Date of Award

5-1996

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Departmental Honors

Department

Languages, Philosophy and Speech Communication

Abstract

Recently, there has been some discussion in Congress about writing a Constitutional amendment declaring that every American citizen has the "right to die" if he or she so sees fit. Opponents of this amendment believe that it will be abused - that although the amendment would generally apply to terminally ill patients, depressed teenagers and the like will be able to commit suicide if they feel like it, and mothers with deformed infants may act as guardians and exercise the right for their children, with no protection from the state. Their concern is certainly warranted. It is not the goal of the proposed amendment, however, to tell society that we do not care about your life. The goal is to make legal physician-assisted suicide, or the taking of one's terminal life through the help of a qualified health care professional in the instance of extreme pain and suffering on the part of the competent, informed patient.

Included in

Philosophy Commons

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Faculty Mentor

Kent E. Robson