Opponents of physician-assisted suicide contend that the constitution does not protect a person's right to hasten his or her death. These opponents believe that there is a legal distinction between killing and letting die. The Fourteenth Amendment declares that no state can deprive a "... person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law..."(The U.S. Constitution Online, 2005). All people have a constitutionally protected liberty to choose the medical treatment they want and to refuse unwanted medical treatment. Although the constitution recognizes the right to refuse medical treatment, it does not extend that liberty to people who want to hasten their death. Forcing people against their will to receive medical treatment could also be seen as an unreasonable search or seizure of the body, prohibited by the Fourth Amendment. Furthermore, will all competent people be treated equally in the final stages of death and be afforded equal protection of the law? Judge Roger......
Join Now or Login to view the rest of this paper.
Approximate Word Count: 1788
Approximate Pages: 7 (260 words per double-spaced page) |