Assisted suicide is legal in 5 out of the fifty states in America. These states include Oregon, California, Montana, Vermont, and Washington (“State-by-State”). In these 5 states people that are dying from a terminal illness have the option to consult a doctor about ending their lives and ending their pain. Assisted suicide in the U.S. should be legalized. It has a very controversial background but if legalized would bring relief to families and patients. It would allow terminally ill patients to die with dignity.
The history of euthanasia and physician assisted suicide is a long one filled with misinformation and biased opinions. Many people do not realize that physician assisted suicide is different that euthanasia. Euthanasia is the act of a doctor administering a lethal medication to the patient directly. Physician assisted suicide on the other hand is when a doctor will prescribe to a patient a lethal dose of medication so that the patient can die at their own time in an environment comfortable for them (“Euthanasia”). Physician assisted suicide is more humane than euthanasia. The patient can always choose whether or not they want to take the prescription after they have it. “In Oregon, those who have successfully pursued access to medications to end their life most often choose to go on …show more content…
for some people just being able to decide from a personal standpoint on whether or not to suffer and fight through a terminal illness or to end life in a happy and peaceful way can bring a lot of relief to how they will continue on with life. Scott Mendelson asked “on what basis do we force an individual to continue to suffer an excruciatingly painful existence in which there is no longer any hope, comfort, or meaning?” People have a right to decide what they do with the delicate life they are given so why not grant them the right to decide how they want to