Assisted Sucide

Assisted Suicide

Personally, I do not believe in assisted suicide. I believe that it’s immoral but in some cases, assisted suicide may be an alternative to eternal suffering.

The pro side of this debate feels like assisted suicide is perfectly okay and is and should always be a choice for any patient with an eternal illness. In a recent study, 2/3 of Americans approve of assisted suicide. When one has less than six months to live, has requested to have assisted suicide three or more times, and has family or friends present they can then apply for assisted suicide. The assisted suicide is only legal in Oregon and the Netherlands. The law in Oregon that allows this is known more commonly as the Death with Dignity Act. Most of the patients that apply have an uncontrollable amount of pain and would rather not put any more of a damper on their family. Many feel that when the pain is so unbearable, one can’t control their own bodily functions, addicted to meds, and spending all of the family’s retirement or college funds, they feel it’s time for them to move on. Furthermore, 85% of cancer patients polled said they were in pain 100% of the time. Assisted suicide relieves the patient of their pain and misery and the families of their suffering and money problems.

On the opposing side are those who feel that assisted suicide is a violation of all religious beliefs and a disregard to life. This type of death goes against what all doctors have been trained to do, to save lives, not to help end them. If assisted suicide becomes legal in more states there will be pressure on the elderly and those who are just seriously ill and the disabled to end their lives along with the terminally ill. By a study completed by ABC in March of 2002, 40% of those polled supported assisted suicide and 48% opposed it. The issue of assisted suicide becomes more powerful