Can You Help Me Die?

North America Group.
Week 5: “Euthanasia: Is it moral decide about our death?”

Can You Help Me Die?

Euthanasia is a tricky subject to discuss both morally and legally. It’s also a fairly broad subject with multiple types and ways of carrying it out. Honestly, I don’t really feel like I can do this topic justice given how broad and controversial it is, but I’ll do my best. The topic in regards to euthanasia that I think is the most controversial and is the one I know the most about is also known as physician-assisted suicide, so that’s what I’ve decided to write about.

A physician’s job is to help the sick and injured, and many say that to help a patient end his/her life would be in violation of the Hippocratic Oath. I would have to agree that in regards to the original Hippocratic Oath in which it is stated, “Nor shall any man's entreaty prevail upon me to administer poison to anyone; neither will I counsel any man to do so,” assisting in a patient’s suicide would be a violation. However, in the modern version written by Louis Lasagna it is not so clear. This version states, “Most especially must I tread with care in matters of life and death. If it is given me to save a life, all thanks. But it may also be within my power to take a life; this awesome responsibility must be faced with great humbleness and awareness of my own frailty. Above all, I must not play at God.” The modern version does acknowledge the ability of a physician to take a life, although the way in which the physician would do this is not specified, leaving it open for interpretation. The matter of what counts as “playing God” is also brought into question as depending on what your individual beliefs are, assisting in a suicide may or may not count. But regardless of whether physician-assisted suicide violates the Hippocratic Oath or not, it should also be noted that while violating it may be taboo, the Hippocratic Oath is not legally binding, therefore breaking it does not in itself hold any legal consequences for physicians. However, there are laws in place in most states that make physician-assisted suicide illegal, so there would be consequences for breaking those laws.

I used to be more conflicted about this issue. I used to think it would be considered “playing God” to help someone kill themselves. Maybe it is, but I don’t really know for sure. Then I thought about it a little more and decided that if a person is suffering greatly and has no chance of recovery, why shouldn’t they be able to have a physician help them end their life? I’m just talking about terminally ill people here, not those that will recover or have a chance at a fairly normal life again. If the person is going to die anyway, why prolong their suffering if they don’t wish to suffer anymore? I don’t see how doing that would be any worse than just withdrawing treatment from a person, which is an option that is legal in at least most states. When treatment is withdrawn, it’s usually for the purpose of accelerating the patient’s imminent death. The only difference that I see is that withdrawing treatment does not give the patient control over their actual time of death while a lethal injection or an overdose of pills administered by a physician would.

I also don’t see how allowing family members of a person in a coma or vegetative state, to choose to “pull the plug” on the person’s life support is better either. This is also legal, and in this situation the patient doesn’t even get a say in the matter (for obvious reasons), so it’s impossible to know what the patient would want, and his/her life is placed in the hands of another person rather than their own.

I think the reason why the withdrawing treatment options are legal is because they allow death to happen “naturally” rather than by “force.” Since death can happen naturally, people don’t consider it to be “playing God” because they are not actively doing anything to end their life, they’re just letting it happen. But, I really don’t see how choosing to let yourself or another person die is any more moral than actively taking a life, given that in both cases the end result, known by all participating (be it actively or passively), is death.

So, I believe that physician-assisted suicide should be legal. I do not think that a terminally ill person should have to suffer a slow and painful death if they do not want to, and I think that physicians should be able to assist should their help be requested. However, if a physician does not feel that assisting in the death of their patient is morally acceptable, I do not think that they should be forced to take part.

 By Shadow, United States of America
20 years old