The Ethical Dilemma of Assisted Suicide in the United States

Alyssa Ortiz

College of Western Idaho

May 1, 2022

Abstract

Assisted suicide, also known as physician-assisted suicide, is the practice of legally ending a

person’s life to end their suffering. The factors required to request a physician-assisted suicide

can vary, but in the United States the patient must be at least 18 years old, capable of

communicating health care decisions, and diagnosed with a terminal illness that will lead to

death in six months. The morality and ethicality of physician suicide has been debated for years.

In 1994 assisted suicide was legalized in the United States in Oregon, but the question of the

morality of legally taking a person’s life is still raised. Religious, cultural, and social factors all

weigh in on the matter. This essay analyzes said factors from the supporting and opposing

parties’ arguments on this issue. The utilitarian and common-good approach in ethics is also

referenced to understand if it is morally and ethically wrong to legally take a life.

Keywords: assisted suicide, physician-assisted suicide, morality, ethicality, utilitarian

perspective, common-good perspective

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The Ethical Dilemma of Assisted Suicide in the United States

Life is a journey full of endless opportunities and outcomes, but it is very unpredictable.

Whether it be from old age, a diagnosis at birth, or something arbitrary, hundreds of diseases,

disorders, and unforeseen events can lead to a difficult life. Situations like these made the idea of

assisted suicide arise, and in this essay, we will be looking at the ethical dilemma of legally

taking life and if it is morally right or wrong.

Assisted suicide, also known as physician-assisted suicide, is the practice of ending a

patient's life to limit their suffering [13]. Assisted suicide is only allowed under certain

circumstances, in certain states, and certain countries. The criteria to request a physician-assisted

suicide can vary but the basis requires the following: the patient to be an adult, capable of

communicating health care decisions and diagnosed with a terminal illness that will lead to death

within six months [14]. In America, ten states have legalized physician-assisted suicide laws,

those states being the following: California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, New Jersey, New Mexico,

Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and Washington D.C. [14].

The debate of both legalizing and the ethicality of assisted suicide has been around for

years, but it set off from 1989 to 1990, when a group of physicians argued in favor of the

practice as a last resort for suffering patients [5]. Jack Kevorkian, a retired Michigan pathologist,

was one of the first doctors in the United States to practice and advocate for physician-assisted

suicide. While Dr. Kevorkian’s actions were not the most favorable amongst other supporters,

his practices did push the debate into the public and grew the conversation about legalizing

physician-assisted suicide [6].

Doctors like Kevorkian, other physicians, and patients in the United States that advocated

for legal physician-suicide won their battle in 1994 when Oregon voters passed the Death with
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Dignity Act. The purpose of the Act was to provide an option for dying individuals and stimulate

nationwide improvements in end-of-life care [14]. Although America has progressed in its

ideologies over the past years, compared to other countries, even the Death with Dignity Act is

strict. To understand this, the religious, cultural, and social stances of the world must be

analyzed.

The United States is a melting pot of people of different races, ethnicities, beliefs, and

religions. According to Pew Research Center, Christianity is the largest religious affiliation in

the U.S., making up 70% of the population. Regardless of different religious traditions and

teachings, many are opposed to prematurely ending a person's life [9]. These religions believe

life is a sacred gift from God, and it is morally wrong for any person to take it. In their eyes, God

is the giver and taker of life, and only God can decide when someone's time is up.

Another opposition to assisted suicide comes from minds like Dr. Robert P. Jones. Dr.

Jones is an independent consultant on religion and progressive politics at the Center for

American Progress. He argues that this is a result of a failing health care system. The number of

Americans without healthcare insurance is on the rise and legalizing assisted suicide in the

context where this inequity exists puts those uninsured at risk. Medical bills are notorious for

putting people into debt, as Dr. Jones puts it, the option between a $150 lethal prescription versus

thousands of dollars for long-term care is a draconian choice [10]. This argument also points out

how a specific demographic will be most at risk, given that minorities and the poor are at such a

disadvantage already.

Those in support of physician suicide argue it is out of respect for patients' rights, and

wishes, and to relieve suffering. Terminally ill patients with an illness that no drug or treatment

can cure should have the right to assisted suicide if it is the best means for them. Advocates for
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physician-assisted dying also argue that it is a means to endure their end without unnecessary

suffering and cost for the patient and their family [4].

By no means is it easy to request and receive physician-assisted suicide. I am torn on this

topic as the ethicality and morality of taking a person's life is a difficult discussion. A part of me

understands the utilitarian perspective, because in some cases this is the best option for the

patient, and it feels morally wrong to keep someone alive against their will [6]. Another part of

me understands a common-good approach, in a society that is strong in religious and cultural

views, playing God also is not morally right, and letting things happen naturally seems the most

morally conscious thing.

The ethical and moral dilemma of assisted suicide is a discussion that has been going on

for years. Cultural, religious, and social stances are all perspectives that weigh in on the matter.

Both the opposing and supporting parties of physician-suicide make good arguments, but is

either one morally right or wrong? I do not think anyone can definitively say because it is such a

morally grey area. In such circumstances, the ethically right thing to do is allow people to have a

say in their healthcare and their fate.

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References

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