Physician-assisted suicide is the act of a physician providing a patient that meets certain criteria, normally a terminally ill patient, with the means and information to end their own lives. Patients are prescribed medication and choose when or if they are going to take them. A physician doesn’t have to be present at the time of the administration of the drug. It’s legal in four U.S states and one county; Oregon, Washington, Montana, Vermont, and Bernalillo County in New Mexico. Physicians are not required to provide the information and prescription medication to patients. Physician-assisted suicide should be legalized because patients deserve the right to determine their own fates, it gives patients an option to end their suffering, and it gives
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They should be able to choose to end their life being surrounded by family and knowing that they’re going to go fast, so their family doesn’t have to suffer through watching them die a very slow death. It’s very traumatizing for the family to witness a family member dying a slow death. In the article “ 'Seeing mum die wasn 't negative - it made it easier, '" Carol Midgley interviews family member of patients who chose PAS and was with their loved one when they went through with it. She writes that “Interestingly, Sophie and Edward say that they are not haunted by witnessing their mother 's death. What haunts them far more is the memory of their beloved father, Jack 's, lingering "natural" death in 2002” (Carol Midgley). So why is it wrong for someone to decide to end their suffering in a quick and in a safe way? If someone decides that enough is enough and it’s illegal they’ll take matters into their own hands. When this happens it can be devastating, because they aren’t always successful, which leads to more problems than intended. They also have to do it alone, not able to be in the company of their loved ones in fear of them being prosecuted.
They should be able to choose to end their life being surrounded by family and knowing that they’re going to go fast, so their family doesn’t have to suffer through watching them die a very slow death. It’s very traumatizing for the family to witness a family member dying a slow death. In the article “ 'Seeing mum die wasn 't negative - it made it easier, '" Carol Midgley interviews family member of patients who chose PAS and was with their loved one when they went through with it. She writes that “Interestingly, Sophie and Edward say that they are not haunted by witnessing their mother 's death. What haunts them far more is the memory of their beloved father, Jack 's, lingering "natural" death in 2002” (Carol Midgley). So why is it wrong for someone to decide to end their suffering in a quick and in a safe way? If someone decides that enough is enough and it’s illegal they’ll take matters into their own hands. When this happens it can be devastating, because they aren’t always successful, which leads to more problems than intended. They also have to do it alone, not able to be in the company of their loved ones in fear of them being prosecuted.