Natasha Chandler
June 24, 2012
Assisted Suicide
Soc 120 Introduction to Ethics
Farrell Binder
Assisted suicide has its ups and downs at whether it is morally right or wrong. Society looks at situations from an angle of what’s right and wrong. In assisted suicide the legal, moral, and religious aspects are looked at. In some cultures it is looked at as a sin to commit suicide. The ultimate debate is determined by society what is a good reason of wanting to commit suicide and how ethics is involved.
We all have the right to die but, when morals and ethics compete they bump heads. It is legal to commit suicide in Canada because those that are dead cannot be charged (The Times 2012). The aiding, counseling for someone to commit suicide is illegal and you can get 14 years in prison (The Times 2012). The clinically depressed or someone who is incapable of making an informed decision is ruled out by the court (The Times 2012). I agree that there is not a choice for a person who commits suicide to not face any charges because they are deceased. I also agree on the fact that depressed people should not be given assistance on ending their life. If they are depressed enough they will end it themselves. Ethics play a part when we ask what is right or wrong, or what is a good reason to help take a life. A good reasoning in my opinion is terminally ill or paralyzed because their view of life is totally different before they were sick or paralyzed. They are not looking at life as being happy and probably ready to get it over with and just die.
The moral issue with this is this right to die situation morally correct? Euthanasia is supposed to be different then assisted suicide but I feel it’s the same thing without a choice. Animals and aborted babies can be looked at as being euthanized. They have no choice. Animals that are being put down are looked at as an act of being humane and abortion is looked at as pro-choice or pro-life. I am against abortion but not euthanization of an animal because; in some cases animals that are sick do need to be put down so that they won’t have an inhuman death. Some pet owners do not get their pets neutered to stop their pro creation of un wanted litters. The animals end up in animal shelters and if not adopted to make room for others they are euthanized. Women who pro create un wanted babies should be on some form of birth control to prevent this from happening.
Some believe that suicide is grieving mortal sin, one by nature can’t be repented of and death is up to God (Telegraph-Journal 2012). This is where religion takes place. Christians believe that suicide and euthanasia are both wrong (Telegraph-Journal 2012). I consider myself being spiritual and I am pro-lifedepending on the situation. If a person wants to commit suicide due to illness, depression, parallelization I would considered them a tortured soul and God will forgive them. Many faith groups look at suffering as a positive and it is a divine appointed opportunity of learning or purification (Religious Tolerance 2010). I disagree and feel that we should not suffer. Abortion is defiantlywrong to me because you are ending a life that never had time to really begin. I truly believe that God does not give everyone a right to have children. Some women cannot have kids and seek the help of fertility treatments to start families. While the women that can have kids abort the life that can be given to someone who will appreciate it. I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. If a woman is pregnant she should have that child. If she does not want children there is always birth control.
The classical theory that relates to assisted suicide and could solve it is utilitarianism. Since I am for suicide assistance the assisted and the assister can both benefit from the situation. The suicide patient will have the greater benefit due to the relief of pain or misery. The assistant will have a gain in finance for providing the service and a great feeling of helping someone. The problem can never be actually solved due to the different ethical views of suicide and euthanasia.
The prospective used in this debate is emotivism. Everything is based on a feeling or emotion about the situation. The suicide patient feels a negative way about life and wants to end it. The suicide assistant is an advocate and will help with the assistance of ending a person life. They also get a good feeling of making a person happy with themselves afterwards. The most famous assisted suicide doctor nicknamed “Doctor Death” was Dr. Jack Kevorkian. He was an advocate for assisted suicide. He assisted on euthanasia and was convicted of second degree murder after assisting over 130 people to death (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2011). His patients were terminally ill and somewhere in so much pain that their doctors couldn’t help them. Doctors fear of giving their patients pain medicine due to addiction to them. Some patients actually do need pain predication that strong just to live. I delivered my second child via c section three weeks ago and afterwards they gave me morphine. I had three bags to be exact. The first bag was right after the c section in the recovery room. The next bag did not work as well and I was in so much pain. The last bag of morphine worked and I was put out of my misery. I think about my grandmother who died from cancer 12 years ago. She was in the hospital and they gave her morphine but she still complained of pain as she was dying. The hospital staff said that they could not give her anything else stronger and that she reached her max of morphine. I don’t remember the exact details because I left and went home because I didn’t want to see my grandmother suffer and in pain before she died. I would rather them inject a drug in her body and let her peacefully go to sleep and never wake up. So this is why I feel that emotivism is the best prospective of suicide assistance.
In conclusion, the theory that I feel that will solve the debate over suicide assistance is utilitarianism because both sides benefit. The patient can be at peace without suffering and the assister can feel good about making someone happy or even financially. Emotivism is the perspective because everything is done out of emotions or a feeling. In the end a positive feeling is exhibited between both parties. I am pro assisted suicide because I feel like we have choice to live or not. If we don’t want to live on a legal aspect we can kill ourselves, on a moral aspect who cares if it’s right or wrong, and on a religious point that person is atortured soul.
Reference
The Times-Transcript. Moncton, N.B.: Jun 22, 2012. Pg 6 Retrieved from
Telegraph-Journal. Saint John, N.B.: Jun 21, 2012. Pg. A.9 Retrieved from
Religious Tolerance 1997 to 2010, Ethical aspects of PAS (Physician Assisted Suicide) Retrieved from
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pittsburgh, PA.: Jun 13, 2011. Pg B.6 Retrieved from