Assisted Suicide

Our topic for our group paper is assisted suicide. Like many, I have a really hard time choosing a side on this issue. My view is that I could never personally help someone kill themselves nor could I stand letting one of my family members die that way. However, if someone is terminally ill and are suffering, I can see how they would want to die a less painful, drawn out, death.
The first article I found is about assisted suicide for terminally ill elders. Apparently, a majority of elders die extremely painful deaths and are under medicated during the slow process. This sever pain has increased the request for assisted suicide. Maybe, if they elders are more strongly medicated for their pain the request will decrease again. It is not right that these elders would rather die sooner than live a full life because of how much pain they are in. If they are on medication and they are still hurting you would think the doctors could do something to help lessen the pain even more.
The second article I found was about the view of assisted suicide from an old man who wanted to pursue the drug himself. Mr. J was in end-stage gastrointestinal malignancy, he was only experiencing minor pains and his symptoms weren’t too bad but he wished to die. The doctors questioned if he were suicidal but from evaluations he seemed just fine. So when Mr. J was asked why he wanted to die if he was not in great pain he answered that his life no longer held purpose, meaning, or hope. He was too weak to do anything and if he already knew he was dying, what was the point in him just waiting it out. Slowly he would grow weaker and experience more and more pain. He would rather die, happily, as he is now. Overall, the reason he is so unhappy and down about his life is because he is sad, and has no support. A study showed that hopelessness is one of the biggest factors in wanted assisted suicide. A supporting community could change all of Mr. J’s views on his life.

Work Cited:

Schroepfer, A. Tracy. “Mind Frames Toward Dying and Factors Motivating Their Adoption by Terminally Ill Elders”, The Journals of Gerontology, Series B July 13, 2004. Pg 129-139.

Chochinov, M. Harvey. “Dignity and the Eye of the Beholder”, Journal of Clinical Oncology. Volume 22, No 7. April 1st, 2004, Pages 1336-1340.