Is prescribing lethal drugs to terminally ill patients morally justifiable?

Topic:
Policy Debates

17 Contributors
in this discussion.

Yes
65% of users

  • Prescribing lethal drugs to terminally ill patients should be legal and moral, because they should not be made to suffer.

    I believe it is justifiably moral to prescribe lethal drugs to those who are terminally ill. Forcing a person who is terminally ill to suffer would be less moral than helping them end their life. It should be their choice as to whether or not they want to end their suffering.

    Yes EducatedAlfonso

  • Ending life, if it is the patient's choice, is preferable to forcing them to continue living in pain.

    A patient that is terminally ill and living in pain should be able to make the choice, provided that they are of sound mind, to end their life, after consulting with a physician. It is more humane to allow someone to choose a merciful death, rather than to force them to continue to live, for a limited time, in great pain.

    Yes CurvyErich46

  • Prescribing lethal drugs to terminally ill patients is the most moral thing you can do.

    What is moral about letting someone suffer and waste away to nothing from a disease that there is no hope to cure or halt or reverse? Someone who is only going to die a long painful death should have the option to have a lethal dose of medication prescribed to them before it gets too horrible for themselves and their families. We are kinder to animals than we are to people. No one would expect you to let your pet suffer through pain and the inability to have any sort of quality life, yet we expect that of family members for terminally ill patients every day.

    Yes OnfreM0

  • Yes, because I think it is immoral to make people suffer when they are terminally ill.

    It is immoral to make people suffer when they are terminally ill. I do think that all doctors have a choice whether or not it is in line with their morals to prescribe lethal drugs. But I don't think it's immoral, in a philosophical sense. It may not be in line with some peoples' religious morals, however.

    Yes R4v4g3rJohn

  • Yes, although the practice requires enormous safeguards, to prohibit it outright deprives people from ending their horrible suffering.

    Terminally ill patients often receive poor pain control. They often have poor communication with their physicians. Provision of lethal drugs should not be permitted before these systemic deficiencies are addressed, because patients might wish to stay alive longer if these thoroughly mundane causes of their suffering were addressed. Nor should people be allowed to receive such drugs due to pressure from burdened family members, or while in the throes of untreated depression. Still, there's a difference between saying there should be safeguards, and saying there should be a blanket prohibition on what may, for some, be the last means available to cut short a period of horrific and undignified suffering that will only end in death anyhow. Many people want to take control of their manner of dying, and to achieve this control may actually enhance their peace of mind. With safeguards and oversight, we should probably support them.

    Yes M4I4cFeIine

  • The actual act of prescribing the drugs is acceptable.

    If a patient seeks out a lethal quantity or combination of drugs for a terminal condition, it's acceptable to provide access to that medication. Providing that medication is not the same thing as pressuring a patient or forcing them to take their own life. A patient who knows they have only a short while to live should be able to end their life peacefully. If they plan on killing themselves they will find the means one way or another. If we consider it merciful to allow our animals access to death when they are suffering, we should do the same for people.

    Yes RanseYouhave

  • Prescribing lethal drugs to terminally ill patients who request them is an act of mercy.

    I believe that prescribing lethal drugs to terminally ill patients who request them is not only morally justifiable, but morally required. Alleviating, if we can, another's suffering is a mandate in any moral system. A terminally ill patient might be suffering not only physically but emotionally as well, bearing the knowledge of a looming death with no hope for recovery. If a terminally ill patient requests drugs to end his suffering, it would not only be morally justified to give it, but cruel and immoral to deny it.

    Yes KiPPConsPiracy

  • Although there should be many restrictions, lethal drugs prescribed to the terminally ill can be seen as a kindness.

    While it is understandable that lethal drugs could be made available under certain circumstances, we have to be very sure of the conditions under which they should be made available. The patient should have been diagnosed with a condition that there would be definitely no chance of recovery and they should be evaluated to make sure it is truly what they want with no doubt.

    Yes babydoll93

  • Decreasing pain, and giving a means to the ends is justifiable.

