Mercy Killing: Contradicting Assisted Suicide 

Patient: I haven’t been feeling very well lately, let me just set up a doctors appointment and ask for secobarbital so I can just end my life instead of conquering the pain.

Doctor: I understand there is a possibility this patient may live, but let me just assist their suicide and prescribe this medication to get this over with so I can help other patients with minor illness.

Giving patients the choice to take their own lives impedes doctors’ ability to follow the Hippocratic Oath in helping to save lives, not end them. Moreover, assisted suicide will be taken for granted and patients are likely to give up as soon as they feel they’re in distress.

Assisted suicide, Euthanasia, and Mercy killing are words meaning, an act performed by a healthcare worker when a patient is “terminally ill” or in severe pain. This doing is illegal in most countries; however, as of today, there are eight jurisdictions that have legalized PAS (physician- assisted suicide). Doctors should help their patients to die a dignified death of natural causes, not assist in killing. According to Andrew McGee, from “the conversation”,statistics show in the year of 2015, 35,598 patients have died in Oregon alone. With so many Euthanasia related deaths in just one year, why would any right-minded person support this act?

Picture this, a man is on trial for the death of 2 adults. If you were the judge of this case, what would you do? Perhaps declare first-degree murder and sentence this man life without parole? Out of assumption, you’d show him no mercy for the actions he has done. He certainly showed no mercy when he slaughtered his victims. With this in perspective, why wouldn’t a doctor be tried for assisted suicide? The only difference between an act of assisted suicide and a murderer, is PAS is not as gruesome. Some people might even call these doctors who take action in PAS hypocrites for breaking the Hippocratic Oath.

The Hippocratic oath is a pledge that was written in the 5th century B.C. by a Greek physician named Hippocrates. Being one of the oldest and most sacred bind in history, this vow was sworn by every health care worker. The Hippocratic Oath proclaims: “I will keep(the sick) from harm and injustice. I will neither give a deadly drug, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect.” At no extent should a healthcare worker make their, or any patient feel belittled. Neither should they believe their life is no longer worth living, whatever the case may be, suicide should never be the answer. “The second argument is that encouraging the terminally ill and disabled to commit suicide and allowing doctors to assist them reduces the value of life”.

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