Assisted Suicide Should Be Legal

Assisted suicide: suicide committed by someone with assistance from another person, many think it’s unethical but fail to consider the circumstances of the people that request it (“A Right” 2015). It is now legal in several countries and a few U.S. states including: Belgium, Canada, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Switzerland, California, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Vermont (Kafer 2016). Although it’s legal in some places, there are many requirements and steps to applying for assisted suicide. These requirements are enforced by acts, such as the Termination of Life on Request and Assisted Suicide Act and the Death with Dignity Act (Friedman 2007). Most of the acts written to legalize assisted suicide in the United States were written in the early 2000’s, which is fairly recent. The act was legalized in Oregon in 1997, becoming the first state to make assisted suicide legal in America (“Physician-Assisted” 2016). Supporters of assisted suicide are trying to help create more acts similar to these in U.S. states, while non-supporters are trying to reject them (Friedman 2007). Though assisted suicide brings great controversy and intense emotion, it should be legal throughout the United States because it perpetuates morality, protects individuals’ rights, and validates fairness because of its safeguards. Allowing someone to suffer, when they desperately want to die reveals the lack of morality …show more content…
states because it protects our rights, achieves morality, and ensures fairness. People should have the right to choose when they want to die. Especially if they’re suffering, the population should be compassionate and understand how inhumane and out of control they may feel. The authorization of a national act for assisted suicide would guarantee our rights and morality, but it would also be secure and fair. There are too many suffering people to ignore, make assisted suicide everyone’s