TOW #1- Helping a Suicide When the End Isn't Near

      A New York Times opinionated article, titled, Helping a Suicide When the End Isn't Near, with pieces from both Mark Kleiman and Ira Byock, shares the idea of whether or not assisted suicide should be legal in the United States. Kleiman, who believes that laws preventing these actions must be removed, is a prestigious American professor at the UCLA School of Public Affairs, while Byock, who is entirely against any changes, is a physician that specializes in palliative care. Both authors have strong opposing viewpoints, and find the other to be highly unethical. Directed towards American adults, Kleiman addresses his belief that "laws preventing people who need help in dying- because they are physically or psychologically incapable of carrying out the task themselves- from getting that help" must be erased. Prolonging the lives of suffering humans is only making their pain worse, and by incorporating pathos into this document Kleiman is able to have a sense of control over his audience's emotions and cause them to feel sorrow for these patients. This further extends his argument and promotes his vision towards removing laws in order to allow death as a form of relief for struggling, ill patients.
      On the opposing side, Byock denounces Kleiman and states that "intentionally ending another person's life remains wrong." He believes that the concept is entirely too closely related to euthanasia and will always be immoral. He poses several rhetorical questions towards the audience, such as, "Would we approve of a doctor giving a lethal injection to an elderly woman who was simply tired of living? A women with constant ringing in her ears? A person who is chronically depressed?" These directly force the audience to consider their own viewpoint on the subject, as well as consider the contrasting sides of both authors. The purpose of urging the audience to consider the possibilities of either permitting or not permitting assisted suicide is clearly being demonstrated in this article through the usage of pathos and rhetorical questions.


Kleiman, Mark A. R., and Ira Byock. "Helping a Suicide When the End Isn't Near." The New York Times. The New York Times, 09 Sept. 2015. Web. 10 Sept. 2015.