Certainly, Will’s request to reprogram the morphine machine is guided by an ethical right to decide the course of his own death. In Will’s case, in fact, Will has at least a couple of ethical rights to decide the course of his own death, in his case. As an individual, Will has the right to decide what to do with his body and life. That is, the argument can be made that, as individuals have rights about the decisions they make with respect to what they do with their bodies and lives, Will has the right to request a so-called mercy death when his pain becomes too unbearable from his terminal cancer, and he wishes to terminate his palliative care by receiving a lethal dose of morphine (Thiroux & Krasemann, 2015, p. 184). Specifically, Will has the right to die with dignity (Thiroux & Krasemann, 2015, p. 189). Given the fact that he had already requested that his doctors reprogram his morphine machine, his advance directive should be followed. However, his aphasic stroke prevents him from expressing when he wants his machine reprogrammed, but, again, Will has the right to die with dignity. Arguably, so-called “living” with terminal, painful cancer and the consequences of a stroke are undignified conditions.
Regarding the second question, I believe a law should be passed allowing physician-assisted suicide. People who have advance directives in place requesting such a procedure should be allowed to have their rights over their bodies and lives honored, and their health wishes respected. Moreover, our Founding Fathers would most likely agree with this ethical argument, as the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals “‘declared physician assisted suicide to be a fundamental constitutional right protected by the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of ‘liberty.’ The decision how and when to die is one of the most intimate and personal choices a person may make in a lifetime, a choice central to personal dignity and autonomy’” (Thiroux & Krasemann, 2015, p. 185). Thus, our right to die is not only ethical, but constitutionally-protected.
References
Thiroux, J.P., & Krasemann, K.W. Ethics: Theory and Practice (11th ed.). Boston: Pearson,
2015.
