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Euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide is currently a topic of international debate, especially in the United States of America where different human rights groups, enthusiasts, medical practitioners and the legislature are concerned with the problem of legalization or illegalization of the practice.
The are supporters of the idea that only God has the right to take human’s life, on the other hand, the sufferings of the person may be unbearable and they may ask for euthanasia to end their sufferings. Thus, it depends only on patient’s decision what to do with their life.
In this paper, I am going to support the idea that physician-assisted suicide is a humane option for those who are diagnosed with terminal illnesses that will lead to death within six months; the Death with Dignity Acts (DWDA) currently enacted in the states of Washington and Oregon should also be legal in other states.
With an emergence of a number of terminal illnesses throughout the world, the suffering that patients normally undergo before they die has prompted several people to support euthanasia (Back, Wallace, Starks and Pearlman 46).
Moreover, Back, Wallace, Starks and Pearlman provide that most of the patients who asked for euthanasia had such terminal illnesses as “cancer, neurological disease, and the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)” (919). The main concerns of those patients were “worries about loss of control, being a burden, being dependent on others for personal care, and loss of dignity” (919).
Indeed, ill people do not want to be a burden to their relatives, especially when those ill people are old ones. In such cases, euthanasia is an approved act and should be legalized, however, those requests should be carefully evaluated and agreement from relatives should also be considered.
On the order hand, opponents argue that legalization of euthanasia will prompt a number of negative vices and practices that are likely to undermine human life and dignity in the end (Quill 1381). This paper reviews a number of literary works that investigate euthanasia and its impact on human lives, especially during terminal and painful diseases.
From a review of literature for and against euthanasia, it is arguable that physician-assisted suicide is a humane option for those who are diagnosed with terminal illnesses that will lead to death within six months; the Death with Dignity Acts (DWDA) currently enacted in the states of WA and OR should also be legal in other states.
The prevalence of fatal diseases in the United States is increasing every year. Most people suffering from these diseases have to undergo through intense pain during their lives only to end up in death in the long run.
According to Carberry (1), who supports Death with Dignity after he went through the death of the beloved person, his life, who “didn’t have the option to die on her own terms, something she so desperately wanted” (n.p.). He says that it is even more painful for the relatives to see their beloved ones dying slowly but painfully. What is more, they are aware that the ill person will not recover despite any type of care they give.
It is always possible for the patients to make their death process more dignified and less excruciating if the government accepts to legalize euthanasia (Carberry n. p.). Jim’s story is supportive evidence to my argument that people should be given the right to choose what to do with their own lives.
Several studies have shown that physician assisted suicide is applicable in the United States to minimize the pain that terminally ill patients have to undergo before they die. According to a study by Meier it is evident that most Americans support physician-assisted suicide in cases of fatal diseases and in cases when the patients cannot recover from those diseases.
A study by Meier that examines physician-assisted death from different perspectives, legal, ethical, philosophical and medical, indicates that despite the legal prohibitions of euthanasia by the American government, patients and their families continue to request their physicians to administer euthanasia in order to make patients’ deaths less painful.
Along with these findings, most Americans are actively pressing the government to consider the benefits associated with euthanasia in cases of terminal and painful illnesses as a solution to the painful death. Moreover, their requests are supported by the Supreme Court and common law as the right for privacy and free will (Meier).
In addition, currently the Americans are fascinated by the right of the patient for physician-assisted death, that they create groups and societies in order to inform and educate the public on the issue. For example, enthusiasts such as Karen Wyatt have developed a website known as Compassionate and Choices that attempts to explain the need for euthanasia to the government, medical practitioners and the public.
In her article ‘’What Doctors Need to Know about Death’’ Wyatt argues that doctors must understand that death is a natural process that is also inevitable (1). They should not feel embarrassed, guilty or helpless if they see that their efforts cannot save a life, especially during incurable illnesses.
In this way, Wyatt argues that administration of euthanasia is inevitable if the doctors want to help the patients. Indeed, the idea that it is better to die than continue sufferings to preserve life without paying attention to the quality of life of a person (Meier), as well as his/her close people has its ground.
According to Kassirer (51), it is important to consider euthanasia for patients who request their physicians to assist them die quickly and less painfully rather than to deny them this right while pretending to care for their lives.
In the article “Physician Assisted Suicide (Pros & Cons, Arguments For and Against, Advantages & Disadvantages of Euthanasia or Doctor-Assisted Suicice)”, the author provides several evidence based arguments in support of the euthanasia.
For example, each person has the right to die with dignity rather than suffer, the right to die is a fundamental freedom of every individual, friends and relatives can say their final decision, laws can be designed in the way to avoid abuse, but at the same time, value life of an individual, etc. (BalancedPolitics.org n. p.).
The state of Oregon, which was the first to legalize euthanasia in the US provides annual statistics that indicate the success of the legislation. According to Oregon Public Health Division (1), statistics indicate that more and more patients and family members are requesting for euthanasia every year, while those who do not accept this prescription end up dying in pain (Back, Wallace, Starks and Pearlman 921).
This means that the laws should be introduced to other states to enable the Americans make their own choices and avoid the pain that terminally ill patients usually go through.
Works Cited
Back Afred, James Wallace, Howard Starks and Richard Pearlman. “Physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia in Washington State: patient requests and physician responses”. JAMA 275.3 (1996): 919-25.
Physician Assisted Suicide (Pros & Cons, Arguments For and Against, Advantages & Disadvantages of Euthanasia or Doctor-Assisted Suicide. 2012. Web.
Carberry, J. “Why I support death with dignity”. Dignity national center. 2012. Web.
Kassirer, J. “The Supreme Court and physician assisted suicide: The ultimate right”. New England journal of medicine, 336.1: (49-56).
Meier, D. “Doctors’ attitudes and experiences with physician-assisted death: a review of the literature”. in Humber, Almeder, and Kasting, eds, Physitian-Assisted Death, 7-8.Totowa N.J.: Humana Press, 1993. Print.
Meier, D. et al. “A national survey of physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia in the United States”. The New England Journal of Medicine, 338.17 (2012): 1192-1198.
Miller, F. “Regulating physician-assisted death”. N Engl J Med, 331.3 (1994): 119-23.
Oregon Public Health Division. Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act-2011. 2011. Web.
Quill, T., Collins Cassel and Diane Meier. Care of the hopelessly ill: proposed clinical criteria for physician-assisted suicide. N Engl J Med 327.6 (1998): 1380-4.
Wyatt, K. What Doctors Need to Learn About Death and Dying, 2012. Web.
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