Assisted suicide- A murder?
Introduction
Assisted suicide is a right to die in some countries, it means people of the country can end their life voluntarily with a lethal dosage of drugs prescribed by the doctor for that purpose. However some countries and religions do not agree with that as Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism believe in the principle that life is sacred and only God, not the individual, should determine when their life ends.
The countries and religions that believe in God and rely on God say assisted suicide is the same as murder but the countries like Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Finland, Germany, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, South Korea, Switzerland, and the US states of California, Colorado, Hawaii, Montana, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington as well as Washington, DC thinks it is a right of a human being to decide to die with dignity and choose the time to die so it is very much legal in this countries and assisted suicide is being practiced in this countries from so long. In the year 1993, when 12-year old Tracy Latimer, severely disabled by cerebral palsy, had her life taken by her father Robert.
It was called an “act of mercy” by many. The next year Latimer was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment with no eligibility for parole for ten years.
In my opinion, this is one of those impossible ethical dilemmas, as in doctors and scientists has that ability and knowledge through which they have developed the life lingering machinery but now the question is when should we remove that artificial means of support, who should decide that what should influence that decision! which parent can see their child being in pain?
If someone is suffering from a deadly disease and they don’t want to go through all the pain they still have to because they cannot decide on ending their life when they wish to.
There are so many drawbacks of accepting assisted suicide like people suffering from mental health issues just would like to end their life and even it is very contradicting to the physician’s career as they are at the place where they save other peoples lives but I believe assisted suicide could be lawful with keeping some basic principals in mind.
International Aspect:
There was a case in California in 2018 in which a nurse helped her friend and gave him a lethal dosage of a drug in California right to die law strictly governs the conditions under which terminally ill adult patients with the capacity to make medical decisions can be prescribed an aid-in-dying medication but 2 months after Solanki’s(the person went through a break up) death California appeals court reinstated the state’s controversial right to die law, which allows terminally ill patients with fewer than six months to live to request lethal drugs.
As a result that Kristie Jane Koepplin(the nurse) pleaded not guilty. It is very crucial to distinguish the assisted suicide between murder and mercy. As in Canada, they say people with a terminal illness would be allowed for physician-assisted suicide.
There are so many reasons that influence the decision of saying that assisted suicide does amount to murder but there is one single reason that says it does not amount to murder that is the life we live belongs to us, some might even contradict that but if a person chooses to live with their dignity they should also be allowed to die with their dignity and pride.
In all of history, “there are only three circumstances that have been an acceptable way for taking a life: killing in self-defense or protection of another life, killing in war, and the case of capital punishment, killing by agents of the state. There has been no mention of the killing of one person by another even with the consent so assisted suicide in many eyes amounts to murder and not mercy.
Suppose someone in our own family is suffering from some deadly disease and he or she asks you to end their suffering and you make a decision for them and take off their machinery help and you get arrested for helping your family member because you were not able to see them in pain and suffering.
Is that right? After hypothetically reasoning don’t you think assisted suicide should be legal, don’t you think people suffering from a deadly disease if wishes not to be on machinery anymore has all the right to take them off. The people suffering from disease and want to die probably the first question that he thinks must be who owns his life?
He, his family, or the god? And as we know there are several answers to that question. Is it right for the human to suffer? If we conclude life is a god gift but the machinery is developed by humans. So why can’t humans decide when to stop using a life-supporting machine? Isn’t the fundamental right of a human being is in question here. Isn’t the right to choose being denied over here?
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CONCLUSION
Is assisted suicide murder or not depends on people’s perspective for now, for some countries and religions they believe God has given them the life they are thankful for so it is god’s and merely god’s decision to take their life off but for other countries and religions they believe God has given them this life for them to live and enjoy so it is their right to decide when they want to end it and how they want to end it with suffering or without suffering, so we cannot take one side in this situation as it is very debatable and both the sides have their pros and cons and none of the sides are wrong.
So to answer the question assisted suicide a murder? It is being debated over for years and nobody has found perfect reasoning for this question so some countries have legalized it and others haven’t and some countries are still thinking about it because as I said it is very debatable and relies on people’s belief.
Bhoomi Panwar
(Writer, The Legal State)
References:
You had better do some research and print an apology for your error regarding the 2018 assisted suicide. You are wrong. She did not help him commit suicide!