Suicide Essay, Research Paper

Living to die, or is it dying to live. Suicide, the intentional act of killing

oneself. "Britain abolished punishment for attempted suicide in 1961, and

by the early 1990’s only two US states still listed suicide as a crime (Columbia

Encyclopedia)". The Japanese have long held to practice called Hara-Kiri,

another form of suicide. Most religions look down on this practice because it

goes against their core values. As we examine the reasoning behind suicide, can

we make a decision of whether it should be legal or illegal? Is there a place

for suicide in our cultures? Statistically there is a rise in suicides, although

there are vast ages that can account for these statistics the significant

increase is by those of the elderly genre. Is this a sign of things to come, are

we looking at a new trend of doctor assisted suicides? In most case’s this is

true, yes. Can we justify the young and their cases of suicide? Since 1950’s the

cases of younger genre has tripled their cases. For many reasons the younger

people of the world have far too many cases that would just over run the means

of my project, so at present time there is no need to continue. However, the

most increased controversial cases stem from the elderly and the terminally ill.

As the price of health care increase’s and retirements, decrease there is a

bigger demand on health issues. Among the elderly, we are seeing more cases of

cancer’s, heart attaches, dementia, and other serious issues. There are some

members of society that refer to this behavior as Doctor-assisted, suicide, and

Doctor-assisted murder; in fact, the real name for this is called Euthanasia it

derives from Greek word meaning ‘eu’ and ‘thanatos’, which together mean ‘a good

death’. In any order that a person wants to examine this, we have to refer to it

as the correct term, Euthanasia. Regardless of the name, it is still a form of

suicide, the act of taking one’s own life. As long as mankind has survived we

know that it is a fact of life that we all will die, there has only been a few

small accounts that mankind has just walked into heaven. Therefore, for the rest

of us when we are born we are already in the process of dying. Is it unfair to

plan our lives and to consider all the possibilities that then remain, no. We

simply understand that by refusing medical treatment we are not prolonging death

but simply just accepting it. We plan death by writing wills and living wills to

tell our doctors and relatives, when I die this is what I want, if I am terminal

and unconscious do this. That is a plan of death in itself. Suicide has a

devastating emotional impact on surviving family members and friends. The

intentional, sudden, and violent nature of the person’s death often makes others

feel abandoned, helpless, and rejected (Encarta99). These feelings stem from

anger and selfishness; they can be associated by the fact that the others did

not understand the depth of the pain, or the associated medical expenses. Could

euthanasia become a means of health care cost containment? Perhaps one of the

most important developments in recent years is the increasing emphasis placed on

health care providers to contain costs. In such a climate, euthanasia certainly

could become a means of cost containment. Is euthanasia sometimes the only way

to relieve excruciating pain? The natural fear people have of suffering and

dying, and often imply that when cure is no longer likely, there are only two

alternatives: euthanasia or unbearable pain. Is religion a key factor of right

or wrong, and how religion should play a part? None of the religious arguments

against assisted dying is Relevant to those who do not share those beliefs. And

of Course, despite these teachings, many of those who are Religious do not

oppose voluntary euthanasia either (The Voluntary Euthanasia Society). Hans Kung

once said that: …as a Christian and a theologian I am convinced that the

all-merciful God, who has given men and women freedom and responsibility for

their lives, has also left to dying people the responsibility for making a

conscientious decision about the manner and time of their deaths (The Voluntary

Euthanasia Society). There are things in life that are harsh and difficult to

face, no matter how hard we try to over come them there is never an easy

solution to the problem, of pain and suffering. Costly medical expenses and the

methods we use are not cheap either! Clinically ill patients should not have

their choices made for them; it is their right to die it does not affect us

directly. Clinical depression is an illness that alone can destroy a person’s

life, socially alone. "The chronically ill, or the healthy but bereft -

they face a lifetime of agony (Krauthammer)." Is it the scope of man to see

more suffering among the "living dead" that are just waiting for their

bodies to catch up to them. Are we afraid of what God will think of us? In a

doctors own words, "Of course it’s ok to play god: at the hospital we do it

all the time (Hinden)." So if we play god at the hospital and not fear that

phase of medical science, is it really the case of religion we face. The average

cost to have a cancerous legion to be removed can range into the $50,000.00 mark

easily. A family that has adequate medical coverage will end up paying a

$5,000.00 co-pay for their treatment, but on the other hand if we look at the

poor families that has little of no coverage they could bear the cost of

$30,000.00 easily, on top of that there is no guarantee that it will not return!

