BEHS 380 Week 7: Legal and Moral Issues

The video publicized by the New York Times, “Jack Kevorkian and the Right to Die” is about a very controversial and ongoing dilemma in the United States, physician-assisted suicide. The video discusses how the unorthodox approach of Dr. Jack Kevorkian in the 1990s towards helping terminal patients end their lives opened up the conversation on whether it was just for physicians to assist in patient suicides. Dr. Jack Kevorkian admitted to helping hundreds of patients with their wants but was trialed just four times for assisted suicide before being sent to prison for 8 years for premediated murder. The issue eventually made its way to the Supreme Court in 1997, the verdict moved the practice of palliative care in various ways. The ruling was that doctors could not assist in a patient’s actions of taking their own lives however they can prescribe as much medication as needed including medications that could led to death to the terminally ill if requested. Also in 1997, Oregon’s ‘Death with Dignity Act’ was the first state law to legalize doctors prescribing lethal drugs to patients who express wants while suffering from terminal ailments. Today physician assisted suicide is legal in ten US states and the District of Columbia.

The ultimate question was if a doctor assist in suffering patient’s suicide, is it mercy or murder? The against argument was of two points; is it anyone’s right to determine when death is to occur and if legally allowing medically assisted suicides will cause people to prematurely take their own lives? All the points made against physician-assisted suicides are legitimate concerns however I believe they are not problems that cannot be overcome. For one, if there is anyone who should determine the time to die, it should be oneself and no one else. Secondly, like the Oregon state law, their can be prerequired conditions that must be met before a doctor can assist like a prognosis of less than six months or other dire conditions. This can limit people prematurely using the aid of doctors for suicides. The majority of the against argument is based on ethics and morals but is it ethical and morally just to force suffering, ill people to live after expressing their desires to move on from said life? The argument in support of physician-assisted suicide is solely based on that purpose. Just as everything else in life, death should be a choice if it can be. No person should be forced to suffer or fight for a life that will end eventually when they are mentally stable to choose otherwise, to have a say. Palliative care is to relieve the pain and total suffering of patients facing conditions that threaten lives, a time to discuss end-of-life wants and plans. This is a time where all options are presented with unfortunate and dire outcomes in mind, a better question is why should this not be one of those options? Why are the only options to suffer through death or fight to survive with slim chances? Personally, that sounds more unethical and immoral inn comparison.

References
TheNewYorkTimes. (2015, May 24). Jack Kevorkian and the right to die | retro report | The New York Times. YouTube. Retrieved December 5, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_EKwSXOsVE

Cable News Network. (2022, May 26). Physician-Assisted Suicide Fast Facts. CNN. Retrieved December 5, 2022, from https://edition.cnn.com/2014/11/26/us/physician-assisted-suicide-fast-facts/index.html