Assisted Suicide

Assisted Suicide

Assisted suicide is a much safer way to die than suffering or killing yourself. Hearing the crying and weeping is better than hearing the agonizing pain of the one who is dying or the ticking and beeping of life support equipment. It is up to the patient, not the government; some people don’t have enough money because of the government in the first place giving poor people bad health insurance. Also assisted suicide is much safer than the person physically hurting themselves. Assisted suicide must be legalized!
Assisted suicide is sometimes the best thing for terminally ill patients. First of all it is not up to the doctors, family, or government, it is the patient’s choice. For example, in 1997, the US Supreme Court ruled that although the public has no general constitutional right to assisted suicide, nothing in the Constitution prevents states for passing laws permitting assisted suicide. In fact Oregon voter approved a Death With Dignity Law in 1997, allowing terminally ill patients to request a lethal dose of drugs if two doctors have confirmed that the patient has less than six months to live and is mentally competent to make the request (Walter 4). In addition to making assisted suicide legal, legalizing it would help patients receive better care while they are alive, especially poor patients that are unable to get the medical attention they need. Sadly, patients with financial means are more likely to have a special bond with their doctors who are willing to help end their suffering even though it may mean that they would loose their job. If assisted suicide were made legal, states would be forced to create guidelines to determine that the patients has received the best medical care and pain management possible. Passive euthanasia is equivalent to “letting nature take its course”, either by removing life support equipment, ending supplies to food and water, or choosing not to administer cardio-pulmonary resuscitation. Active euthanasia is...

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