The primary issue that is trying to be resolved in the present case is where a man is ordered to face a murder trial after killing his suffering wife. The wife was suffering from terminal heart disease and Lou Gehrig's disease, and due to this condition, she was unable to walk or talk and had to be fed using a tube in her abdomen. Due to this hard condition, the wife used a note to request his husband to kill her, and since the husband was loving and caring maybe he did not want to see her wife suffer anymore. The distressed administered an injection of ground sleeping pills and later used carbon monoxide on both them which eventually killed his wife and one of the family pets only since the gas was not strong enough to kill a healthy person.
Solutions or Perspectives
First from the viewpoint and perspective of the man who killed his wife, the suffering of her wife was an emotional pain and so much to bear. In the case study, the man is described as a devoted, loving, and caring spouse and he could not bear to watch the significant other suffer from excruciating pain. When his wife requests him to end his life, he was also ready to end his life too since he could not imagine living without her. For the man's perspective, the idea conveyed is that it is important to mend the broken heart instead of ending the life, and there is no need to eliminate the irreplaceable and no-repeatable person who is subjected to profound suffering. To avoid the murder trial, the man would have earlier responded to emotional pain with counselling and not death (Battin, 2015).
From the perspective of the wife, she needed assisted suicide since she thought she was a burden to a family and useless. Considering the fact she was paralyzed, and she was not able to talk, eat, or walk, and the condition was not improving somewhat was worsening, she must have viewed herself a burden to her loving husband. Apart from experiencing unrelenting pain herself, she must have thought she was also causing pain on her family. Probably she would have wished to have a dignified death, and once she thought she could persevere her pain and watch her family suffer any longer, she requested her husband for the mercy of death. To avoid such instance in future, people in the society need to change their viewpoints, and the disease might be a burden and not the sufferer. Probably, if the husband had communicated with actions and words to her wife that she was not a burden and she was worth living, maybe she would not have written the note asking for the mercy of death (Battin, 2015).
Considering the law's (Judge) perspective, the actions of the man who killed his wife are justified in Oregon, although in most states euthanasia is a felony. If the judge ruled in favour of the legislation, he would state that the man should not go to jail since the wife had the right to exercise control over her life and death provided others are not affected (Battin, 2015). Although, if the judge were against the assisted suicide legislation, he or she would declare the man guilty, since the perception would be that legalising euthanasia would lead to its misuse in the society (Battin, 2015). However, there are several issues connected with such mercy killings. From the Clergy's (Christianity) viewpoint, the man who killed his wife should be jailed since death is a pronouncement only God should make. Christians believe that an individual who has been baptized, has repented, and received Holy Spirit should not request or practice assisted suicide since it is not the godly solution to a terminal health condition. In other religions such as Muslim suicide is haram and legalizing assisted suicide in an Islamic community will lead to conflict. Moreover, if such legislation was in effect in the United States, it is possible the relatives are likely to manipulate the thinking of the patient for their gain (Battin, 2015).
My Argument or Conclusion
After discussing the issues and looking at various perspectives, my conclusion or argument is that assisted suicide is immoral and should not be allowed. People should view assisted suicide from the perspective of morality rather than freedom of choice since sick people usually make irrational decisions (Battin, 2015). The first argument is that once assisted suicide is allowed or legalized people can use the legislation as an excuse to eliminate the undesirable people from society even when they have not requested. In today's cost-dominated world, increasing costs of health care can result in eradication of the terminally, instead of offering them proper palliative care (Battin, 2015). Effective palliative care can help to prevent the patient from considering the assisted suicide. Secondly, assisted suicide or euthanasia kills life sanctity (Battin, 2015). Regardless of if a person is paralyzed at the end of the day he is still a human being, and life is a sacred gift granted from Allah or God, and He is the only one who decides who dies and lives. Third, the legalization of the assisted suicide can turn the right to die to a will to die, where patients can be bullied or blackmailed into suicide by their relatives who act for their gain (Battin, 2015). Fourth, requesting the physician and other paramedical experts to help in committing suicide is against the very teaching of the study of medicine itself (Battin, 2015). The duty to respect human life is instilled in the physician's body every time he studies biology, and asking them to diverge from such responsibilities can damage the patient-doctor relationship (Battin, 2015). Fifth, with the dramatic influence of the technology on the medical field, I do not think a patient should be granted the right to ask for assisted suicide from either relatives or physicians since a cure for the disease can be found anytime and any day. Patients should instead be encouraged to fight the disease and continue with their work and euthanasia is not the best option (Battin, 2015).
In summary from the present case, perhaps the wife was depressed and had given up in fighting her terminal condition or probably she was could not bear watching her husband suffer due to her illness, or could not tolerate the upsetting pain herself. On the hand, perhaps the husband was willing to assist her wife to commit suicide since he was not able to wait any longer as he sees her partner suffer.
Reference
Battin, M. P. (2015). Physician–Assisted Suicide: Safe, Legal, Rare?. In Physician Assisted Suicide (pp. 63-72). Routledge.
