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Kayla Shields
Mr.Newman
Rhetoric 101: English
1 December, 2014
To Die for a Purpose
Death; we hear about it every day. On the news, at work, even in school hallways.
Tragic events, one after another leaving us with nothing left to be faithful for. A common cause
of death seems to be the things we just can't fix; the incurable things, cancer being the most
common. It would be commonly thought that the worst part would be getting the sickness, but
imagine being put in a situation where undoubtedly the outcome is death. Its as though the
patient is face to face with death, moving in slow motion. Prolonged or not, they will eventually
crash and everything will be over. To watch a person wither away is painful. Weve all
unfortunately seen it, the desire to help them is overwhelming, yet we cant.
It isnt about us though, its not about the pain we go through watching them. We will
never feel what they feel. Unsurprisingly, some patients wish for their suffering to end quickly,
plead for it to end. Physician assisted suicide could be the answer to their wishes. Doctors use a
lethal injection or pill to grant their patients wish to die. A solution to their problem. But where
happiness is found, anger closely lurks. Unsurprisingly, euthanasia was quickly considered
sacrilegious and unsafe. In the eyes of protesters, one should not be able to choose their own
death; you deal with whatever fate has dealt you no matter how unimaginable it may be. While
writers Thaddeus Pope and Anita Freeman see the benefits that come with legalizing assisted
suicide, Ira Byock and Ilora Finlay find it dangerous and unbeneficial. I believe assisted suicide
would be a great thing to legalize in the United States. We are a country of freedom and to end
a life stricken with disease would free a patient of agony. People should not have to be forced to
suffer, they should have a choice in how their life ends.

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Currently, there are very few states that have legalized assisted suicide. Oregon was the
fir state to allow the life ending injection, initiating the Death with Dignity Act. Although not used
many times, those who witnessed the procedure note that it is very peaceful and humane. As
Thaddeus Pope, director of the Health Law Institute at Hamline University, discusses Oregon's
use of euthanasia he states Patients must be mentally healthy residents of Oregon, 18 or older,
who have had two physicians determine that they have no more than six months to live. The
author notes that the procedure isnt for people who want to commit suicide, its for people who
are suffering and generally cannot go on anymore. With the realization the Death with Dignity
Act can actually work, Washington, British Columbia, Vermont and Quebec quickly joined.
However, as the opposing side considers the topic, Ira Byock, chief medical officer of the
Institute for Human Caring of Providence Health and Services, claims Legalizing assisted
suicide fixes nothing. The principle that doctors must not kill patients stands. Two moral wrongs
dont make a right. While it is true that assisted suicide may not qualify for everyones
individual morals, the law should not be able to refrain someone who wishes to end their
suffering. Legalizing assisted suicide would open up new doors, relief would be brought to both
patients and their families. The future could be brighter knowing that more deaths will be
peaceful rather than painful.
Assisted suicide is only available to those who have physical illnesses. Those with
mental desires for suicide are not available to the injection. Cancer is the most common in
patients who seek assisted suicide. Just recently, a 29 year old woman with terminal brain
cancer decided to pursue assisted suicide, wanting to prevent her family from seeing her suffer.
It was not an act of self-pity, rather an act of need. Living with something terminal only means
you're on your final moments. Anita Williams wrote her article for New York Times as a witness,
she lived through the experience of seeing someone die after weeks of suffering. I watched my
66-year-old sister die in pain from Stage 4 liver cancer. It took five weeks and it was

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excruciating for both of us (Williams). She continues her argument by mentioning nearly twothirds of California voters favor the right to die peacefully and with dignity, including a majority of
support from nearly every demographic group. Her anger throughout her paper was notable,
she has seen that while it is a doctors priority to cure a patient, it isn't their priority to fix every
little detail to ensure patients utter most comfort. Although Ilora Finlay, professor of palliative
medicine at Cardiff University in Britain, claims there are many us who are far from persuaded
that this is the right road to take. We have seen the steady rise in Oregon's death rate from
physician-assisted suicide, she fails to even consider any positive aspects that come with
legalizing assisted suicide. With society's support for assisted suicide, we can be the reason
people no longer need to suffer.
As we ponder the idea of allowing someone to take their own life, we must keep in mind
that it is not about us, or that theyre terribly sad. Their choice is based on the intensity of their
pain. Currently, five states have authorized aid in dying, but every state should give its citizens
the right to a peaceful death, (Freeman). As Anita Freeman states, not many state have
legalized assisted suicide yet, however all states should recognize that people deserve to die in
comfort. While not pleasant to think about, I would prefer to die peacefully no matter the
circumstances. Any sick patient would more than likely agree to this as well. We have this
medicine to give them. Its not something were thinking about, or slowly beginning to create. If
we have it as something accessible, it should be legal to use if wanted. For every bad thing in
the world there's still some good to it .Although it is argued that doctors aren't using assisted
suicide to help patients finding that this is not about compassion or choice or morality, it is
notable that these doctors meet these patients prior to euthanization and build a relationship
with them. They note that the patient needs the procedure rather than just granting their patient
immediate gratification. The terminally ill no longer have to suffer, an alternate choice is here,
thus why euthanization needs to be legal.

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America has been given the opportunity to provide something great to those who are ill.
Euthanization, also known as assisted suicide, is a lethal injection that terminates the lives of
those who pursue it. Provided only to those who are terminally ill, it ends the suffering that
patients unfortunately go though. While people see this option as immoral, it is a freedom that
people desire. Personally, with two very sick family members, one in her 70s and one in her
teens, I am a heavy supporter of assisted suicide. As I think about them, I cant help but wonder
if its something they would want, and if it in fact is, it should be available to them. We live in a
country of freedom, if we can choose how to live we should be able to choose how to die.

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Works Cited
Byock, Ira. Doctor-Assisted Suicide Is Unethical and Dangerous. New York Times: Room for
Debate. New York Times Company, 6 October, 2014. Web. 13 November, 2014.
Finlay, Ilora. Too Many Questions Remain About Assisted Suicide. New York Times: Room
for Debate. New York Times Company, 7 October 2014. Web. 13 November,2014.
Freeman, Anita. Everyone Deserves to Die With Dignity. New York Times: Room for Debate.
New York Times Company, 7 October, 2014. Web. 13 November, 2014.
Pope, Thaddeus M. Oregon Shows That Assisted Suicide Can Work Sensibly and Fairly. New
York Times: Room for Debate. New York TImes Company, 7 October, 2014. Web. 13
November, 2014.