I want to thank you all for being here tonight to discuss an important and controversial topic: death with dignity and the right of terminally ill patients to choose medically assisted suicide. We all know the pain and suffering the terminally ill must endure, and I believe it is a fundamental human right to choose how people die.
We all know about the shocking suffering that comes at the end of a person’s life when the disease progresses to the final stage. Not all of us are ready to accept this truth, but even the most knowledgeable and wise among us must acknowledge that, being incurably ill, the patient needs to have the right to escape from this pain (Tassier Ababneh, 2018). Therefore, all incurable people should be granted the right to commit suicide with medical assistance. This will allow them to eliminate the intolerable suffering in their last moments of life, and they can depart from this world with dignity and pride.
The concept of death with dignity is not new, it has been around for centuries. In ancient Greece, it was known as the “good death”, and in the modern era, it is often referred to as “physician-assisted suicide” or “right-to-die” (Kayacan, 2022). This concept is based on the idea that terminally ill patients should be allowed to decide to end their lives humanely with the assistance of a physician (Tassier Ababneh, 2018). The right to choose medically assisted suicide should be respected, as it allows terminally ill patients to decide to end their suffering and maintain their dignity (Kayacan, 2022). In addition to this, it also allows them to make their own decisions about their bodies and to have control over their destinies.
This concept also ties into the concept of autonomy, one of the basic needs of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Autonomy is the need to have control over our own lives and to make our own decisions (Kayacan, 2022). By allowing terminally ill patients to decide to end their lives humanely and dignifiedly, we are respecting their autonomy and allowing them to control their destinies.
In conclusion, I believe that it is a fundamental human right to choose how we die and that the concept of death with dignity should be respected and upheld. Let us respect the autonomy of terminally ill patients and allow them to decide about their destinies. We should ensure that they can end their lives on their terms, in a humane and dignified manner, with the assistance of a physician.
References
Kayacan, D. N. (2022). The right to die with dignity: How far do human rights extend? Springer Nature.
Tassier Ababneh, A. M. (2018). Physician Assisted Suicide for Terminally Ill Patients: An Argumentative Essay. Journal of Palliative Care & Medicine, 08(04). Web.