Research Paper: Assisted Suicide

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Assisted suicide
Introduction
Assisted suicide is a form of mixed voluntary euthanasia, but there are different circumstances under which the practice should be accepted or outlawed different countries (Manu 54). Discussions on assisted suicide are relevant in the society as there is no simple solution to deal with the matter, and legislation should not open a window of opportunity for abuse. The debate on assisted suicide is controversial since attitudes towards suicide are not fixed and change over time and from society to another. Moral attitudes and culture influence perceptions where there are traditional approaches, and progressive approaches that emphasize on self-fulfillment (Rubin 767). This essay focuses on perceptions about assisted suicide as well the case for restorative justice and questions surrounding legalization of assisted suicide.
Assisted suicide and the society
Proponents of assisted suicide argue that the practice is necessary since people who suffer pain have the right not to suffer. This perspective focuses on the need to alleviate pain and hasten death given that supporters of this view state that physical suffering is unfair (Manu 54). Nonetheless, a contrary view focuses on the collectivist approach where states forbid acts that are self-destructive including assisted suicide. At the heart of the debate on assisted suicide, is the conflict between right to autonomy and need to preserve life. With growing calls for legitimization of assisted suicide, there is growing interest on the matter since there are opposing views on life options and dignified dying (Manu 54).
In carrying out assisted suicide, there is an assumption that it is the patients’ intention to die, with doctors’ merely prescribing medication. Nonetheless, other issues that are relevant may arise including spiritual matters and other tasks in physician-assisted suicide (Manu 56). The role of the public and other stakeholders in influencing debate on assisted suicide should not be ignored, and it is necessary to emphasize that physicians also experience difficulties when assisting suicide. As such, ethical and legal provisions on assisted suicide have increasingly focused on the patient and doctors views. Overall, having clear laws on assisted suicide makes it easier for willing physicians to carry out assisted suicide without ambiguity.
Case for restorative justice
In many legal systems, assisted suicide is prohibited since it is akin to murder, and restorative justice is one of the options to deal with the matter. The restorative justice approach focuses on the association between people and the world (Llewellyn & Jocelyn 971). This approach further highlights on how relationship affect the way people, as well as the need to establish proper relations. Hence, restorative justice emphasizes on the responsibility that people should exercise while being held accountable for their actions and choices, whereby choices made affect different people in a relationship. In other words, the approach is broader that the traditional approach to assisted suicide since there is a need to highlight on the web of relationships affected by assisted suicide and parties involved includ...