Literature Review

Hoskins 1
Carly Hoskins
Reynolds
Composition II
March 19th 2022
Asisted Suicide
What do you think asisted suicide is, or why do you think people choose to use assisted suicide?
It is a choice for someone to kill themselves by asisted suicide or even euthanasia. An interesting quote I
heard while researching this topic was, “A patient's life can be worse than death.” The question still
remains as to why someone would need someone's help to kill themselves. Some people may use
injections, or even use a physician’s help for committing suicide. This topic will help understand
what exactly assisted suicide is and why people choose to use it.
“Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide refer to deliberate action taken with the
intention of ending a life, in order to relieve persistent suffering” (Medical News Today).
Euthanaisa is defined as allowing a doctor by law to end a person’s life due to pain, only if the
family and patient agree. While asisted suicide is a doctor asissting a patient to kill themselves if
requested. There are many definitions to kinds of euthanasia’s like voluntary, non-voluntary,
involuntary, and so on. There even claims to be an argument against euthanaisa and assisted
suicide which would be the Hippocratic Oath. The oath states, ““I will neither give a deadly
drug to anybody who asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect” (Medical News
Today). The purpose was to allow the audience who may be considering either of these two
information on these topics. The website provides arguments, information from physicians
themselves, and more. The article may be two years old, but I would use it.
“Essentially, physician-assisted suicide (PAS) is when a doctor provides a patient with a
prescription for medication (often an oral barbiturate, which is a sedative) and gives information
Hoskins 2
on what a lethal dose would be with the understanding that the patient possibly intends to use
those pills to end their life” (Morrow). This page allows the reader to understand why someone
may chose assisted suicide. We are also able to see where places have legalized it. The reader
may be someone who is struggling to understand someone doing it.
Understanding what the difference is between suicide and asisted suicide. Death with
dignity is one of the largest orginization that is trying to legalize asisted suicide in the United
States. ““Suicide” brings to mind a distraught teenager jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge. Is it
really fair or accurate to use the same word to describe a 76-year-old with painful and terminal
pancreatic cancer who intentionally shortens his life (or his dying) by a few weeks or months?
These are two very different moral, emotional, and legal acts. Both will have repercussions for
family members and are not to be taken lightly. But they are not the same” (Friesen).
“Those who oppose any measures permitting assisted suicide argue that society has a
moral duty to protect and to preserve all life. To allow people to assist others in destroying their
lives violates a fundamental duty we have to respect human life. A society committed to
preserving and protecting life should not commission people to destroy it” (Andrea). A story told
about a man named Matthew who was suffering and wanting to die. One day his brother walked
in the hospital and shot his him, he was then tried for murder. Suicide is not a crime, but asisting
one is. This article shares a story and information that appeals to your emotions. The purpose
was to allow the reader to understand why people may kill themselves due to suffering of pain or
other things.
Death with Dignity is an orginzation that helps those get asisited by physicians to commit
suicide. “Death with dignity is an end-of-life option, governed by state legislation, that allows
certain people with terminal illness to voluntarily and legally request and receive a prescription
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medication from their physician to hasten their death in a peaceful, humane, and dignified
manner” (Parrot). This website allows for people to see what people may have asked or
physicians. The purpose is to inform the topic of asisted suicide.
To further my work I will dig deeper into euthanasia. This topic is very interesting to read
about. It allows me to explore lots of articles and websites that give information about either
euthanasia or asisted suicide. I plan to give more informationa nd dig deeper into both euthanasia
and asisted suicide.

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Work Cited
“One Third of Doctors 'Would Consider Assisted Death' for Dementia Patients.” Medical
News Today, MediLexicon International,
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/289546#Cause-of-suffering-a-decisive-factor-f
or-euthanasia,-physician-assisted-suicide.
Angela Morrow, RN. “Why Do Some Request Physician-Assisted Suicide?” Verywell
Health, Verywell Health, 23 Mar. 2020,
https://www.verywellhealth.com/reasons-for-seeking-physician-assisted-suicide-1132378.
Medically Assisted Dying and ... - Wiley Online Library.
Phoebe Friesen, First published: 18 February 2020
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/hast.1083.
University, Santa Clara. “Assisted Suicide.” Markkula Center for Applied Ethics,
https://www.scu.edu/ethics/focus-areas/bioethics/resources/assisted-suicide-a-right-or-a-wr
ong/.
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“Frequently Asked Questions.” Death With Dignity, 15 Jan. 2022,
https://deathwithdignity.org/resources/faqs/.

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Hoskins 1

March 19th 2022

“Essentially, physician-assisted suicide (PAS) is when a doctor provides a patient with a

may be someone who is struggling to understand someone doing it.

physicians. The purpose is to inform the topic of asisted suicide.

and asisted suicide.

News Today, MediLexicon International,

Angela Morrow, RN. “Why Do Some Request Physician-Assisted Suicide?” Verywell

Health, Verywell Health, 23 Mar. 2020,

Medically Assisted Dying and ... - Wiley Online Library.

Phoebe Friesen, First published: 18 February 2020

“Frequently Asked Questions.” Death With Dignity, 15 Jan. 2022,

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