Physician Assisted Suicide (PAS) is a highly controversial issue worldwide. PAS exists since the times of Ancient Greece. It is currently legal in two states, the Netherlands and Switzerland. PAS was legalized through Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act in 1994 and enacted in 1997 (Gazini, Goy, Dobscha, 2007), Washington state in 2008. If the guidelines that the government has provided are met, then why is a terminally ill patient not allowed to choose their own fate? Why the government is permitted to intervene in that patient’s choice for their death is beyond the comprehension of many people. This writer believes that the terminally ill, meeting the government set standards, should be able to choose PAS over living with debilitating and excruciating pain for what is left of their life.
One of the first reasons that people believe that PAS should be illegal is that it goes against the Hippocratic Oath. This oath has been rewritten numerous times over the centuries, for the purposes of customizing it culturally and its modernization. Over the numerous revisions to the Hippocratic Oath, it has left some wondering about the interpretation of certain things. “Contrary to popular belief, the Hippocratic Oath is not required by most modern medical schools although some have adopted more modern versions that suit many in the profession in the 21st century” (NLM, 2013). The oath no longer contains the coined phrase “First do no harm” (NLM, 2013) but when one considers harm, should they not consider a life of pain and agony as harm also?
Another argument the opposing view has is that murder is illegal. Suicide is not murder, suicide is committed daily around the world for no apparent reason. There are kids committing suicide over rock music, people overdosing on illegal painkillers, suicide bombers in the middle east and the depressed that “just can’t go on living anymore” for whatever reason. If someone wants to die that badly, one will find a way, and what if he is...