Death with Dignity
Imagine if one of your loved ones was suffering from a terminal illness and had less than six months to live. Imagine if he could no longer use the bathroom without assistance, or feed himself independently, and he was also in a lot of pain. Would you want him to suffer a painful death and lose his dignity or die peacefully? How would you feel about physician-assisted suicide if it was your loved one suffering? Physician-assisted suicide is the practice of ending a life with the help of a physician to relieve the person of pain and suffering. “It is the act or practice of ending the life of a person either by lethal injection or the suspension of medical treatment” (“Facts about Euthanasia”). Physician-assisted suicide …show more content…
Some people are unsure on what physician-assisted suicide is or only know of Jack Kevorkian’s practices. It is important to know all the facts about an issue before choosing a side. “It is the act or practice of ending the life of a person either by lethal injection or the suspension of medical treatment” (“Facts about Euthanasia”). Jack Kevorkian is known for assisting 130 people die. “Published reports and court records indicate that the majority of Kevorkian’s twenty-seven ‘patients’ did not fall within the generally described category of ‘terminally ill’ (life expectancy of six months or less)” (“The Real Jack Kevorkian”). If physician-assisted suicide was legalized it would not be practiced as Jack Kevorkian did but if legalized “reasonable laws can be constructed which prevent abuse and still protect the value of human life” (Messerli). Most people do not know that physician-assisted suicide is already legal in Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands ("Did You Know?"). Also “physician-assisted suicide is legal in four US states: Oregon, Washington, Montana, and Vermont” ("Did You Know?"). Everywhere euthanasia has been legalized laws have been put in place to regulate it and prevent abuse (Messerli). “In all jurisdictions, the request for euthanasia or pas [physician-assisted suicide] has to be voluntary, well-considered, informed, and persistent over time” (Pereira). Also everywhere euthanasia has been legalized …show more content…
If physician-assisted suicide was legalized everywhere it would be possible for everybody to die peacefully regardless of any illness they may have. Without a doubt physician-assisted suicide should be legalized. If euthanasia was legal it would be controlled by laws to prevent abuse, it saves patients from pain and suffering, and it is a fundamental freedom (Messerli). Stories like Brittany Maynard’s are bring attention to the debate of legalizing physician-assisted suicide but it can’t stop there. Hopefully one day the laws will change in every state to give patients that had no choice in their terminal illness the choice of a death without pain and suffering along with the burden that it will place on their loved ones as they watch their loved one die before their eyes. Everyone deserves the freedom to choose dignity over suffering from a terminal illness. Brittany should not be an exception to the rule but a life that opens the eyes of everyone to why it is important to have a
Imagine if one of your loved ones was suffering from a terminal illness and had less than six months to live. Imagine if he could no longer use the bathroom without assistance, or feed himself independently, and he was also in a lot of pain. Would you want him to suffer a painful death and lose his dignity or die peacefully? How would you feel about physician-assisted suicide if it was your loved one suffering? Physician-assisted suicide is the practice of ending a life with the help of a physician to relieve the person of pain and suffering. “It is the act or practice of ending the life of a person either by lethal injection or the suspension of medical treatment” (“Facts about Euthanasia”). Physician-assisted suicide …show more content…
Some people are unsure on what physician-assisted suicide is or only know of Jack Kevorkian’s practices. It is important to know all the facts about an issue before choosing a side. “It is the act or practice of ending the life of a person either by lethal injection or the suspension of medical treatment” (“Facts about Euthanasia”). Jack Kevorkian is known for assisting 130 people die. “Published reports and court records indicate that the majority of Kevorkian’s twenty-seven ‘patients’ did not fall within the generally described category of ‘terminally ill’ (life expectancy of six months or less)” (“The Real Jack Kevorkian”). If physician-assisted suicide was legalized it would not be practiced as Jack Kevorkian did but if legalized “reasonable laws can be constructed which prevent abuse and still protect the value of human life” (Messerli). Most people do not know that physician-assisted suicide is already legal in Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands ("Did You Know?"). Also “physician-assisted suicide is legal in four US states: Oregon, Washington, Montana, and Vermont” ("Did You Know?"). Everywhere euthanasia has been legalized laws have been put in place to regulate it and prevent abuse (Messerli). “In all jurisdictions, the request for euthanasia or pas [physician-assisted suicide] has to be voluntary, well-considered, informed, and persistent over time” (Pereira). Also everywhere euthanasia has been legalized …show more content…
If physician-assisted suicide was legalized everywhere it would be possible for everybody to die peacefully regardless of any illness they may have. Without a doubt physician-assisted suicide should be legalized. If euthanasia was legal it would be controlled by laws to prevent abuse, it saves patients from pain and suffering, and it is a fundamental freedom (Messerli). Stories like Brittany Maynard’s are bring attention to the debate of legalizing physician-assisted suicide but it can’t stop there. Hopefully one day the laws will change in every state to give patients that had no choice in their terminal illness the choice of a death without pain and suffering along with the burden that it will place on their loved ones as they watch their loved one die before their eyes. Everyone deserves the freedom to choose dignity over suffering from a terminal illness. Brittany should not be an exception to the rule but a life that opens the eyes of everyone to why it is important to have a