Course

RELG-326: Medical Ethics

Document Type

Student Paper

Publication Date

Winter 1-24-2018

Disciplines

Bioethics and Medical Ethics | Biology

Description, Abstract, or Artist's Statement

Illness is never easy to deal with and death is even harder whether it be for the patient, the patient's family, or the physician. Add into that, cases of sever and/or long-term suffering and people can begin wondering what there is to live for. Our animal companions have been able to escape pain via euthanasia for some time now but that same option is not generally available for their human counterparts. A suggested option for our terminally in is physician-assisted suicide. This has been met with a large amount of opposition, partly due to fear of promoting suicide, partly due to the idea that physicians will given less care for their terminally ill patients, and partly due to the idea of human dignity. Through this paper, it will be shown why these arguments, among others, do not stand and why giving people the option of physician-assisted suicide could be beneficial to many. It also looks at standards of care and what it is to lead a "good life."

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