healthcare professionals should provide high-quality care services from the time of birth, all through life and death. In the case where diseases cannot be cured, healthcare professionals should alleviate the symptoms by putting to end life (Lee, 2023). Healthcare providers should focus on understanding the needs of the patients and issuing medical assistance that is necessary to end life while taking into consideration the preferences and views of the patients. For the patients who are terminally ill, their health affects their decision and thus, it is the responsibility of the family members and the physicians to assist the patients to die. Also, it can be concluded that assisted suicide is beneficial as it will reduce the huge economic burden that would have been incurred in care delivery (Madadin et al., 2022).
In conclusion, the proponents and supporters of assisted suicide utilize different value systems in their arguments. According to the proponents, assisted suicide is not an option as religion prohibits depriving human life, and the patient's right to self-determination is terminated when it comes to dying. On the other hand, the supporters of assisted suicide argue that healthcare providers should extend compassion in care delivery even during death and it alleviates the economic burden of care delivery.
References
Grove, G., Lovell, M., & Best, M. (2022). Perspectives of major world religions regarding euthanasia and assisted suicide: a comparative analysis. Journal of religion and health, 61(6), 4758-4782. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9569313/
Lee, M. A. (2023). Ethical Issue of Physician-Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia. The Korean Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care, 26(2), 95-100. <https://www.e-jhpc.org/journal/view.html?uid=521&vmd=Full>
Madadin, M., Al Sahwan, H. S., Altarouti, K. K., Altarouti, S. A., Al Eswaikt, Z. S., & Menezes, R. G. (2020). The Islamic perspective on physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia. Medicine, Science and the Law, 60(4), 278-286. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32623956/