Cali Powell

UWRT 1103
Mrs. Thomas
29 November 2015
Reflection
I cant believe I changed my topic, and I definitely cant believe Mrs. Thomas let me. Im
so much more engaged in my new topic, and Im so glad I got to change that I dont even
mind having to redo all of the previous assignments for it! I feel like I really concentrated
on the actual topic this time, rather than the pieces that interest me. I could have
probably been more concrete on my standing, but I think I done a decent job presenting
both sides of the argument so that the audience can form opinions for themselves.
Euthanasia for Humans- Is It Morally Just?
Euthanasia is a nice term for assisted suicide, literally meaning good death.
There are multiple types of euthanasia, including voluntary, non-voluntary, and
involuntary. Voluntary euthanasia is often called assisted suicide, which is legalized in
some countries and even some states in the U.S. Non-voluntary euthanasia is when the
patient cannot give consent, such as when on life support and the family are expected to
make the decision for them. Involuntary is formally known as murder, which of course is
not legal anywhere. Voluntary euthanasia is such a controversial topic in the states, and
the possible legality of it will become more prominent in the years to come.
There was a story of a man, Matthew Donnelly, who was a terminal cancer patient
that cried out every day in the hospital for someone to please end his suffering. He
wanted nothing more than to escape his misery, in fact he pleaded with physicians and

nurses to stop saving him. His brother, Harold, was the only one of his family left, and
the only one who ever came to see him. They had a great relationship and it hurt Harold
to see his brother in so much pain, so one day he came to the hospital to visit Matt, and
shot and killed him in his hospital bed, (Andre & Velasquez, 2014). Of course, this is
considered murder, and even though Harold had good intentions, he faces a life in prison,
all for trying to save his brother from his eternal misery in that hospital. He knew his
brother would rot in that hospital, so he tried saving him from his cancer. Not saying that
he done it in the most humane of ways, but he had good intentions in helping his brother.
I would like to think that
Many believe that an individual holds the right to end ones life. Others object,
saying the Supreme ruler can only decide when ones time has come. The main
confliction with this debate is a battle between religion and law. Most Christian believers
are against assisted suicide, whereas others who stand by the constitution and the
individuals divine rights support it. The argument made by opponents start with the
definition of murder. Murder is the unlawful premeditated killing of one human being by
another, (Merriam-Webster, 2003) Murder is murder, no matter if you call it helping the
sick or not.
Critics claim that there is a reason for everything- even ones suffering. If a
terminally ill patient decides to sign over their right to live, what happens to the family
they left behind? It could rip a family apart, especially if they werent informed of the
patients wishes. Most that do not agree with assisted suicide have strong faith in God,
meaning they also believe in the possibility of miracles. There is no way to know if the
medical advances and treatments could possibly save or at least help ease the patients

suffering, and they would never have that chance if they decided to sign over their life at
the hands of a physician or trusted family member. The idea of not knowing what could
happen is enough to believe that you should be grateful of the life you live, and remain in
faith that bad times will not be infinite.
Supporters of assisted suicide believe that dying with dignity should always come
before suffering. If one is desperate enough to ask for help in committing suicide, it
probably means that they will do it themselves if thats what it takes. Personally I have
never suffered any illness or pain, but I have seen others live in misery until the last days
of their life. As a loved one, I would never wish to see my mother, father, grandmother,
grandfather, or even distant cousin suffer a terminating illness, to a point where they can
no longer take care of themselves. If the only route out of suffering was euthanasia, and it
was a wish made by the sufferer, of course I would want to make sure that their last dying
wish was taken into account. No one wants to see their loved one die, but I, along with
others, can assure you that seeing a loved one suffer and cry out for help is far worse than
letting them die with dignity.
A physician and journalist, Lonny Shavelson, legally helped 5 terminal patients
end their life through lethal injection. Shavelson claims to have more insight on the
medicalization of death, and believes that it should be legalized all throughout the
country. He helped a terminal brain cancer patient, a circus performer with AIDS, a writer
with metastatic breast cancer, and a quadriplegic looking for love end their lives due to
the severe conditions they endured, (Shavelson, 1995). Shavelson believes that he helped
those people do what they didnt have the guts to do themselves. They saw nothing but

heartache, misery, and pain in their futures, so he considers it a favor he done unto them
to help them reach eternal happiness beyond the suffering on earth, (Shavelson, 1995).
The right to die is just as constitutional as the right of marriage, procreation, and
refusal of medical treatment, (procon, 2015). One should be able to decide their own fate,
just as one can decide to sign DNR papers while in the hospital. Individual freedom
requires that all persons be allowed to control their own destiny, especially at lifes end,
(Humphrey, 1986). Our country was founded on the belief of individual freedom, and if
that means that an individual wants to end their life, it is then up to another individual to
decide if they want to help them. Of course, there is a thin line on what is considered
murder if assisted suicide is legalized, and whos to say what the guidelines should be to
convict a person of true murder? The laws already in place regarding euthanasia are
only applicable with the assurance from a physician that the patient has no hope to live,
and that their fate is already determined in death. There are probably a few loopholes that
could be tweaked, but with years of experience and knowledge about these cases, I have
full faith that the justice system will take all dangers of the act into account before putting
the law in place everywhere.
On the contrary, many supporters of the legalization of euthanasia overlook the
effects on the physicians and nurses themselves. Not many stop to think that maybe the
doctors dont morally agree with assisted suicide, so by forcing them to partake in the act,
would be not only immoral, but taking their individual rights away as well. Not only
considering their personal stances on the issue, but their legal stance as well. Doctors are
required to take the Hippocratic Oath upon graduating med school, which in short states
that doctors have the responsibility to keep their patients alive, (procon, 2015). There are

