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Miriam Estime

ENC 1102

Professor Galvin

11/10/2010

Assisted Suicide:

Throughout the twentieth and the twenty first century, the life expectancy of an

average person has increase because of major scientific and medical advances. Even though

these scientific and medical advances makes people live longer, they also make some people

live longer by having more pain and suffering. Now, doctors can use machines and others

devices to preserve human lives artificially. This rise the question whether or not a person have

the freedom to choose to end their lives by assistance when they are suffering from a terminal

disease or they remain in a vegetative state where they cannot voices their wishes for

termination or continuation of life.

Death is feared by a lot of people, but if someone wants to choose to end their life that

person must be suffering from an excruciating pain cause by a terminal illness. Many people

don’t want to end their lives in a horrible way, which is why they want to have a person that

can assist them the right way. Assisted suicide is committed with the assistance of a physician

by a person who is terminally ill or in unmanageable pain. There are many ways a person can be

assisted in taking their lives. Physician assisted suicide, is when the physician prescribe a lethal

drug that is self administered by the patient to take their own. Active or voluntary euthanasia is

a type of suicide when physicians give a lethal dose of medication to the patient. Another type
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of assisted suicide is passive euthanasia, which is when treatments are withhold or withdrawing

life support necessary to continue one’s life.

Many people have considered the idea of a gracious and acceptable death since many,

many years ago. However, recently an individual’s choice in dying became a widespread social

issue and a legal concern. Assisted suicide is legal in countries such as, the Netherlands,

Belgium, Switzerland, and Luxembourg. In the United States assisted suicide was only legal in

Oregon but recently it became legalize in Washington and Montana. In order for physician to

prescribe the lethal medication to patients, the patient must meet certain criteria:

The condition include that the patient must be an adult resident of the state, be

terminally ill with less than six months to live (as verified by two physicians),

have made the request verbally and in writing (signed by two witnesses, at least

one of whom has no ability to benefit from the patient’s death), and have

reiterated the verbal request a minimum of fifteen days after the initial verbal

request. (Dorman)

Oregon was the first state to pass the Death with Dignity Act in 1994. Many people have

argued that the physician assisted suicide law in Oregon has been a success and others have

said that the law is being abused. Ron Wyden argued that “during the time the law has been in

place, safeguards have proved sufficient to prevent abuses, and end-of-life care in general has

actually improved for Oregonians” (33). Wyden really believe that death with dignity act law

has brought some really good positive outcomes. Wyden states that “for the citizens of

Oregon’s, the death with dignity act has brought about improvements in many areas and

encouraged conversations that many would never have had otherwise” (38). Opponent,
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Kenneth Stevens express that “Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act has done nothing to improve

pain management, hospice, or palliative care, nor has it diminished the state suicide rate for

nonassisted suicide” (40). This issue has brought many people to argue, either by sympathizing

with patient who are terminal ill or they believe that death should occur naturally, because

assisted suicide is not humane.

When compassion is not enough and when medications and treatments fail, it obviously

should be the person’s right if they should decide they want to die without feeling all the pain

and suffering from the terminal disease that they are suffering from. One doctor whose been

known to fulfill his patients wish when they ask him to assist then to die is Dr. Kevorkian also

known as “Dr. Death”. Dr. Kevorkian assisted more than 130 people into taking their own lives.

He was convicted of murder and was sentenced to 10-25 years in prison after administering a

lethal injection to a terminal ill man on national television. In a recent interview on 60 minutes,

dr. Kevorkian states that “"I'm going to work with activist groups trying to get it legalized, and

putting my voice in with theirs to legalize it whenever I can, Either through legislatures or

through courts if possible." As the interview went on, Wallace asked him "What would you do if

a desperate person comes to you, Jack Kevorkian, and says, 'I need help”? Dr. Kevorkian replied

and said "Well, it would be painful for me but I'd have to refuse ‘em. Because I gave my word

that I won’t do it again."

Many people have argued that people should have the right to die with dignity. The

right to-die movement is a campaign that has been ongoing since the 1970’s to legalize assisted

suicide. “Proponents believe that mentally competent terminally ill people should be able to

seek and receive a doctor's help to die” (“Assisted Suicide”). Even though the debate of
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assisted suicide and euthanasia is a controversial topic today, many centuries ago assisted

suicide by euthanasia was being practice by Greeks and Romans. Wesley Smith mentioned that

“Euthanasia is translated from Greek as "good death" or "easy death." They refer to the term

euthanasia as someone dying peacefully and painless in a surrounding that is comfortable for

the person when they are old and terminally ill. The Romans and the Greeks had a great

understanding and support towards the act of euthanasia.

