Assisted suicide has ever been one of the many controversial topics widely discussed in this modern age. There are many ethical concerns over this issue. There is also the debate of freedom to die versus possible abusing of rights.
The freedom to choose is one of the most important freedom a human deserves. Every human has the right to exercise his freedom to choose in any manner he may choose except where such act may obstruct others from exercising their freedoms or put others in danger. It is important and natural for one to have the chance to make choices for oneself. This basic human right is one of the main reasons there are people who support assisted suicide. Advocates of assisted suicide believe that a patient should be free to make a choice on whether he want to continue living his life in times of suffering.
However, there is the huge concern that people close to death are often too easily influenced. We are all inexorably affected by our immediate environment. Due to the physical weakness such patients are feeling, they are especially vulnerable to external influence. A simple look of exhaustion in a loved one's eyes, or even the way nurses and friends sigh in a patient's presence can affect the patient's will to continue fighting easily. Mr Ben Mattlin writes, "I've lived so close to death for so long that I know how thin and porous the border between coercion and free choice is, how easy it is for someone to inadvertently influence you to feel devalued and hopeless — to pressure you ever so slightly but decidedly into being 'reasonable', to unburdening others, to 'letting go.'" If this is true, we cannot we sure that the choice that the patient made truly reflects what he wished the outcome to be. It is difficult to determine whether the patient's consent to assisted suicide is really his own decision or not. Therefore, assisted suicide can easily be abused, especially by coldhearted relatives who want to be rid of a burden.
Advocates believe that assisted suicide is a good way to release the patients from their suffering. Continuing treatment for a terminally ill patient when he knows that he will eventually die actually prolongs the patient's pain and suffering. There are many who claim "you can't understand why anyone would push for assisted-suicide legislation until you've seen a loved one suffer". If patients are suffering so much in their last moments of life that even those around them can feel their pain, giving them the choice to have an easier way out is not out of the question. Reasonably, no one will argue against saving patients from their suffering.
The freedom to choose is one of the most important freedom a human deserves. Every human has the right to exercise his freedom to choose in any manner he may choose except where such act may obstruct others from exercising their freedoms or put others in danger. It is important and natural for one to have the chance to make choices for oneself. This basic human right is one of the main reasons there are people who support assisted suicide. Advocates of assisted suicide believe that a patient should be free to make a choice on whether he want to continue living his life in times of suffering.
However, there is the huge concern that people close to death are often too easily influenced. We are all inexorably affected by our immediate environment. Due to the physical weakness such patients are feeling, they are especially vulnerable to external influence. A simple look of exhaustion in a loved one's eyes, or even the way nurses and friends sigh in a patient's presence can affect the patient's will to continue fighting easily. Mr Ben Mattlin writes, "I've lived so close to death for so long that I know how thin and porous the border between coercion and free choice is, how easy it is for someone to inadvertently influence you to feel devalued and hopeless — to pressure you ever so slightly but decidedly into being 'reasonable', to unburdening others, to 'letting go.'" If this is true, we cannot we sure that the choice that the patient made truly reflects what he wished the outcome to be. It is difficult to determine whether the patient's consent to assisted suicide is really his own decision or not. Therefore, assisted suicide can easily be abused, especially by coldhearted relatives who want to be rid of a burden.
Advocates believe that assisted suicide is a good way to release the patients from their suffering. Continuing treatment for a terminally ill patient when he knows that he will eventually die actually prolongs the patient's pain and suffering. There are many who claim "you can't understand why anyone would push for assisted-suicide legislation until you've seen a loved one suffer". If patients are suffering so much in their last moments of life that even those around them can feel their pain, giving them the choice to have an easier way out is not out of the question. Reasonably, no one will argue against saving patients from their suffering.
However, practically, it is extremely difficult to draw the line. We know that doctors are the ones who decides whether a patient is eligible for assisted suicide. Thus, although the patient is the one given the choice, it is really the doctor who makes the final decision whether to grant the patient's wish. But who are doctors to decide whether one patient deserves to be relieved from their "pain and suffering" while another is not? Even if a clear standard like "only the terminally ill with less than 6 months to live is eligible for assisted suicide" is set, it is still not satisfactory to all parties concerned.
If terminally ill patients are eligible, why are mentally ill patients not eligible? Even if patients suffering from mental illnesses are physically fit, who are we to say that they are not suffering as much or even more than the terminally ill patients? What about people who are abused or mistreated? Even though they are suffering as much physically and mentally, why are they condemned when they resort to suicide? It is unfair to decide that terminally ill patients' suffering deserve to be relieved while depriving others, who are suffering due to other problems, of this choice.
Furthermore, life is valuable. It is not right to take the easy way out. I believe that a person should do his best to live life to the fullest till the very end. Only by doing so, can one leave this world and move on without any regrets. There are many cases in which we do not realize what is valuable till we lose it. Similarly, it often happens that one can only notice one's deepest wishes close to death. Also, mindsets are very important. An optimistic patient can live longer and suffer less (mentally) compared to their counterparts. Legalizing assisted suicide promotes a mindset that it is alright to just let go. However, I believe that it is wrong to end life without a fight.
In conclusion, I am against assisted suicide due to the mindset it promotes and the many complications that might arise when enforcing it.
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