Assisted Suicide: The Importance of Student Discussion

Assisted Suicide: The Importance of Student DiscussionAcademic Assisted Suicide is a very controversial topic. It is not something to be discussed in a classroom. As a professor, I've never seen it necessary to instruct my students about what to do if a loved one was seriously ill and refused to live, but I've learned that they feel the same way I do - sometimes at the end of their lives. There are many reasons to discuss this in a class or workshop, but for the purposes of this article, we'll stick to writing sample essay titles.Students have access to scholarly materials on almost any topic. Why can't they access the same resources on this? Simply put, they won't be willing to invest the time in. As a professor, I've run into many students who didn't want to read an article about academic assisted suicide because they didn't believe it would make them feel good about themselves. Although this may be true, it doesn't mean that the knowledge would be useless.'Assisted' can be defined in many ways. One thing is obvious: someone wants to be with their loved one in a hospital or other medical facility. But the definition is broader than that. A person who isn't terminally ill may decide to end his or her life because of depression or other emotional problems. Someone may simply want to relax and forget for a little while.By discussing what academic assisted suicide is and how it differs from the other varieties of assisted suicide, the students will be more willing to discuss the topic with their peers. Perhaps some will even express their concerns. Writing sample essay titles is a powerful way to take that information and turn it into a useful education.And don't worry about the teacher having anything to do with the content of the essay titles. In fact, there is nothing wrong with having a seasoned professor, but a student who is new to the subject might benefit from some guidance. The essay titles are the first impression the student will make on the topic, so it would be helpful if the professor can provide some insights that will serve as guidelines.For example, some students might assume that 'Assisted Dying' means assisted suicide. Although some older writings use the word assisted, I've never seen it used this way in an essay or thesis. Even so, that doesn't mean that we shouldn't discuss the subject. Allowing students to consider what assisted suicide means will help them become better educated on the topic.In fact, I believe that discussion among the students would be beneficial to the professor. They can speak about the pros and cons of the subject. Also, as an exercise, he or she can listen to the student talk about the subject. This could lead to suggestions that the professor might not otherwise consider, such as whether it's ethical to provide drugs to a dying patient.Nothing is worse than determining the fate of a person's future based on assumptions. That's why I never allow my students to discuss the topic in class. It will only confuse them and they won't learn much if they don't open their minds to discussion of assisted suicide.