Euthanasia and

Assisted Suicide
By Reagan Callaway and Candace
Esplin

Shouldnt be Forced to
Suffer
Although many doctors see euthanasia as a
crime, it should be considered as much of a
crime to make someone live who with justification
does not wish to continue (Girsh).
Many patients with a terminal illness spend their
last couple of months in terrible pain and not even
lucid because of medication to help them deal
with this pain.
This gives the patient some control over their life
and body when it seems like they have none.
This just adds another option to patient care they
dont have to choose this, but they can if they
want to.

Washingtons Law
In the state of Washington it was ruled that an
adult who is competent, is a resident of Washington
state, and has been determined by the attending
physician and consulting physician to be suffering
from a terminal disease, and who has voluntarily
expressed his or her wish to die, may make a
written request for medication that the patient may
self-administer to end his or her life in a humane
and dignified manner" (Washington Death with
Dignity Act). The protocol for assisted suicide in
Washington is that the patient, who must have a
prognosis of death within the next 6 months, has to
orally request to the physician, wait 15 days, orally
request again to this doctor, write this request, and
wait 48 hours before receiving the medication

What if a Cure is Found

Tomorrow?
When researching this we found this question was
brought up a lot, people were worried that
someone would choose to die then a week or so
later maybe the opportunity for them to have
recovered would have been discovered.
This is very unlikely, but in order to fully take this
question away we decided that we believe that a
patient should only be able to choose euthanasia
if they have irreparable damage.
By doing this, it takes the question away. Even if
the cure for cancer came out tomorrow many
would still die to the effects it has had on their
body.
Many illnesses wreck important and vital organs
as it progresses and this cannot be fixed, even if

 The right of a competent, terminally ill person to

avoid excruciating pain and embrace a timely and
dignified death bears the sanction of history and is
implicit in the concept of ordered liberty. The
exercise of this right is as central to personal
autonomy and bodily integrity as rights
safeguarded by this Court's decisions relating to
marriage, family relationships, procreation,
contraception, child rearing and the refusal or
termination of life-saving medical treatment A
state's categorical ban on physician assistance to
suicide -- as applied to competent, terminally ill
patients who wish to avoid unendurable pain and
hasten inevitable death -- substantially interferes
with this protected liberty interest and cannot be
sustained (Amicus Brief in Vacco v. Quill).
The ACLUs argument for Euthanasia
(American Civil Liverties Union)

Church and State

Separate
Many of the arguments against euthanasia are
due to religious beliefs
Although in the United States of America you are
allowed to believe what you wish, your beliefs
should not affect anothers options.
Church and state are supposed to be separate so
if the biggest reason for euthanasia being illegal is
that it is against a lot of religions then it should be
legalized.
This would not force anyone to go against their
religious beliefs those who are for it can use it
while those who are against would not be forced
to.

Palliative Care
Palliative care is specialized medical care for people
with serious illnesses. Itfocuses on providing patients
with relief from the symptoms and stress of a serious
illness (What is Palliative Care?).
Because its purpose is to help provide the patients
relief, the option of euthanasia only increases the
quality of palliative care
This option would be open to such a small percentage
of cases that the quality of care for these patients, or
any of the patients in palliative care, would not be
affected. Medical decisions and protocols made by
doctors are based on the majority and, due to the
diminutive amount of people that would qualify for
euthanasia, no decisions would be made specifically for
this group.

Can Increase Courage

Patients will be more likely to try every treatment available
if, in the end, they have the right to end their pain if these
treatments dont work.
Speaking of pills that could end his wifes life, Robbi
Laytner, the husband of Brittany Maynard (a woman who
exercised her right to choose euthanasia), said that just
having them in her hand gave her some sense of control of
what was happening to her. It allowed her to relax and say
to us and to herself, Well, when things get really bad, Ill
take this (Oregon Womans Assisted-Suicide Decision
Sparks Debate over Death with Dignity).
When patients are given the option of euthanasia it helps
give them the courage to take extreme measures to keep
themselves alive, such as painful surgeries or procedures,
because they know that if it is not successful they will not
have to deal with the pain from these decisions.

Works Cited:
Girsh, Faye. ""How Shall We Die?" Free Inquiry." Interview.
Procon.org. N.p., 21 Jan. 2009.
Web. 7
Nov. 2015. <http://euthanasia.procon.org/view.source.php?
sourceID=721>.
United States of America. Secretary of State. The Washington Death
with Dignity Act. Vol. 100. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print. Initiative Measure.
Amicus Brief in Vacco v. Quill. 1 ACLU Amicus Brief in Vacco v. Quill
3. 10 Dec. 1996. Print.
"Planning for Worse than Taxes." Los Angeles Times 22 Mar. 2005: n.
pag. Print.
Somers, Meredith. "Oregon Womans Assisted-Suicide Decision
Sparks Debate Over Death with Dignity." The Washington Times 31
Oct. 2014. Print.
Randolph, Mary. "What Is a Living Will." AllLaw.com. Web. 14 Nov.
2015.
"What Is Palliative Care?" Get Palliative Care. 11 Sept. 2012. Web. 14
Nov. 2015.