several versions of the Hippocratic Oath, one in which claims that physicians treat the ill
to the best of ones ability, to preserve a patients privacy, to teach the secrets of medicine
to the next generation, and so on, (MedicinNet, 2013). In this sense, a doctors job is to
save patients, not willingly end their life. So, if assisted suicide was legalized, the Oath
would have to be altered to where each doctor has to swear by, but what happens if a
doctor doesnt approve and does not want to take part in euthanasia on humans? Do they
still have the right to say no? In current events with gay marriage, each preacher is only
responsible for marrying the gays by choice. Each preacher has the right to choose based
on their beliefs whether or not they will marry a gay couple in their church. Assuming
that will be a precedent for laws alike for the future, each doctor should have the right to
choose to take part in the legalized act. So, whats the problem?
Alongside of taking the doctors side, many critics say that there are many other
ways to help a patient live the remainder of their life more comfortably. Suicide is not the
only way out of misery and suffering, in fact there are many medicinal researchers
looking for stronger medicines to treat patients, if not the cure for the disease itself.
There are many more compassionate alternatives to assisting in ones suicide, such as
hospice, more effective pain control, and independent living for the disabled- these
alternatives can transform a death wish to a desire to live, (Smith, 1997).
Hospice is already popular throughout the country, and most know that whenever
hospice is called, the likelihood of the patient surviving is at a minimum. It takes a
special kind of person to work in hospice, typically those who are patient, kind, and very
comforting. The goal of hospice is to make a persons final days, weeks, or months
comfortable with the least amount of pain as possible. Morphine is typically given to

terminal patients as an extreme pain reliever, in hopes that in their final days they will not
feel the physical pain of death. Not only does stronger medicine and hospice help ease the
pain for patients, but it also buys them and loved ones more time together. How many
times have you heard someone say I wish I just had one more day with them? The
alternative treatments doctors and nurses can provide will give the family that one extra
day that they long for with loved ones.
Not only are there other ways around assisting in ones suicide, but most medical
professionals are not trained in dealing with ones feelings about death, (Cundiff, 1992).
A doctor participating in ones suicide has the potential to be sued by a family member, or
even worse could be an opponent in a murder taken out underhandedly by a money
hungry relative. A beneficiary could easily encourage a sick family member to ask to be
euthanized just to get what they want. Assuming that there would be laws in place stating
that only the patient could decide to end their life is fair, but has anyone put any thought
into the possibility of a relative coaxing the patient to sign over their right to live?
Among a ton of differing opinions on the matter, I believe that each and every
person has the right to decide their own fate. We all have the option to end our lives
ourselves, but that leaves you with having no dignity left, so by asking for a physicians
help in terminating their life, I think it is a very courageous thing to do. Not only will the
patient die after living a happy and sustainable life, but they will die with dignity before it
is all ripped away by the crippling disease they suffer from. Of course there are a few
things that need to be thought through before legalizing euthanasia, and the
circumstances surrounding ones decision to end ones life should be heavily investigated
and approved before the act is committed, but I believe that dying with dignity is very

important to the human race and for the future. As far as alternate measures, my mother
once worked as a hospice nurse because she strongly believes in helping others, not only
through life, but death as well. She saw things being done to helpless individuals, ones
that would have to soil themselves in the bed because they have to depend on someone
else to do everything for them. Families lose care over their loved ones over time,
growing tired of taking care of them. These horrors are what terminally ill patients face in
times of death and suffering, and I would not wish that upon anyone to endure. The last
memories of ones loved ones should be happy, not bedridden and helpless, begging to
end their life and escape their misery and pain. I sympathize with those who see no way
out other than suicide, but I would like to think that doctors and medicine can evolve to
not only help one live, but help one die comfortably as well.

Works Cited
"HippocraticOath."MedicineNet.28Aug.2013.Web.2Dec.2015.
<http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=20909>.
"EuthanasiaProCon.org."ProConorgHeadlines.Web.2Dec.2015.<http://euthanasia.procon.org/>.

Andre, Claire and Velasquez, Manuel, 2014. Assisted Suicide: A Right or Wrong?
Santa Clara University. Web Retrieved 20 November 2015.
Smith,WesleyJ.ForcedExit:TheSlipperySlopefromAssistedSuicidetoLegalizedMurder.NewYork:
Times,1997.Print.

Humphry,Derek,andAnnWickett.TheRighttoDie:UnderstandingEuthanasia.NewYork:Harper&
Row,1986.Print.

Cundiff,DavidE.EuthanasiaIsNottheAnswer:AHospicePhysician'sView.Totowa,N.J.:Humana,
1992.Print.

Shavelson,Lonny.AChosenDeath:TheDyingConfrontAssistedSuicide.NewYork,NY:Simon&
Schuster,1995.Print.
Webster,Inc.MerriamWebster'sCollegiateDictionary.11thed.Springfield,MA:MerriamWebster,
2003.Print.