Assisted Suicide Essay - 824 Words

Writing the fifth assignment for the English class was by far the hardest essay I have had to write. Constantly was I running into problems, and this ended up taking me much longer than I had originally planned. Writing about the opposing side of this topic was very hard, as I usually caught myself writing things that I couldn’t make work in my paper. The writing was very tough to keep on track because it isn’t actually how I feel. This essay helped me to better understand the argument that is presented from both sides. Originally I knew my own opinion, which is an advocate of euthanasia, but I did not know the side that the opponents argue. All in all, I was able to learn more than I thought I would. Since ancient†¦show more content†¦Some argue that actively bringing about one’s death is no different legally than refusing the life-sustaining treatment that is offered. Opponents feel that legalizing assisted suicide will cause many problems. Most importantly, they fear that vulnerable individuals may be coerced into suicide as a result of financial pressure or fear of burdening their families. Religious opposition to assisted suicide is often based on the belief that God, not humans, should make the choices regarding death. The legalization of assisted suicide has been a subject of popular public debate. In the early 1990s, the actions of Jack Kevorkian brought massive attention to the issue. Kevorkian began to help suffering individuals end their lives with a â€Å"suicide machine† he designed. The device administered an anesthetic and then a lethal injection of potassium chloride through an intravenous line. Although prosecutors in Michigan have charged Kevorkian for various crimes, juries consistently refused to convict him for his assistance in the deaths of numerous people. In 1999 a jury found Kevorkian guilty of second-degree murder and delivery of a controlled substance. In this case Kevorkian administered lethal drugs to an incurably ill person who Kevorkian said had asked to be put to death. Kevorkian was sentenced to 10 to 25 years imprisonment and planned to appeal his conviction. With incidents such as that of Doctor Kevorkian, many different issuesShow MoreRelatedA Brief Note On Assisted Suicide And Suicide1062 Words   |  5 PagesAfter researching assisted suicide I have more questions than when I started. The definition of assisted suicide is very factual: suicide facilitated by another person, especially a physician, who organized the logistics of the suicide, as by providing the necessary quantities of a poison (The definition of assisted suicide 2016). After much research I have learned that assisted suicide is an option one has to make depending on their moral standards, will to live, and how they want to die ratherRead More Euthanasia Essay - Assisted Suicide1579 Words   |  7 PagesAssisted Suicide/Euthanasia      Ã‚   Remarkably, few have noticed that frail, elderly and terminally ill people oppose assisted suicide more than other Americans. The assisted-suicide agenda is moving forward chiefly with vocal support from the young, the able-bodied and the affluent, who may even think that their parents and grandparents share their enthusiasm. They are wrong.    Thus the assisted suicide agenda appears as a victory not for freedom, but for discrimination. At its heartRead MoreDoctor Assisted Suicide And Suicide1585 Words   |  7 PagesDoctor assisted suicide is a topic that has recently become a much larger debated issue than before. 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Moreover, no discussion on assisted suicide is complete without looking into the experience of Oregon, which was the first state in the U.S. to pass the Death with DignityRead MoreEuthanasia and Assisted Suicide1645 Words   |  7 PagesEuthanasia and physician-assisted suicide are actions at the core of what it means to be human - the moral and ethical actions that make us who we are, or who we ought to be. Euthanasia, a subject known in the twenty-first century, is subject to many discussions about ethical permissibility, which date back to as far as ancient Greece and Rome. It was not until the Hippocratic School removed the practice of euthanasia and assisted suicide from medical practice. Euthanasia in itself raise s many