Assisted Suicide

Functionalism-
Functionalists believe that institutions exist in society because they benefit the
population. People, like institutions, somewhat exist to help benefit the greater population
though a ob, a ob which they work hard at and progress with the world around them. People
will continue to live working until they are unable to or retire. !hus if a person is unable to work,
so ill and weak that they feel as if they have no dignity and wish to die with the little dignity they
have. " would see Functionalists prospective on the matter of helping someone die when they
wish too, would be a positive prospective. As blunt as it would sound, you aren#t serving society
and will not be able to in the future, thus you should leave with what you have before you slow
down the population around you. Functionalist would say that society shouldn#t look down on
this act upon someone#s life, but encourage it, giving people a chance to leave their life to help
the people around them.
$onflict !heory-
$onflict theorists believe that there is no normal state of e%uilibrium or harmony in
society but an everlasting struggle between powers. Assisted suicide in one way can be seen
as people using the last little bit of power that they have before they die, deciding to euthani&e
oneself before they are in a state where they are unable to make any decisions for themselves,
would be seen as one the most powerful things one can do. Assisted suicide is a topic where
people see it as a weak thing to do, where others see it as something the faint of heart wouldn#t
embark upon. People in hospital beds slowly losing control of themselves, could see this as a
power that they only they have, that only they can decide and have others look down and see it
as ust suicide, which is a completely different thing.
Symbolic "nteractionism-
People who believe in Symbolic interationism believe that people#s actions can be
understood by looking at the individual. "nteractionists would see assisted suicide as an
individual choice that the person has made with great consideration, thus person thought about
their loved ones, the expenses and the dragging on of a certain sad future. People, who want
assisted suicide, want to die because of the burden that they are to become or are at the
moment, the death meaning to be a good thing. Something that the person wanted, and wanted
to help the significant others in their life move on.
'y (pinion-
Personally as cold hearted as it sounds, in this situation " believe that " would fall under
the functionalist category in the way that the person is nothing but a burden to society and has
no value to the population in the future. " don#t mean that anyone who is unable to help society
should be sent to the chop block but in the extreme cases where a person is in such a state of
health that they aren#t really living but simply being. !hey should be put out of their gray and
comatose life, they are using resources that could be used on other people and saying that
living a life where a machine breathes for you, a tube feeds you, and you are unconscious for
the whole time is living, then you are ust wrong.
)ryce *ohnson
'r. Scott
+hat kind of social scientist are you,