Right to die?

I personally think that people that are terminally ill should not have the right to choose when and how they should die. As Jack Kevorkian known as Dr. Death once said "Dying is not a crime" but some people may think the doctors are comitting murder? Jack Kevorkian is best known for championing a terminal patient's right to die (2012) Jack supposedly assisted 130p patients with physician-assisted suicide. He later charged with second degree murder for his assistance and served 8 years of a 10-25 year prison sentence. Where do you draw the line between life and death? What is terminal illness? Terminal illness maybe defined differently for one physician to another. Many people have been told they only have six months to live and have gone on to live many many months past that deadline. If they would have taken their own life, how much more would they have missed out on? Whose to say that in those few months another break through in medical science may have been made.

Many religions still hold that it is up to God not man to determain when somebody dies. Some people might say that life is something to not abandoned not matter what the circumstances are. No matter how bad the situtaion gets. While most religions oppose euthanasia, some do support liberal views regarding the decision. So in all I think that people who are terminally ill should not have the right to choose how or when they die. The decision should still be handled by God. There is no clear cut way to determine who should live and who should die.

Jack kevorkian. (Sept, 2012 17). Retrieved from [Only admins are allowed to see this link]
Right to die. (Sept, 2012 17). Retrieved from [Only admins are allowed to see this link]

I totally agree with you Katie, especially about that point when you talked about Jack Kevorkian and his case. If he got in trouble for assisting people in suicide, why are we thinking about doing the same thing? Is that not a double standard? To me it would be viewing it as murder one second and as something good the next. I feel that choosing the time when and how to end your life, is against nature. Nobody knows when they are going to die, so why should that change? An article that I read stated that this "may cause moral pressure to free up medical resources" (Anti-euthanasia arguments, 2012). That quote made me think, if more and more people feel pressured to make room for others, and then are they really capable of making the decision of assisted-suicide? When they say mentally capable, what do they truly mean? Do they take the time to investigate the patient's thoughts and see if they have any source of depression or any other reason than suffering? Also like said in the quote, will they feel pressured to have to live to make room for others? I mean do they feel that if they are going to die anyway, they are obligated to make room? That is what people aren’t looking at, they just think the patients have their mindset on pain, but could they be thinking of more?

Resources:
Unknown. Anti-euthanasia arguments. (2012). Retrieved 20 September, 2012, from BBC Ethics Guide: [Only admins are allowed to see this link]

I do like some of the points you made in your post Katie. Some points, I didn’t think in depth about. As I am a Christian, I still believe that it should be the person’s choice on whether they want to die or not. People kill themselves everyday, people kill others every day. Nothing says that those things are right either, so what is the difference of someone wanting to die because they don’t have dignity left or they simply can’t make it through the pain and suffering. I think that it is much better for someone to go peacefully, than to die just waiting and suffering. I feel that the morals are right, no matter what. As Matt referred to the Declaration of Independence, we have the right to our own life. It is an unalienable right given to us by God. We may do what we choose with it. I fully believe that if a person is terminally ill, they should be able to decide what they would like to do with their life.

Katie i do agree with parts of what you are saying but i think that you can not judge how much people how much people are in pain. And, if God has a plan for everyone and everything don't you think that he would have planned for this. If he does indeed have a plan then yes he will have compensated and planned for it, such is the definition of fate. But indeed It is very hard for anyone, even a trained professional to predict with 100% or even 80% accuracy who will live and who will not. "Dying is not a crime" and it is hypocritical of the law to punish those who end the misery of others like Jack Kevorkian and then turn around and employ the capital punishment. There is a fine line between mercy and murder and he is definetly stepping on it.