The Pros And Cons Of Physician Assisted Suicide

Disguised as Mercy

He is suffering from a terminal illness. He is bed ridden and in pain. You have heard the statistics and all the unpleasant details- you know that small cell lung cancer is incurable, but all you can do is helplessly watch him suffer. For all its advances, modern medicine has failed him with its lack of a cure or even relief from the suffering. There is such a small chance for your loved one’s survival. The only hope there seems to be is that death will overcome him and relieve him from his suffering. But death continues to evade him. And he continues to suffer.

She is in a coma. It’s no terminal illness, but she has been unresponsive for a long time. Almost six months ago, she had a stroke and lapsed into unconsciousness…she

It is also known as Mercy Killing. In most cases, it is at the request of the patient. But when it’s not asked for by the patient and, instead, someone else decides, say for a coma patient, it is called passive euthanasia. There is also the prospect of physician-assisted suicide. The difference between the two is that physician-assisted suicide specifically has the backing of a controlling, legal authority.

As of this moment, Belgium and the Netherlands are the only countries to have legalized euthanasia. And currently in the United States, Oregon, Washington, California, Vermont, Montana and the District of Columbia have legalized physician-assisted suicide.

At the moment, these methods of death are offered primarily to those with terminal illnesses. But is it wrong to respond to a terminal diagnosis with “how about you kill yourself?” Of course, that’s not how you would comfort someone who is ill. You would rather present that the next couple months are going to be very painful; that there is little chance that he will survive the illness; and that he will die anyway so why not die with some dignity… You would offer a quicker and easier