Need a paper done

Right to Die Position Paper

Papers should be 2.5-3.5 pages, 12pt. font, double spaced, with APA format.
Position papers will be graded on a standard grading scale (0-100), see rubric attached.

During this class, you have learned about the ethical and legal debate surrounding an individual’s right to die and physician assisted suicide (euthanasia). You have read about the infamous Dr. Kevorkian and seen the very public campaign of Brittany Maynard and her family. At present, a small minority of states allow physician assisted suicide but more will likely follow. The issue of a patient’s right to die with the help of a doctor is more highly debated than ever before.

Suggestions for the structure/questions your paper should address are below, cover as many as you’d like but the important thing is to make a strong argument that is supported directly by course materials:

Begin with your thoughts on this topic before this class, did you think /would you have thought physician assisted suicide was ethical and/or moral on the part of patients and physicians? That it should be legal or illegal? Were your opinions or thoughts shaped by experiences or family/spiritual/cultural background? How have or have not the materials in this class changed your views? Should physician assisted suicide be legal in the US? If so, under what circumstances (for example, a life threatening (terminal) illness with a certain diagnosed prognosis, a second or third doctor checking the prognosis). Kevorkian assisted the deaths of patients who were suffering from debilitating illnesses but were not imminently terminal (they would not die of the disease in the short term). Are there circumstances under which these types of cases should be allowed (currently they are not)? Believing something should/should not be legal is different than choosing it. If it was you, if you found out you had a terminal illness that would end your life horribly, do you know what you would choose? How would it be different if you were very old, say 99? What do you see in the future for our nation, do you see more states legalizing until it is federal law? Do you think it will be overturned in the states where it is currently legal?

*Note* The reason I have chosen this topic for a position paper is that there is plenty of support for both sides (the topic of physician assisted suicide is complex and difficult). Please do not choose the position you think I want to hear, as I think there are compelling arguments for both sides. A successful paper will effectively draw on the course materials throughout the narrative of the paper. An excellent paper will draw from a range of course materials (textbook, supplemental readings, videos). I have attached a grading rubric in another document to guide you in crafting an excellent paper, good luck!