weeproject milestone

5

Annotated Bibliography

Olawoyin Ibitoye

Chamberlain University

ETHC445N-60355

Professor Richards

11/28/2021

Question 1

Assisted suicide is among the most controversial topics in the world today, especially in medicine. The ethics of this practice are directly before the public eye, and the fixed media attention and growing concern over the control of life has generated intense ethical considerations about the legalization of the processes. Public discussion has focused on the longing for control over the means of death and timing amid the warnings concerning the possible injury or abuse of the long-standing prohibitions about assisting suicide in the community or being directly involved in another person’s death.

Concurring with the public debate but separate from it in numerous ways is the discussion of assisted suicide in the medical field. Here, the community asserts that the practice is wrong and should not be allowed for individuals, despite the situations involved in the particular cases (Sulmasy, et al., 2016). Others might support that some cases are exceptional. The communal views on the ethics of assisted suicide have not much relevance in the contemporary world. The issue of autonomy for individuals to close whether to live is also a center of debate in communal ethics because the world is increasingly accepting death as a mandatory natural occurrence, hence considering the right of choosing to live and die.

The most significant communal ethics about assisted suicide is religion. The world of religion does not support the concept of assisted suicide because the teachings view life as a sacred gift from God that should be preserved, and only God can take and give life. Most of the personal ethics surrounding the issue are embedded in religion, as people would rather follow teachings than do things based on their autonomy or independence. In addition, individuals believe that there is no cost of life; therefore, it is wrong to take other people's lives.

While the arguments of assisted suicide come from a strong ethical position, others believe that assisted suicide is ethical especially depending on the situation. Individuals supporting assisted suicide argue that sometimes it is troubling for patients to go through so much pain without any hope of getting better. Therefore, assisted suicide is justified because it relieves individuals of suffering. Some patients are diagnosed and suffer from very painful medical conditions that do not give them hope of recovery, therefore in such a situation, proposers that assisted suicide is justified. In addition, the main objective of medicine is to relieve patients from pain and suffering from various medical conditions. Therefore, proposers hold that ending a patient’s pain and suffering through Letha ingestion is ethically acceptable and the most humane way of ending their lives.

The process of assisted suicide considers the consent of individuals, and they willingly ingest the medication meant to kill them. Therefore, the process is ethically justified because it shies away from any form of coercion or force from the medical personnel and their families. Assisted suicide is acceptable in more ways due to how the patients die than killing them or other means of suicide that might be considered unacceptable and inhumane. Overall, proposers of assisted suicide deem it justified based on the procedures, the patient’s consent, and the element of ending suffering for patients with severe medical conditions.

Question 2

According to Kant, an agent who ends their own life violates the moral law; therefore, suicide and the extension of assisted suicide are morally wrong. If killing is wrong, then voluntary killing is also wrong. In forbidding and speaking against assisted suicide or euthanasia, Kant conflates respect for people and persons and perceives the issue of killing one person as a process of undermining the element of personhood (Tiensuu, 2018). There is no way individuals under the Kant ideology can justify self-killing and assisted suicide because they contradict the moral law. Even when other Kantians adhere to the doctrine, they reject it. Kant perceives individuals killing themselves because they are ill is wrong. Kantian ethics mandate that individuals should do the right thing even though they produce bad results. Therefore, despite the expected results, Kantian ethics rule against the practice of assisted suicide, and individuals should preserve and uphold the value of life despite their circumstances.

Question 3

The article focuses on the legalization of assisted suicide and euthanasia. Therefore, it explores the attitudes and practices and the legal status of euthanasia and assisted suicide. After conducting interviews with physicians and reviewing death certificates in Belgium and Netherlands, the study discovered that countries including Belgium, Luxembourg, Canada, Columbia, and the Netherlands could legally carry out assisted suicide and euthanasia. The United States allows assisted suicide but not euthanasia. Overall, the study concluded that assisted suicide and euthanasia are increasingly legalized, although they are rare and mostly apply to cancer patients. I agree with the idea that nations are legalizing assisted therapy because they quickly acknowledge that some cases warrant such extreme measures, especially for cancer patients. “A large portion of patients receiving physician-assisted suicide in Oregon and Washington reported being enrolled in hospice or palliative care, as did patients in Belgium” (Emanuel et al., 2016). This article is important in identifying the legal and political points of view on assisted suicide.

