Should Physician-Assisted Suicide Be Legal in the US?
This paper argues that physician-assisted suicide should be permitted throughout the United States, provided that strong regulatory safeguards are in place. Drawing on healthcare cost trends, patient autonomy, and the physician's moral obligation to relieve suffering, the paper builds a case for expanding access to this end-of-life option. It also addresses opposition claims — particularly fears of coercion and the erosion of physician trust — by examining over two decades of data from Oregon, the only U.S. state where the practice has been legally permitted since 1997. The evidence suggests that worst-case predictions have not materialized.
- Introduction: Context, thesis, and scope of argument
- Patient Autonomy and the Demand for End-of-Life Options: Patient rights, costs, and quality-of-life rationale
- The Physician's Moral Duty to Relieve Suffering: Ethical obligation to end terminal suffering
- Addressing Opposition: Evidence from Oregon: Oregon data refutes coercion and abuse fears
- Conclusion: Summary of case for regulated access
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper grounds an emotionally charged ethical argument in concrete data, citing Oregon's 25-year legislative record to counter opposition claims rather than relying solely on moral reasoning.
- It anticipates and directly rebuts the strongest counterargument — that physicians will be seen as coercive — by distinguishing between absolute numbers and percentage increases in assisted-suicide rates.
- The essay connects the micro-level (individual patient suffering) to macro-level policy concerns (rising healthcare costs as a share of GDP), giving the argument both personal and systemic weight.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates concession and rebuttal: it acknowledges the opposition's concern about physician integrity and patient coercion before systematically dismantling it with empirical data from Oregon's post-1997 experience. This technique strengthens credibility by showing the writer has genuinely engaged with the counterargument rather than ignored it.
Structure breakdown
The essay follows a classic persuasive structure: an introduction establishing context and a clear thesis, two affirmative body paragraphs (patient rights and physician duty), one counterargument-and-rebuttal paragraph using Oregon as a case study, and a brief conclusion. Each body section advances a distinct line of reasoning, and transitions between sections are logical and sequential.
Introduction
Healthcare treatment and procedures have recently become a contentious and captivating topic for society at large. The COVID-19 pandemic illustrated the divergent and often confusing healthcare policies that affect consumers across the country. Each state often maintains different rules, regulations, and policies related to healthcare treatment options. These issues have been exacerbated by the recent rise in healthcare costs, which has prompted a comprehensive review of applicable healthcare policies and procedures. In addition, the innovations of telehealth and telemedicine have also prompted a much more thorough examination of not only healthcare services, but how those services are being administered.
One such procedure is physician-assisted suicide. This has become a particularly contentious topic since the COVID-19 pandemic saw an increase in overall healthcare-related deaths. Research conducted by O'Carroll found that physician-assisted suicides increased nearly 30% during the COVID-19 pandemic. Admittedly, these figures start from a very low baseline, as assisted suicides remain rare and uncommon. However, making the option available as a viable healthcare service is warranted under certain circumstances. Although controversial, physician-assisted suicide should be permitted throughout the United States — provided that strong controls and safeguards are in place to address the concerns raised by its opponents.
References
O'Carroll, Noreen. "Assisted Suicide, Euthanasia and the Dying with Dignity Bill 2020." Studies: An Irish Quarterly Review, vol. 110, no. 438, 2021, pp. 142–57, Accessed 24 Apr. 2022.
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