Physician Assisted Suicide (PAS) | Teen Ink

Physician Assisted Suicide (PAS)

March 11, 2019
By ltemple03 BRONZE, Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania
ltemple03 BRONZE, Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania
3 articles 0 photos 0 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Don't forget about me."


Physician assisted suicide is a well argued about topic, is it wrong or is it right, should it be legalized or not. Many people believe PAS is physicians prescribing anyone with the means to end their lives, but it is not. PAS is physicians prescribing terminally ill patients who may not have the strength or will physically or mentally to continue living in their conditions a safer way out. PAS would benefit many terminally ill patients throughout the states, more than suffering through treatments that are meant to help but just prolong their suffering. Physician assisted suicide should become legalized in all fifty states because it would allow terminally ill patients a dignified death and a choice over their own lives.  


Legalizing physician assisted suicide would allow terminally ill patients to die with dignity. Dignity is the sense of pride in oneself or self-respect. Legalizing PAS in all fifty states offers the chance to rise the levels of dignified deaths throughout the states. Many terminally ill patients feel beat down and upset that their disease will eventually take their lives but allowing them to have the option to end their own lives will give them a chance to die with dignity. According to deathwithdignity, “For the terminally ill, the greatest comfort these laws provide is having the freedom to control their own ending. Most people who obtain medications under these laws value being able to make their own decisions, including the where and when of their death.” A dignified death will also allow for suffering to end sooner for the patient and the family. In society for a patient to not have to feel beaten down or upset with themselves for their disease getting the best of them, allows for a greater chance of higher self-respect. 


Allowing for a greater chance of higher self-respect is not the only pro to physician assisted suicide being legalized also allows terminally ill patients a choice over their own lives. Allowing patients, a choice offers a feeling of relief to the patients and their families. That feeling of relief comes from knowing the patients can say goodbye to their families and that the patients can end their suffering earlier than if they were to pass away from their disease. A terminally ill patient may feel upset or embarrassed with having a terminal disease, so offering them a choice can raise their spirits and make them feel less embarrassed. A choice can make them feel less embarrassed and raise their spirits by allowing them a way to not suffer and not feel like a burden. In society offering a choice allows people to feel relieved that they are not forced to do one thing or another, in this case it allows terminally ill patients to not feel forced to live with a disease that makes them suffer until it eventually ends their lives.  
Physician assisted suicide may allow for a dignified death or for a patient to have a choice, but it also allows for an opportunity of corruption of the profession of medicine. If PAS is legalized in all fifty states, there is an opportunity that the profession of medicine could become corrupt by physicians. According to Heritage, “The heart of medicine is healing. Doctors cannot heal by assisting patients to kill themselves or by killing them. They rightly seek to eliminate disease and alleviate pain and suffering. They may not, however, seek to eliminate the patient. Allowing doctors to assist in killing threatens to fundamentally corrupt the defining goal of the profession of medicine.”   In society if a person was to go against what was intended it would allow for an opportunity of corruption. 


Physician assisted suicide, is it wrong or is it right and should it be legalized. PAS would benefit many terminally ill patients. Legalizing PAS would allow terminally ill patients to have a dignified death and a choice over their own lives. Even though there is an opportunity for physicians to become corrupt the pros to physician assisted suicide outweigh the con.  In society for a patient to not have to feel beaten down or upset with themselves for their disease getting the best of them, allows for a greater chance of higher self-respect and offering a choice allows people to feel relieved that they are not forced to do one thing or another. Physician assisted suicide should be legalized in all fifty states.  


The author's comments:

This piece was written as an argumentative essay for my tenth grade English class.


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