The article acknowledges that assisted suicide is increasingly popular. However, it states, “Regulation of assisted suicide limits the number of assisted deaths” (Borasio, Jox, & Gamondi, 2019). The article focuses on the Netherlands and Belgium, where the raters of assisted suicide are increasing because of its legalization. I agree that restricting the number of assisted suicides will help limit the prevalence of these types of death because individuals only do it. After all, it is legally acceptable. Instead, individuals should endure their conditions and have faith in medical assistance. This source helps me understand why the rates of assisted suicide have been increasing in some countries in recent times.

The source takes a unique approach and states, “it is wrong to assume that patients suffering from mental health issues (including depression) cannot consent to assisted suicide” (Shawn, Trachsel, & Elger, 2018). Therefore, it focuses on the decision-making processes involved in the assisted suicide process and the exceptions involved. I do not agree with the article that mentally ill patients should make decisions concerning assisted suicide because they are incapacitated and not in the right mind for such complex decisions. The article has helped me understand a different point of view about mentally ill patients participating in assisted suicide, although I do not agree.

The study declares that assisted suicide is not ethically justified. “Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide are Unethical Acts." The article states that “What is legal is not necessarily ethical” (Rutledge, et al., 2019). This means that the source does not support the practice despite being legalized in several countries and argues that patients do not know what it is like to be dead, although they willingly participate in assisted suicide. I agree with the source that assisted suicide is wrong. The source has helped me understand both sides of the justification of assisted suicide, although the conclusion is that it is not right.

Mishara, B. L. (2016). 27. The Right to Die and the Right to Live: Perspectives on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide. In Suicide in Canada (pp. 441-458). University of Toronto Press.

The source mainly focuses on assisted suicide and euthanasia in Canada. “In Canada, all deaths are classified according to a limited number of generally accepted categories, causes of death may be ‘natural,’ ‘accidental,’ ‘homicide” (Mishara, 2016). This is the outline for what is acceptable in Canada s a death. The source presents both sides of the argument for and against assisted suicide and euthanasia. I agree that every individual has their perspective about the issue, and the source was helpful for me to understand both sides of the argument.

References

Borasio, G. D., Jox, R. J., & Gamondi, C. (2019). Regulation of assisted suicide limits the number of assisted deaths. The Lancet, 393(10175), 982-983.

Emanuel, E. J., Onwuteaka-Philipsen, B. D., Urwin, J. W., & Cohen, J. (2016). Attitudes and practices of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Jama, 316(1), 79-90.

Mishara, B. L. (2016). 27. The Right to Die and the Right to Live: Perspectives on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide. In Suicide in Canada (pp. 441-458). University of Toronto Press.

Rachels, S., & Rachels, J. (2019). The elements of moral philosophy (9th ed.). Mcgraw-Hill Education

Rutledge, S., Komrad, M., Kyrillos, E., Lau, T., Leiva, R., Leong, R., ... & Quinlan, J. (2019). Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide are unethical acts. Medical World Journal, 34.

Shaw, D., Trachsel, M., & Elger, B. (2018). Assessment of decision-making capacity in patients requesting assisted suicide. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 213(1), 393-395.

Sulmasy, D. P., Travaline, J. M., Mitchell, L. A., & Ely, E. W. (2016). Non-faith-based arguments against physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia. The Linacre Quarterly, 83(3), 246-257.

Tiensuu, P. (2018, May). Life in Principle: Assisted Suicide and the Right to Life as a Fundamental Right. In Proceedings of the XXIII World Congress of Philosophy (Vol. 15, pp. 95-100).