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Euthanasia death with dignity
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Death With Dignity Essay
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Death with Dignity
The Declaration of Independence guarantees every citizen the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. But what happens when you’re terminally ill and the happiness you once knew has been replaced with pain, suffering, and imminent death? Do you have the right to end your suffering or must you endure your final days on pain medications that make life tolerable? Out of the 50 United States, only three give you the right to make your own choice. In an unprecedented decision, the Oregon State Legislature enacted the first Death with Dignity Act in 1997, becoming the first state to allow terminally ill patients access to life-ending medication (Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act--2013). In 2009, Washington State passed their own Death with Dignity Act followed by the Patient Choice and Control at End of Life Act in Vermont in 2013 (Death with Dignity Data; Patient Choice and Control at End of Life Act). The process is rigorous and patients
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Patients who chose to exercise their right to life-ending medication listed “loss of autonomy”, “loss of dignity”, and “the inability to engage in activities that make life enjoyable” as leading reasons for making this choice (Death with Dignity Data; Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act—2013; Patient Choice and Control at End of Life Act). More than 60% of all surveyed listed “loss of autonomy”, or independence, as their number one reason. Percentages vary between “the inability to engage in activities that make life enjoyable” and “loss of dignity”, yet they still remain the second and third most selected reasons, respectively. Other reasons include incontinence, inadequate pain control, and the “financial burden of prolonged treatment”. (Death with Dignity Data; Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act—2013; Patient Choice and Control at End of Life
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