Assisted Suicide
This report addresses assisted suicide as a viable option after allavenues of modern medical assistance have been eliminated as a solution forthe relief of a fatal disease or an unbearable situation. "Whether topermit assisted suicide and euthanasia is among the most contentious legaland public policy questions in America today." (Gorsuch, 2000) Although theUnited States Supreme Court has repeatedly struck down both euthanasia andother types of physician or family assisted suicide as illegal acts, as anadvocate, I feel strongly that there are many scenarios where euthanasia isfar more humane than any solution of an extreme medication or the tried andtrue "you have to gut it out" therapy for a person in a position ofsuffering. All those individuals against euthanasia simply because it seemslike the politically correct thing to do most take into considerationsituations where they put themselves in the place of an individualsuffering to a point where death can only be seen as total relief. This issue will only become more heated as advocates continue toappeal to the conscience of our legal system in a wholehearted effort tohave them reconsider their current and historical positions. Often th
" (Oregon Deptof Human Services, 2004) Voters had the option of repealing the act butvoted to retain the Act by a large margin of 60% to 40%. eselaws that make it illegal to perform physician or family assisted suicidehave been written without the full considerations that death is anacceptable option when life is no longer a possible alternative. But a person in severe pain with no hope ofmedical relief other than even more unbearable quantities of opiates is asvulnerable and also deserves relief from a hellish existence. I believe that those in debate should follow theexample of Oregon. One must walka mile in the shoes of another. Theexisting statues were written under the philosophy that in its nature,assisted suicide poses a grave danger to 'vulnerable persons' and thereforefederal statutory or constitutional protection is in order to safeguardthose vulnerable persons. The Oregon Death with Dignity Act requires that the OregonHealth Services (OHS) monitor compliance with the law, collect informationabout the patients and physicians who participate in legal physician-assisted suicide, and publish an annual statistical report. There are nations who do not agree with our federal statutes. "By 1994, the referendum campaigns bore their firstfruit when Oregon voters narrowly approved the legalization of assistedsuicide, 51 percent to 49 percent, though subsequent legal challengesdelayed implementation for three years. Advocates out of Stanford feel the following criterea should be met to makevoluntary euthanasia a viable solution. " (Oregon Dept of HumanServices, 2004) There is no mistake that the state of Oregon has legalizedphysician-assisted suicide even though they have condemned euthanasia whichwould be considered someone administering a lethal medication directly tothe person. Examples such as whenUniversity of Rochester professor Dr. "On October 27, 1997physician-assisted suicide became a legal medical option for terminally illOregonians.
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Acceptance Essays
