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In the world today there are arguments for everything, ranging from matters of great importance to things that may seem ridiculously trivial. However, there are always different sides to every case and right and wrong is in the eyes of the person involved in the dispute.

This argumentative essay is based upon a very serious situation that faces our medical community. The topic of assisted suicide and/or euthanasia is a highly debated subject with many issues and sides. In this essay, each topic will be discussed and analyzed and the arguments for and against this topic will be debated. I will discuss my reasons for advocating physician-assisted suicide and I will also provide objections to my argument, but even though these counter arguments have merit, I will provide enough evidence to support my thesis.

The topic of my paper is physician-assisted suicide. Sometimes it is incorrectly referred to as euthanasia, but however subtle, there is a difference between the two. Euthanasia is when the doctor provides the means with which the patient may end his own life whereas physician-assisted suicide is when the doctor causes the patient's death, for example through a lethal dose. In his own words, the infamous Dr. Jack Kevorkian d

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It is ours not to give away, to damage, or to destroy at will, but to preserve intact until the moment when it is taken back" (McKhann, 1999, p.

If the Hippocratic Oath and the ANA states that it is wrong, and the ever influential Bible argues against assisted suicide, then who are we to question it? Instead of trying to help end patients' lives, people and physicians would be better served by improving all patients' state of life and mind so that they can live out their last days free from pain and enable them to gain a sense of spiritual fulfillment. Desperate and emotionally exhausted, families may give up too quickly and eagerly lend their support to the termination of a relative's misery, as well as their own. Even the most devout Christian will ask, “what have I done to deserve so much pain?" (McKhann,1999, p. The American Nursing Association (ANA) position statement reads, " A nurse must not act deliberately to end a person's life. McKhann concludes, " most patients interviewed in my study felt that knowledge that their physicians had helped others to die would either have no effect or would enhance their respect for their physicians" (McKhann, 1999, p. If the doctor sets up the needle and syringe but lets the patient pull the plunger, that is assisted suicide.

I feel the most powerful argument comes from the families of those who have witnessed loved ones die in extreme agony, helplessly watching as they slowly and painfully deteriorate in front of their eyes, their bodies ravaged by pain and suffering. The second point is entrenched in the Christian belief that suffering can be beneficial in its own right. The role of the physician is to do what is best for the patient, and in some extreme situations this may include hastening death upon the voluntary request of the dying. The second reason is challenged "by those who do share the faith when the suffering seems out of proportion to any possible spiritual benefit.

It is true that the physician-patient relationship is important. Patients should be given

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sufficient time and counselling in order to enable them to make sure their decision represents their true wishes.

Approximate Word count = 2018
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)

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