Weekly Assignments

Paper

Initial post

The article selected for the research is “Should assist die to be legalised?” The article has relevance with the topic that I selected for my research is “assisted suicide or the use of euthanasia”. This article provides an in-depth analysis of the argument that when assisted suicide can be legalized and when it can be avoided. The article explains that when patients are willing to end their lives in case of severe illness it will be ethical to use euthanasia. The article highlights key arguments prevailing on the issue of assisted suicide.

The findings explain that patients must be given the right to decide for their lives. This will allow them to get rid of pain and prolonged illness that means a rational choice will be made. The article mentions, "assisted dying could only be considered under circumstances in which a patient of legal age is diagnosed with a progressive disease that is irreversible by treatment and is “reasonably expected to die within six months” CITATION Tho142 \l 1033 (Frost, Sinha, & Gilbert, 2014). This criterion will minimize the possibilities of misusing euthanasia. However, it will require clear monitoring and supervision. The article explains that it is not justified to completely ban euthanasia because it will cause destruction to the patients. In many cases assisted suicide is better than keeping the patients alive. The article suggests that setting a legal age will helpful for the physicians to identify the cases in which euthanasia can be adopted. Another important criteria explained by the article is of considering the condition of the patient. This suggests that euthanasia must be legal only when the patient is suffering from a terminal illness.

It is also important to identify conditions when euthanasia is illegal. The article explains the need for taking informed consent from the patients. When patients lack will power and exhibit lower threshold against pains they can be offered the option of euthanasia. In legalizing assisted suicide the healthcare institutes must take into consideration that patients have provided their consent. It is the responsibility of the doctor to explain the procedure and take consent from the patients. Patient’s rights and autonomy must be respected when the doctors’ aims at using assisted suicide. It is important to consider the consent and willingness of the patient in all cases. This will discourage wrong use of assisted suicides. It is also critical to ensure that doctors use this option only when it is legal. Without informing the patients any decision will be wrong and against the law. The doctors have a responsibility to inform the patients about the procedure and their rights regarding euthanasia.

The article also identifies the need for euthanasia. This reflects that determining the conditions with accuracy that require assisted suicide. “Doctrine of Double Effect’ might be seen as a subjective interpretation that has been applied unequally due to a lack of specialist training or knowledge” CITATION Tho142 \l 1033 (Frost, Sinha, & Gilbert, 2014). This reflects the need for providing adequate training and knowledge to the physicians. The article explains that doctors lacking specialization would not be able to handle such situations. Only specialized doctors and staff must be allowed to use euthanasia after fulfilling the legal conditions. the article will be used in the present research for highlighting the facts that make it useful for the patients and the society. It claims that only in limited cases it must be legalized such as when chances of survival are zero and the patient is suffering from extreme pain. The purpose of euthanasia is to act in the best interest of the patient.

Replies

I like the post of Katherine R Forcier who commented on the article, Conscientious objection to abortion: Zambian healthcare practitioners' beliefs and practices. I think that she makes aright choice of the article because it is linked to her selected topic for the research. I think she did a good job in defining the main aspects of the article such as the health implications of abortions. The article provides a deeper analysis of the topic of abortions. I agree with the viewpoints of Katherine because she identifies the main concerns associated with the controversial topic of abortions. I agree that abortions “may underestimate the impact of practitioners' religious, moral, and ethical beliefs on abortion accessibility”. The selection of the right article has improved her argument and will help her in conducting a thorough research on the selected topic of abortions. The right choice of the article adds more weight to the discussion.

I like the post of Caroline M Munger who selected the topic of business ethics. Her choice of the article is appropriate because it provides a deeper analysis of unethical practices that undermines business morality. I think that the inclusion of the article has increased her command on the selected research topic. The article reveals information about some unethical practices that prevail in the business world and uncover its long-term implications. The article rightly points out the Ponzi schemes and their impacts on society. I agree with Caroline's claims that the companies are only seeking ways for maximizing profits and neglects the consumers that are unethical. I believe that the inclusion of scholarly article has added more weight to the argument. Caroline has thus managed to provide adequate support for his chosen research topic. This will increase the possibilities of conducting valid and reliable research.

Reference

BIBLIOGRAPHY Frost, T. D., Sinha, D., & Gilbert, B. J. (2014). Should assist dying to be legalised? Philos Ethics Humanit Med, 9 (3).