Should Physicians Perform Euthanasia? Investigating the Right to Physician-Assisted Suicide - Essay Sample

Introduction

I will be investigating the right to physician-assisted suicide. According to the Lone Star College (2019), there is controversy over whether physicians should assist patients to die. People who support the issue argue provide reasons such as respect for the dying and compassion, while other opposed to the argument explain that it is a form of murder (Frost et al., 2014). I will investigate the claim on whether physicians should perform euthanasia or not.

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What is your argument and its counter argument?

My central argument is that physicians should perform assisted suicide on patients under a strict legal framework. The first reason is that it reduces a patient's suffering and helps him/her die in dignity (Goligher et al., 2017). The second argument is that physician-assisted suicide reduces the cost burden to the patient's family. Counterarguments include the fact that euthanasia is a form of murder that breaches legal and ethical regulations that govern physicians (Pereira, 2011). However, since patient autonomy ultimately guides care, patients have a right to choose whether to die or not.

Who are some of the people and sources making this claim?

Most of the sources I will use are academic journals in healthcare (Goligher et al., 2017). These information sources are peer-reviewed and contain accurate and timely information on the issue. The authors of these journal articles are accomplished physicians with experience in healthcare, which makes their views authoritative. Additionally, I will also use one academic source from Lone Star College (2019) to provide an academic insight on the issue.

Who are other interested parties for this claim?

Other interested parties include the general public that has a right to determine the legality of euthanasia. Society makes laws that govern human conduct to safeguard peace and harmony. The general public will therefore have input on whether to allow euthanasia or not. Another interested party is the government, which is mandated to enforce ethics and laws. The government will be interested in the research findings since they may determine policy directions regarding the issue of physician-assisted suicide.

References

Frost, T. D., Sinha, D., & Gilbert, B. J. (2014). "Should assisted dying be legalised?"

Philosophy, Ethics, and Humanities in Medicine Journal 9(3). Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3901751/.

Goligher, E. C., Ely, E. W., Sulmasy, D. P., Bakker, J., Raphael, J., Volandes, A. E., Patel, B.

M., Payne, K., Hosie, A., Churchill, L., White, D. B. & Downar, J. (2017). "Physician-Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia in the ICU: A Dialogue on Core Ethical Issues". Critical Care in Medicine 45(2):149-155. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5245170/.

Lone Star College. (2019). The right to assisted suicide. Retrieved from http://www.lonestar.edu/rightto-assist-suicide.htm

Pereira, J. (2011). "Legalizing euthanasia or assisted suicide: the illusion of safeguards and controls". Current Oncology, 18(2), e38-e45. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3070710/.