Downfalls of Assisted Suicide

Although Dr. Jack Kevorkian was ultimately incarcerated for murder, his practices of euthanasia sparked interest in the idea of physician-assisted death. The general consensus of the public was his actions were malpractice due to the possibility of his patients not actually wanting to die. Assisted suicide arose from the remnant of Dr. Kevorkian’s infamy. In 1994, Oregon passed a law called Death with Dignity, which legalized assisted suicide. Although many people found the law to be a social breakthrough, the implications that have arisen exemplify how assisted suicide is too complex to be legalized.

In essence, Death with Dignity is a misnomer. To imply that suicide is a dignified death is sickening and should be discouraged in society. The main argument supporters use to justify the act of assisted suicide is that the patients are in an unbearable amount of pain- so much pain that their life isn’t worth living. To counter that, every life is worth living. Many people who utilize Death with Dignity fear the possible loss of function of their limbs, or becoming incontinent, or being in pain until the last second of their life. Because of this, a common misconception has been used as further justification for assisted suicide. This misconception is there is a certain amount of grace in choosing when to die; however, there is more grace in accepting what is to come. Though supporters assert that Death with Dignity is not suicide, it is. Suicide is to kill oneself intentionally, which is precisely the action that Oregon physicians encourage. In conjunction, physicians who write prescriptions for the lethal medicine are killers because they provide the means of death. With all suicides, there is an infinite amount of possibilities th...

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...in order to submit a request for the prescription is to be 18 years old. Terminal illnesses and pain do not discriminate by age, though. A child can suffer as much than an adult, but is not allowed to utilize Death with Dignity; again, the law has failed. The prescription cannot be made more attainable due to how easily it can be abused, but at the same time, it needs to be more accessible because it eliminates a large group of people who may wish to use it.

With the legalization of assisted suicide, a number of issues have arisen. The ethical standards of physicians seem to be in decline as they forget what exactly their role in society is. The shameless killing that is being allowed to occur will create an inevitable slippery slope, in which other crimes will be legalized. Dr. Kevorkian may have been imprisoned for his actions, but they soon may become acceptable.