The grisly issue of physician-assisted suicide has been, and still is, widely debated
on all levels including classrooms, the media, and the Supreme Court. Finding the right
answer to the question of whether individuals should be able to aide people in their
suicide is an almost impossible feat. In a case by case examination, the circumstances in
each case varies greatly, making it difficult to draw the line between what can and cannot
be considered a justifiable reason to commit suicide. Probably the most offered reason
was that they were simply trying to die with dignity. They felt that people had the right to
death and that being forced to live in pain or with an incurable ailment was inhumane.
And the officials in Oregon happened to agree with that, passing its Death With Dignity
Personally, I feel that a physician-assisted suicide should be legal under certain
conditions. First of all, the person who is going to receive assistance should be able to
verbally declare that they're seeking suicide as an answer. I also feel that it's important
for a few doctors to conspire and decide if the patient's condition is bad enough, making
suicide their only option. However, that's exactly where the controversy comes in to play;
who's to decide if a person is allowed to die or not? Most Americans stand on one side of
the issue, according to a 1996 poll given by The Gallup Organization:
The majority of Americans say that they would not choose
physician-assisted suicide if they were terminally ill, but they remain
divided on whether it should be legalized....The survey found that 35
percent of adults said they would ask their doctor to end their lives if they
were terminally ill. More men than women would ask their doctors for
help in ending their lives. However, half of those surveyed said they
thought physician-assisted suicide should be legalized. (1)
Ev...