An elderly person with dementia loses the right to take care of himself,

destined to be cared for by the system with increasing medical expenses. Are we

so selfish that we have forgotten that we should cry for a newborn child when it

is born, and rejoice when a person dies? Not really, we simply excuse the idea

by saying but it hurts to lose a loved one, not realizing the pain of the mother

who lost her children to a drunk driver, or the sons mother who died as a result

of breast cancer after still having numerous treatments with no hope in site. My

own father died of bacteria poisoning from an Aluminum plant, he slowly was

eaten up from the inside out. He was given dosage after expensive dosage of

medicines, costly doctor visits only to tell him, and yes, you are dying. He

begged for the pain to end and the doctors to let him die. I would have never

been upset at my father for seeking ease to his pain. Terminally ill diseases

and irreparable mental issues are just what they are- terminal and no means of

recovery. We hear the arguments every day of how heath care expenses are on the

rise and families are struggling to afford health care. Would it not make better

sense to allow those individuals to carry out their wishes and ease the monetary

problems of health care by allowing the more treatable cases to use this

funding? Really, you would no spend $100 to make $1 would you; of course, not it

is not feasible! If a plan of action is taken, strong guidelines are met and it

is humane there should be no cause for alarm. We have a planed system of putting

animals to sleep, murders are put to sleep in a method that is humane. It is

after all a time when we are concerned for the most cautious and reasonable way

to do things, so why not offer that to those who need it as a medical treatment.

(By no means am I trying to justify the means of our judicial systems

procedures). The burning issue that remains is what do we do now? How must we

decide who is able to use this method and who is not. Well it is a case by case

basis. We would certainly not allow a teenager to take his/her own life because

they had a falling out with their significant other that is ridiculous, we need

to focus on the elderly that have no means left to fight health issues that

continue to slowly deter ate their finances and their health. An AIDS patient

that is treated with AZT, but after so long the lose control of the ability to

use that as a means of health care. Cancer patients who have had numerous

chemotherapy treatments and surgery’s to remove growths, these are all

candidates if they so choose. Clinical depression may even be justifiable

according to the cases, is it necessary to continue to treat the same patients

who regularly overdoses to kill themselves? England finally realized that their

own laws were contradictory to their beliefs when the abolished a law stating

that failed attempts at suicide was punishable by death! Are we playing God by

dismissing the thoughts of suicide, or are we just hiding behind God as an

excuse not to allow it. The decision to live out a terminal disease is yours to

make, I find it illogical to believe that you will be forced to kill yourself if

you are terminally ill. I do find it reasonable to think that it could be an

option if you chose it. In conclusion, I would like to state that whatever the

case may be there is always a reasonable solution to every problem if only we

would just hear every side and examine it in a rational manner. As I end this, I

would only like to say that the issue at hand is the right to do with your life

as you so choose. I do not want the reader to feel compassion to lose site of

the argument at hand, but it is my belief and true intentions that suicide,

Euthanasia, or even doctor assisted suicide should be recognized as a form to

treatment. Yes it does hurt to lose a loved one close to us by this means of

treatment, but I would rather know that it was done with practicality in mind

and not by shame, shame of what society would think and have to do this in

seclusion where no one would ever find out and not know why. I live with the

pain of being "shell-shocked" from a war, and the battle of cancer

right now and by no means do I want you to feel sorry for me I simply do not

want you to make me suffer if I feel I do not want to. It is my choice to say

when I have put up a good fight; every great fighter knows when he has been

licked! Let me make my choice and deal with the consequences I wont hold you

accountable. After all are living to die, or are we simply dying to live!

Concise Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. Version 3.5.0 Columbia: Info soft

International, 1994 Encarta 99. Version 8.29.00.0912 Redmond: Microsoft,

1993-1998 Hendin, Herbert. Seduced by death: Doctors, Patients, and the Dutch

Cure. Norton, 1996. 88 McMeniman, Linda. From Inquiry to Argument.

Massachusetts: Allyn & Bacon, 1999. 170 "Religious views on assisted

suicide." The Voluntary Euthanasia Society. 11 Nov. 1999 (Http://www.ves.org.uk/factsheet/relig.htm)