Right to Die?

The famous and infamous Dr. Kevorkian who has practiced assisted suicide was eventually convicted of second murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. Did he actually commit a crime? The issue at hand is whether physician-assisted suicide should be legalized for terminally ill patients with enduring sufferings. The debate has gone back and forth. For those against it, reasons lie in morality and ethics; for those for it, compassion and respect for life. I’m one of the latter group, favoring legal recognition of “right to die” and societal acceptance of physician-assisted suicide.

From the perspective of the terminally ill people, assisted suicide is relief from unbearable prolonged suffering and last maintenance of dignity and decency. We all have neither more nor less than one life and one death. We strive to live life to its fullest and nobody wants to die in severe pain or devouring loneliness. We all prefer to drift off to death when the time comes. A request for physician-assisted suicide is a cry for help, help to relieve pain, help to alleviate suffering. Yet we give them the cold shoulder. Thousands of patients die of terminal illness such as cancer, AIDS every year. They are forced to suffer needlessly even if there is another alternative. Though it’s sad to know they are in great agony and the only way to bring the agony to an end is assisted suicide, it is the true situation. For those terminally ill, especially the aged ones, they are emotionally vulnerable. They long for care and attention yet they feel incompetent. To die calmly and rationally upon their will is the last remaining of dignity and decency.

From the perspective of society, we are born with the “freedom of will” and reasonable choice should be respected. Suicide is considered immoral because it is intentionally termination of life which does not yet expire. However, in the case of terminally ill people, I believe assisted suicide is moral and merciful considering they already have not much time left. The society respect personal choice under rational reasons in particular circumstance, therefore the choice of physician-assisted suicide should be respected. Of all the choices we are allowed, why is a good death not one of them? Around the world, only the state of Oregon and the country of the Netherlands show respect for this choice. With the opposition of legalization of such acts, we are marginalizing