Assisted suicide has been a controversial subject for many years. The reason for both euthanasia and assisted suicide, the difference between which is in who actively ends the life, the doctor or the patient, is ending unbearable pain. However, although this might seem reason enough for some to defend assisted suicide, others might argue it to be murder and/or against the Hippocratic Oath. In my opinion, assisted suicide should be legal, and it should be the patient’s choice to end his or her suffering when he or she feels it is too much to handle.
There is an ethical dilemma which lies in determining whether the patient is in the right mind to make such a big decision. When someone is in a lot of pain, the easiest solution is to give up and to end the suffering by ending one’s life. However, the patient, and even the doctors, might not be aware of possible treatment. Therefore, going through with assisted suicide would mean taking away that chance at recovery. Furthermore, normalizing assisted suicide as the solution to intolerable pain might lead to a devaluation of life – and, as a result, to an increase in suicides, both in the hospital and outside. Moreover, as mentioned above, some might argue that assisted suicide goes against the professional medical ethics of the doctors and nurses.
On the other hand, however, even in the sickest of states a person must still retain his or her autonomy. When in such condition, a patient is likely to feel incredibly helpless, and having the ability to decide whether to live or not might be the only way he or she can exercise control. Even if the patient does not go through with his decision, having that ability might be beneficial to his or her morale. Furthermore, the self-determination of such kind preserves dignity of the patient in a critical condition. And lastly, by the Hippocratic Oath, medical professionals swear to respect the patients’ autonomy. Hence, it would actually be against their professional ethics not to assist in suicide if the patient wanted them to do so. Therefore, because of these reasons, I think that assisted suicide and euthanasia should be legalized.