Physician Assisted Suicide Legal and Ethical Issues

Physician Assisted
Suicide
Legal and Ethical Issues
12/15/2019

Legal and Ethical issues in Physician Assisted suicide
Assisted suicide or physician-assisted suicide is popularly known as mercy death in the
world, this term became popular in 1992, when proposed legislation to allow assisted suicide
as legal right got failed in several countries but it become legally accepted in 1997 and after
that many cases are reported where people are using this legal right for an end in their life to
get rid of some unbearable pain or issues in their body. Physician-assisted suicide is different
from the euthanasia, these two have very much differences in their practice and process, some
legal and ethical issues are supposed to be presented in the medical area, these are affecting
overall practice and utilization of assisted suicide practices (Emanuel, Onwuteaka-
Philipsen, Urwin, & Cohen, 2016). This paper will discuss legal and ethical issues
affecting assisted suicide;
Legal issues of assisted suicide
Terminally ill patient, face very critical and severe pain, this situation sometimes cause
psychological thinking in one’s mind to assume committing suicide is better than living in the
pain. Assisted suicide is a point of serious discussion because death is a very bad phase
ending the life of a person, and people normally wish to live a long and healthy life (Upshur,
2016). Hence taking a decision to end life and allowing one to end life is a big point for
serious concern. Legal issues in assisted suicide are related to the malpractice and ignorant
behavior in the health care services, right to live with dignity is assumed as the legal rights
and society also assume that protection of this right is legal duty of the government and
health care service providers but in case of any severe pain and incurable diseases right to die
with dignity is also a legal right and government is same responsible to protect the interest of
its citizen but it should be only allowed after full medical investigation and clear acceptance