I Support Physician-Assisted Suicide

I Support Assisted Suicide

In thousands of homes across the nation victims of terminal illnesses

sit in pain due to their sicknesses. Should these people have to go through all

of that pain and suffering just for the end result of death? Should these

people have the right to assisted death, to rid themselves of unbearable pain?

This topic has been one of the great controversies over the last several years.

Not too long ago if someone was found assisting in suicide, it was seen

as a felony crime. But recently there have been court cases taken up in two

federal appellate courts that ruled terminally ill patients have the right to

seek doctor assisted suicide (Carter 1). These cases took place in New York and

Washington. This added two more to the list of states that legalized this means

of ending life. However, doctor assisted is still seen as a criminal act in

thirty four states(Rosen 1). In my opinion, doctor assisted suicide should be

made legal throughout the nation. If a terminally ill patient wants to take his

or her life due to excruciating pain, he or she should have the ability to

utilize euthanasia. Ultimately, the decision should be that of the terminally

ill individual.

The main controversy over this issue, is the question of morality. Is

it morally right for a doctor to assist in suicide? Many individuals feel that

it is not. It is thought if assisted suicide is legalized throughout the states,

it will encourage families with terminally ill relatives to push them

prematurely to their demise(Carter 2). This is an outlandish assumption. A

family that truly loves one another would not urge a family member to rush any

decision as momentous as ending one's life. If there is caring among the family,

the suicide would not take place until is was utterly necessary.

Two other important moral questions also arise from this issue. First,

do our mortal lives belong to us alone, are we sovereign over our bodies, or do

they belong to the communities of families in which we are embedded? Second,

will this right give the terminally ill a greater sense of control over their