Euthanasia Debate Free Essay Example, 2500 words

A consideration of some medical practices that have been legalized despite their moral contentions and non-healing objectives is the first basis for exploring the euthanasia and physician assisted suicide debate. Application of contraceptive pills that control unwanted pregnancies is a non-healing act but is considered legal and ethical and similarity in application of contraceptives and those of euthanasia and physician assisted suicide means that they should be accorded a similar treatment regarding the healing argument. The core objective of contraceptive application is to respect people’s right to determine their appropriate time for having children and implies the need for respect of people’s autonomy in other matters. Termination of life through physicians’ assistance falls within such categories of personal decisions, especially if the patient makes the primary reason (Martin, Mauron, and Hurst, 2011). Legal and moral considerations over â€Å"preventive medical measures and palliative care† are other reasons that support legalization of euthanasia and physician assisted suicide (Martin, Mauron, and Hurst, 2011, p. 56). The two scopes of care lack healing objective but have never been controversial. They are further legal and this undermines the controversy of physician-assisted deaths based on lack of healing objective. We will write a custom essay sample on Euthanasia Debate or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now In addition to the healing perspective, ethical and legal issues in care provisions identify the need for assisted deaths. Legal provisions and medical ethics require care providers to respect patients’ autonomy with a consequence that a patient’s decision should be final. Retaining illegality of euthanasia and physician assisted suicide therefore induces legal dilemma because the law is contradictory. It offers patients the right to ask for physicians’ help in life termination and at the same time prohibit physicians from respecting patients’ rights. This identifies weakness in law, and one of the solutions is to legalize euthanasia and physician assisted suicide for consistent laws. The law also safeguards personal values and beliefs such as cultural practices and religious views that may promote voluntary end of life. Such views however, remain contrary to the same law and a physician’s refusal to help a patient in terminating life would contravene legal provisions for respect of personal values. Studies have further identified social needs for euthanasia and physician assisted suicide in the relationship between patients and their physicians following decisions to assist or not to assist patients in their death decisions.