For many people undergoing physical, emotional, or mental pain, suicide seems like the most appropriate remedy for their agony. Patients abiding from terminal diseases and the elderly might lose hope and love for a living because of their daily challenges. They might opt to die rather than live and observe their bodies gradually waste away. In addition, the emotional and financial sacrifice their families and friends go through to keep them alive might be too much for them to bear. The pain, anguish, and despair people face drive them to make informed choices to end their lives; these reasons are justified and should be respected.
Human being beings were born with the freedom to choose; denying anyone the right to exercise their freedom is a violation of their rights. According to Kochanek et al., (2020), suicide, also known as self-harm, is the tenth cause of death in the US, it accounts for one percent of all deaths. Patients suffering from chronic ailments such as cancer and fatal accident survivors are exposed to extreme pain leading to their overreliance on pain medication. The cost of treatment and care may go beyond the ability of their families to afford it. With a slim hope of survival and a low capacity to lead a normal life, these patients may request early death. Doctor-assisted suicide will be beneficial to terminally ill patients seeking control over how they wish to die (Terence & Ribeiro, 2018). Therefore, suicide should be seen as a means to an end.
Death is inevitable; people wishing to embrace it early should be accorded the dignity and respect they deserve. A personal decision to commit suicide informed either by pain brought about by terminal illness or a conscious choice to die should not be perceived as an act of weakness. Life is enjoyable and makes sense when people have the desire to live. Societal expectations, moral judgments, and stereotypical lenses should not be used to dissuade people from realizing their aspirations. Instead, safe and painless options should be accorded to them.
References
Kochanek, K., D., Xu, J., & Arias, E. (2020). Mortality in the United States, 2019. NCHS data brief, (395), 1–8.
Terence, E., & Ribeiro, B. (2018). Should doctor assisted dying be legal? BMJ, 360. Web.