Medical Ethics Dax Cowart Essay Example

our body, each muscle action, and all physical sensations we feel. When facing perceived threats, our body instinctively alters its internal chemistry to prepare us for a possible fight or flight response." (http://www.health-science.com/panic_and_anxiety_attacks_and_the_nervous_system.html) We undergo emotional distress when we lose another person.

Our brain and physique are engineered to eschew pain, avert sickness, and adapt to stress to ensure survival. Therefore, if an individual attempts to terminate their life or another's, we label them as mentally unstable, depressed, or even psychopathic. In the 70s, Dax was deemed mentally sound after a psychiatric assessment. However, in light of the current understanding of how traumatic stress can alter a person's mental and biochemical processes, I harbor significant doubts whether Dax would still be regarded as rational and competent if he underwent the same evaluation today.

To digress slightly, regardless of whether Dax was logical or not in his wish to terminate his life, there's a significant difference between deciding to do it personally and asking somebody else to aid in such an act, as Dax frequently did during his recuperation period. From both ethical and emotional perspectives, it's not appropriate to ask someone else to help you end your life nor is it fair to request them to withhold their help so that you can die. We, humans, are inclined towards preserving life, thus asking someone to participate in such a distressing act is asking for a lot.

My other argument supporting the decision to deny Dax the right to reject medical help is linked to his subsequent recovery from his depression. Dax, post-treatment, has managed to conquer his struggles with mental health and has found happiness, seamlessly fitting into

society. His navigation through difficulties, including a suicide attempt following his physical healing, shows an obvious connection with depressive thoughts and behavior.

Since rectifying his past mindset, he leads a fulfilling life as a lawyer. He's happily married and, as expressed by him, "I'm enjoying life now and I'm glad to be alive". (Munson p. 101) His utterance, "I'm enjoying life now and I'm glad to be alive" evidently shows that his previous suicidal thoughts were momentary and not a perennial mental disposition. The depression that resulted in his suicide attempts and pleas for euthanasia were challenges he surmounted by altering his psychological perception and converting the negative ideas that gave rise to detrimental emotions. It's entirely comprehensible that Dax might harbor such thoughts.

In my opinion, the majority of individuals going through such a severe, painful transformation in their life would react similarly. The agony he was in could have pushed anyone to a psychological breakdown. This suggests that Dax's state of mind was not right during this period, and therefore, the farmer, doctors, and Dax's mother were right in denying Dax's death wish. The final reason I concur that Dax should not have had the right to deny treatment and ask others to help him end his life is because it would mean treating himself and those he asked as mere instruments.

In line with the principles put forth by Kant, he asserts that “we are obliged to always regard individuals (including ourselves) as objectives rather than just tools.” (Munson p. 752). When one disregards the autonomous existence of another person and imposes their own intentions on them, it translates to using that person as

a tool to achieve personal desire. (This is an interpretation of class notes). If Dax had been granted the freedom to deny medical treatment, and had persisted in persuading the farmer to shoot him, he would have manipulated someone else's will for his own benefit.

Life is not always about absolutes, it often dwells in the shades of grey between black and white. I hold the view that there may be circumstances where assisted suicide could be deemed justifiable. However, this does not apply to Dax's situation. My stance is that if an individual suffers from a terminal disease, or depends on life-sustaining equipment like a ventilator, or their life is prolonged through other means when their condition should have normally resulted in death, and they have been in a persistent vegetative state for a long duration - these are scenarios where assisted suicide might be considered acceptable. Nevertheless, none of these conditions applied to Dax Cowart's case.

The trajectory of this young man's life was not necessarily pointed towards failure. A decrease in the quality of living is not synonymous with a total loss of life. Disabilities are integral to existence. Should everyone stop living at the mere possibility of compromised quality, our world population would be drastically lower today. In consideration of these points and the other three reasons earlier discussed in this paper, Dax Coward should not have had the authority to refuse any kind of medical help during his recovery period.