Assisted Suicide:
According to the textbook, Taking Sides: Clashing views on bioethical issues, there are three ways to accelerate the death of a dying patient (117). The first method is withdrawing life-sustaining treatment, such as assisted ventilation and dialysis (Taking 116). While there are restrictions and laws regarding the withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment, it is legal in all states (Ackermann n.p.). The next method is that of assisted suicide, which is illegal in most states. Lastly, there is euthanasia, which is the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease, or in an irreversible coma. Euthanasia does not require the patient's approval, whereas assisted suicide does. Euthanasia is illegal in all states (Taking 117). The debate surrounding this issue is whether or not physicians should be allowed to assist patient's suicide. While the issue specifically regards assisted suicide, withdrawal of life sustaining treatment and euthanasia are also touched upon because they are so closely related.
Assisted suicide should be legal for the terminally ill.
The United States Supreme Court is supposed to be making a decision as to whether doctors can help terminally ill patients commit suicide (Taking 115). While this issue may cross into other areas of healthcare, it can be best applied to the terminally ill. The definition of terminally ill, is a person who is sick and diagnosed with a disease that will take their life. These people are often given a certain number of months or years they are expected to live (Ackermann n.p.). Surveys have indicated that roughly two thirds of the American public support physician assisted suicide (Taking 115). However, this may be due to the fact that many Americans now fear the possibility of a lingering, high-technology death, which makes them more receptive to the idea of a...