If people should have the right to die, what happens to those that are never fully

competent enough to be able to form such a decision? Many cases of assisted suicide for the

right-to-die have been brought to Supreme Court. The Terri Schiavo case was battled for seven

years between her husband, parents, and court. Terri Schiavo suffered from a cardiac arrest

and went into a persistent vegetative state due to lack of oxygen. After almost fifteen years in

persistent vegetative state a court order ruled in favor for her husband who wanted her feeding

tube to be removed, and she did 2 weeks later. In an interview with Dr. Kevorkian he was asked

if he thought America has changed their mood after observing the Terri Schiavo case. Kevorkian

responded saying “If they're rational, I think they would. Because first of all, if that's considered

a good way to end a suffering patient's life — which is true today. Medical profession endorses

that, religion endorses it…”

Many people have argued that the Death with Dignity Act law have too much

restrictions. Since one of the regulations states that the person have to live in the state to get

the help, many people that feels like they want to end their life because of a terminal illness

have went to other countries to get the help that they want. Dr. Kevorkian expressed his

opinion about the Oregon law saying:

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The Oregon law is fine as far as it goes. But it's restricted. There are some

patients who can never get that service because they cannot swallow. And a

doctor cannot perform the act. It should be, first of all, legalized only for

physicians as a medical service, not for laymen, not for family members or

friends to help someone die because doctors are the only ones who are

justifiable in determining the health status of the patient.

“The Suicide Tourist”, a documentary about a man and his wife who went to Switzerland

to end his life with the help of a physician. Craig Ewert suffered from a condition call ALS, also

known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. People that have ALS usually live for about two to five years.

Craig’s body was deteriorating quickly he was so scared of suffocating to death that he wanted

to end his life before it happened to him. With ALS a person eventually becomes paralyze

because of losing their muscular function, they become so weak that they will not be able to

swallow or eat voluntarily, they will not be able to talk or breathe on their own, then eventually

they will suffocate to death. Switzerland is the only country that will allow foreigners to come

and end their life by assisted suicide. In Switzerland, an organization called Dignitas is the only

organization in the country that will help foreigners that want to end their lives. In the

documentary Craig said:

I am dying. … There is no sense in trying to deny that fact, there are

people who will look at this and say: No. Suicide is wrong. God has forbidden it.

You cannot play God and take your own life. But you know what? This ventilator

is playing God. If I had lived without access to technology, chances are I would be

dead now.
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There are many methods that now exist in which a person can decide how treatments

will be made during the final stages of their lives. A Do Not Resuscitate Order (DNR) is one of

the most popular forms that a person can sign to refuse cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

CPR is a method that can restore someone’s life after a heart failure. Surrogate decision making

is also method when a family member that is next a kin to the patient make a decision when

that patient is not able to make any decision for them. Rosenfeld states that “family members

typically emphasize emotional factors in making decisions making (e.g., quality of life, dignity)

often rely on other family members to support the decisions they have made” (56). Living Will is

another type of methods that a person can wish to voice their wishes about the types of

treatments they would like in case something would happen to them. Living Wills are very

complex. It provide more details to what a person would want if something would happen to

them, removal of life support, for example. Even if a person is a vegetable and cannot speak, as

long as they have a Living Will documented their wishes can still be expressed. Also, there will

not be any drama for people to say that the person would have or would have not wanted

certain thing to happen to them.

We live in a democratic society where we can be free to make decisions. People

make decisions and choices throughout their entire lives. Some of these decisions or choices

can be stupid or some of them can be very important life changing decisions. In this society

people are able to live their lives the way they choose. Death can be fast or prolong. After living

a life with no pain and suffering, some people that end up being terminally ill may not want to

choose to live the rest for their lives with the little time they have left suffering with unbearable
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pain. There are many arguments for and against assisted suicide, but we might never know if

it’s right or wrong.

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"Assisted Suicide." Issues & Controversies on File: n. pag. Issues & Controversies. Facts on File

News Services, 9 Aug. 2002. Web. 17 Nov. 2010.

Dorman, Jennifer. The Righ to Die. ed. Detroit M ichigan: Greenhaven

Press, 2010. 7,33,38,40. Print.

Kevorkian, Jack. "Dr. Death" speaks out from jail. Interview by Rita

Cosby. 05/10/2005. MSNBC. Print. 17 Nov 2010.

Kevorkian, Jack. Dr. Kevorkian free and talking. Interview by Wallace

Mike. 04/06/2007. CBSNEWS. TV. 17 Nov 2010. <11/17/2010>.

Kevorkian, Jack. "Dr. Death" speaks out from jail . Interview by Rita

Cosby. 05/10/2005. MSNBC. Print. 17 Nov 2010.

Rosenfeld, Barry. "3." Assisted suicide and the right to die: the interface of social science, public

policy, and medical ethics. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2004.

56. Print.

Zaritsky, John, Dir. The Suicide Tourist . PBS: 2010, Film.

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