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Angela Rodriguez
04/06/2016
Prof. Gustavson
English 101 composition
Is physician assisted suicide ethical?
Imagine your doctor has diagnosed you with cancer, and they gave you a prognosis with
6 months to live. You dont know what to think and your life is flashing before your eyes. In the
beginning you feel little to no pain. However, a few months later you begin to feel excruciating
pain, and drugs arent helping you with the pain you are feeling. You slowly begin to not feel like
yourself and have no dignity because everyone feels pity. You begin to think of asking your
doctor to maybe help with your situation because you do not see another solution to what youre
feeling. But your doctor cannot help you because in your state physician assisted suicide is
illegal and considered murder. Unfair right? Now you have to wait with this excruciating pain for
months, until the end. People actually go through this scenario more times than we think, and
because society thinks it is unethical they are without a solution they believe is right for
themselves. As of 2016, only 5 states throughout the country have legalized this type of
procedure. Many Americans believe that it is unethical for a doctor to assist in their patients
death, and consider it against the Hippocratic Oath. This oath is what doctors swear by that their
intentions are to be healers and provide care. On the other hand, a fair amount of others believe if
a terminally ill patient has the decision that they want to die, then it is ethical for the doctor to do
this procedure. They believe physician-assisted suicide is ethical and doesn't go against the
Hippocratic Oath because this patient is terminal, and is suffering severely. I believe the

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terminally ill should have a choice, and if they want to die with dignity and without pain then
there shouldn't be consequences. Not allowing terminally ill patients to choose if they want to
live or die is unethical.
What does Oregon, Montana, California, Vermont, and Washington have in common?
They are the only states out of 50 where assisted suicide is legal. It's 2016, and many opposing
views still exist, without any changes being made. There are terminally ill people living
throughout the US, and they cannot have their choices granted because it is illegal even if the
physician wants to help these patients. It leaves an emotional toll on these patients and their
families. They begin to feel there isn't any freedom, because they are suffering, agonizing the day
they are not themselves anymore. The controversy to fight for the legalization of assisted suicide,
was put aside for a while, until a woman named Brittany Maynard changed the views of many.
To spread advocacy, Maynard had written an article for CNN, where she began to make headlines
because of her story. In 2014, Maynard was given a prognosis of six months to live without any
treatment to allow her to live for a time longer. At first, she was considering hospice care, but
later refused because she was young and wanted her family to remember her as she was, rather
than frail and weak at her ending. She did not want to feel pain, like others experience. She says,
My quality of life, as I knew it, would be gone.(1). At the time, assisted suicide was illegal in
California, which is where Maynard lived. Her decision was she wanted to die with dignity, and
the solution was to leave California, and move to Oregon where this procedure is legalized.
Maynard uplifted her life in order to have this prescription, so she can choose when it was her
time to go, while she was still herself. A year after Maynard's death, California legalized
physician assisted suicide, something she didn't have an advantage of.

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Jack Kevorkian, That name stands out especially in the matter for doctors who agree with
physician assisted death. He was one of the first doctors to follow this procedure although it was
illegal in the state he is from which is Michigan. Although, Kevorkian believed everything hes
done was for the patient was in their best interests, there was also something strange about him
and his beliefs. During his residency program, he had become fascinated with death, and would
take photos of his patients trying to capture the look in their eyes of death was nearing. In his
own words he says, "But really, my number one reason was because it was interesting,"
(Kevorkian). With his fascination to death and his odd proposals, many have called him Dr.
Death. Many years, after traveling across the U.S, trying to get his word around about assisted
death, Kevorkian made a device called, Thanatron which means instrument of death. As people
begin to hear of this device made, Kevorkian does not become famous until the 90s when he
assisted death on a woman, who was ill. She had reach out to Kevorkian and he agreed to do this
procedure in a van at a park. After the patients death, Michigan charged him with murder
because this procedure is illegal in this state. Many argue he should have not been charged since
the patient looked for him and the use of his machine. The state of Michigan has made many
actions trying to stop Kevorkian and his campaigning of assisted suicide. Another dark aspect of
Kevorkians career, is when he infamously allowed CBS 60 Minutes to record one of his assisted
deaths of Thomas Youk, where on air he administered lethal injections and dared prosecutors to
come after him. Reasons, he finally wanted to get charged was to spread awareness of what he
believed and for others to agree with him. Kevorkian has served time in prison, and died in 2011.
His radical actions were I can agree dark, however he did spread awareness and his name is
always mentioned in a topic like this.

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In conclusion, I have discussed how physician-assisted suicide for the terminally ill is in
my opinion, ethical. There are many controversies over this procedure, For example, right to life
groups disagree. They believe patients do not understand what they want because of their illness
or their depression, they believe it goes against the views of society. On the other hand, groups
like Death with Dignity believe, the patients wishes should always be granted, and they have the
right to die, the way they want to be remembered. Although both viewpoints have great
reasoning, I support physician assisted death because I believe that the patient has the right to
choose to keep their dignity and die before they become more ill. It should not be others business
of what they choose to do with their lives, because they are not the ones going throughout this
experience. If unfortunately they have to go through this, or a loved one at some point, they may
change their viewpoints of how they feel on this procedure. Many doctors are out there wanting
to help these patients fulfill their wishes, however they cannot because it is illegal in 45 states.
And if they try to even help, they would be considered murders and face prosecution just like
Kevorkian. Yes some states are starting to lighten up on this issue, and are considering legalizing
assisted suicide. However, it is 2016 and so far since 1997, only 5 states legalized this procedure.
How much longer will it take for lawmakers and everyone to see these patients are suffering,
they arent getting better. Fulfill their dying wishes rather than ignoring them.

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Works cited:
Maynard, Brittnay My right to death with dignity at 29 CNN.com. CNN
02 Nov.2014.Web. 12 Apr.2016
Biography Editors John Kevorkian Biography.com. Biography
N/A date. Web. 13. Apr.2016
Schneider, Keith Dr. Jack Kevorkian dies at 83; A Doctor Who Helped End
LivesNytimes.com. The New York Times
03 Jun.2011.Web. 30. Apr.2016