DonavinAnderson

11/11/13
English10
5
th
hour
The film My Sisters Keeper portrays, at the end of the film most, the issue of
assisted suicide. With Kates death at the end of the movie, this overtakes any issues
portrayed otherwise. I believe that assisted suicide should be allowed, as it provides a
morecomfortablewaytoendthelifeofasufferingpatient.

Foremost, in the film, the biggest problem atthe end ofthe film is Kates death.
Theissueathandbeing KatesdyingcouldvebeenpreventedbytransplantingAnnas
kidneytoKate.Asphysicianassistedsuicideisillegalinmoststates,mainlyduetothe
ethicalconcerns,themoviesthisisnottechnicallyphysicianassistedsuicide,therefore
notillegal.IbelievethatKateshouldvebeengiventheopportunitybythephysician,as
shewasclearlysuffering.

Althoughitisillegal,Ibelievethatphysicianassistedsuicideshouldbelegalized.
Becausetheyarebothendoflifedecisions,Iviewassisted suicideasnodifferentthan
hospice care. Such as in the case of the movie, Kate was required to ask her sister,
Anna,tosuetheirparentsformedical emancipation,soKatecouldfinallybeatpeace.
Continuing the life ofa terminal patient without their choice in thematter is torture, the
optionshouldbethereforawayout.

Katehadtogothroughmuchsufferingbeforetheend;shewaseventuallydriven
toaskAnnashelptoendherlife.IdontbelievethatKateshouldvehadtogothrough
the many surgeries to prolong her life. No patient should have to go through such a
thing, and the option should be there for the patient to end their life, without going
through such extreme measures as the movie. Such as in the case of the movie, the
continued treatment was not helping the patient, nor the donor, and the patient should
beabletoputastoptoeverything.

In conclusion, in situations where the patients life is not being prolonged by

treatment, physician assisted suicide should be legal. Because the treatment is not
aiding the patient such as in the case of the movie, an out should be provided, aside
from withholding food and or water. Additionally, physician assisted suicide is not
drasticallydifferentfromhospicecare,astheyarebothendoflifecare.Furthermore,no
treatment should cause the suffering to both the patient and others involved in the
surgery.




Bibleography
"Assisted Suicide: A Right or a Wrong?." Assisted Suicide: A Right or a Wrong?. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov.
2013. <http://www.scu.edu/ethics/publications/iie/v1n1/suicide.html>.
14, November. "Letters: The case against assisted suicide." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 14
Nov. 2013. Web. 15 Nov. 2013. <http://www.latimes.com/opinion/la-le-1114-thursday-assisted-suicide-
20131114,0,3064146.story#axzz2kjpTi4oG>.