    If one is in pain and suffering, and their is no end in sight for a better future one should be give the choice whether they wish to take the means to diminish the pain and move on to a better place.

    Yes ChuckGenius

  • Sure it is, why make them sufferer?

    I feel that the terminally ill should have the right to end their own lives in the most comfortable way possible. If you are terminally ill, the chances are not good that you are going to have a miraculous recovery. I'm fairly religious, and believe in God, but just don't see the harm in a person who is dying anyways to end life on their own terms.

    Yes BriaBlacken

  • I support providing terminally ill, ailing people with lethal drugs to end their struggle.

    I support providing terminally ill, ailing people with lethal drugs to end their struggle. I believe that the choice to terminate one's life should be made only by a mentally stable adult. Modern medicine allows people who would rather not be left suffering able to hang on much longer than intended. That said, I do support the use of lethal drugs to terminally ill patients.

    Yes OIi0IymPic
Voice Your Opinion
No
35% of users

  • While, personally, I think it is wrong, I do believe that this is a difficult decision that each individual must decide for themselves.

    Life is the evidence. If man tries to say what is right for another man, he is in jeopardy of taking away his own rights. In matters of life and death, our creator, God, is ultimately in control, no matter what we do. When the time comes for a decision to be made about someone's continued existence, in the event of a terminal illness, each must choose what is right for them in relation to the wishes of the patient and their family members, and work within the confines of the law to do their best, as they work through the process. In the end, God will have chosen their destiny, for it is he who gives life and allows it to end. Of course, all of the above is my opinion of God and man's involvement. But, the Bible states in Leviticus 24:17 that "Anyone who takes another person's life must be put to death". Truly, it is up to each person as to how they interpret the word "takes".

    No QuickestLeigh

  • We can't escape pain by killing ourselves

    No, First of all it is a suicide and second is I believe in fate and reincarnation.Either we have to suffer in this life or in another life (or in hell). That is our choice but we can't escape pain by killing ourselves.

    No Anonymous

  • No, because I believe in dying a natural death.

    I believe it is not moral to kill someone by prescribing lethal drugs. I am a Catholic, and we believe in God's natural acts of attrition. When he calls, you come. We do not make that call and, by prescribing any kind of "killing" drug, it is just not natural, and is an act of suicide.

    No ColdPeter

  • I do not believe that helping someone to kill themselves is morally justifiable, based on my own personal beliefs.

    While I sympathize with those who are terminally ill and their desire not to suffer too much, I do not believe that they should be allowed to end, nor be aided in ending, their own life. I would rather go through that pain and suffering myself, in order to stay around as long as possible for my family, rather than simply take my own life for my own convenience. I believe that the same should be applied to others, since suicide is illegal in all other cases.

    No MariaR

  • It is never justifiable to terminate a person's life just because they are terminally ill.

    The idea that it is morally justifiable to terminate a person's life because they are terminally ill goes against the whole idea that we belong to God and it is His right to determine when we die. A terminally ill person may still have some great work to do. What the terminally ill person needs is counseling and encouragement. They are often tired of the struggle for survival. They may also be suffering from depression. However, there are many terminally ill patients who surprise, get well, if they continue to pursue health. Many other provide great help to those around them as they die gracefully and in God's time.

    No IindsM3II0w

  • Prescribing lethal drugs to a terminally ill person is not morally justifiable, because it's God's responsibility to determine the time of a person's death.

    The Bible says that it is appointed unto man to die once, and then to face judgment. The end of person's life is a spiritual matter that is completely God's responsibility as the creator of the universe. Legalizing suicide opens up a lot of very difficult doors that I don't believe we should open. Letting people decide who should die and who should live is morally difficult because only God knows when and if a person is going to die.

    No TasticBran
Voice Your Opinion

Related Debates

Debate Topics

 
 
Is prescribing lethal drugs to terminally ill patients morally justifiable?
Top of Page
© 2010 Juggle, LLC
All Rights Reserved
Encyclopedia & Reference Resource