Emily Teale
Mr. O’Connell
American Literature
May 21, 2014 Doctor-assisted Suicide should be Illegal
Most people take life for granted. We fail to appreciate each day as a new opportunity with endless possibilities. Yes, some people are more privileged than others, but in no way is this a valid excuse to disregard the gift of life that all of us are given. Unfortunately, many fail to realize this, and decide to throw themselves into nonexistence. This act, suicide, is one of the leading causes of death in America at around 35,000 individuals lost per year. With this already staggering amount, the number is still increasing, and now a few of us are entertaining the idea of allowing doctors to cast aside their age old Hippocratic oath. We, as human beings, do not have the right to legalize doctor-assisted suicide.
Now think of someone that you truly care about, someone who’s absence in this world would leave you with an overwhelming feeling of deprivation. How would you react if this person were to willingly take his or her own life? How much worse would it be if this person were to be assisted by a doctor in abandoning you? Only the warmest feelings of gratitude would be directed towards these doctors, right? Due to human nature, this is undoubtedly not the case. With this legalization, doctors would be obliged to oppose their moral duties to every patient. Doctors’ duties are to help people; these do not include “helping to hurt” people. All the families and friends of patients that are assisted with suicide are bound to target the doctor that facilitated the death. This would only cause more controversy and a loss of faith in doctors. The only ones who would accept this atrocity are those with infirmities leading to suicidal thoughts. The publicity of doctor-assisted suicides could greatly increase the self-harm rate of Americans and encourage others to give up on life rather than try to make it work. People would begin to question medical departments regarding whether or not they truly have a patient’s best interests at heart, especially if their assistance makes suicide seem justifiable. Rather than consenting to suicide, doctors should look for alternate ways to prevent this harmful act.
The way to help suicidal people is not to give them what they desire but to show them how to conquer their problems and cherish their limited time on Earth. Every