Assisted suicide is a very controversial topic in today 's society. Many people believe that the patient has the right to deny life-saving treatments, while many others argue it should not be legal. Although many countries and certain states have began enacting laws to legalize assisted suicide, it is still a very prominent issue today. “A doctor should allow a patient to die, with a patient’s and his/own family’s permission, rather than allow a patient to suffer in a vegetative state with little hope of recovery.” Whereas it can be seen as morally wrong, assisted suicide should be legal given that terminally ill patients have the right to choose to relieve their suffering. The term “brain dead” can be defined as the state where all necessary
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Only Oregon, California, Vermont, Washington, and Montana have this legalized, causing many families who are not in these zones to be pressed for options. Other countries around the world have began to accept PAS into their societies, including Switzerland, Belgium, Columbia, and The Netherlands. The race to legalize assisted suicide should be considered a marathon, rather than a sprint. One man, Jack Kevorkian, comes to mind when legalization of assisted suicide is being discussed. Long time euthanasia activist, Dr. Kevorkian, was known to answer nearly 130 people’s’ call for suicide. Dr. Kevorkian is famous for saying “Dying is not a crime.” (Kevorkian) What Dr. Kevorkian was trying to portray here is that dying is not punishable by law, so whenever a patient feels ready to leave this Earth, they should have the right to, without facing the fear of scrutiny or judgement from family, friends, or peers. During his time working as a pathologist, Dr. Kevorkian was sentenced to trial on charges of second degree murder, and was found to be guilty, serving an 8 year term out of a 10-25 year sentencing. Doctors and practitioners who must face civil litigations usually get charged for direct roles in voluntary euthanasia, or second degree murder if the case is severe enough. Essentially, this is charging the doctor or person(s) involved with associating with the murder, but not necessarily provoking/committing the crime. In a study conducted by a patient with a severe mental illness, Alison Davis, stated “If euthanasia had been legal then I would have requested it with no hesitation at all, and had Advance Directives been available I would have written one.”
Only Oregon, California, Vermont, Washington, and Montana have this legalized, causing many families who are not in these zones to be pressed for options. Other countries around the world have began to accept PAS into their societies, including Switzerland, Belgium, Columbia, and The Netherlands. The race to legalize assisted suicide should be considered a marathon, rather than a sprint. One man, Jack Kevorkian, comes to mind when legalization of assisted suicide is being discussed. Long time euthanasia activist, Dr. Kevorkian, was known to answer nearly 130 people’s’ call for suicide. Dr. Kevorkian is famous for saying “Dying is not a crime.” (Kevorkian) What Dr. Kevorkian was trying to portray here is that dying is not punishable by law, so whenever a patient feels ready to leave this Earth, they should have the right to, without facing the fear of scrutiny or judgement from family, friends, or peers. During his time working as a pathologist, Dr. Kevorkian was sentenced to trial on charges of second degree murder, and was found to be guilty, serving an 8 year term out of a 10-25 year sentencing. Doctors and practitioners who must face civil litigations usually get charged for direct roles in voluntary euthanasia, or second degree murder if the case is severe enough. Essentially, this is charging the doctor or person(s) involved with associating with the murder, but not necessarily provoking/committing the crime. In a study conducted by a patient with a severe mental illness, Alison Davis, stated “If euthanasia had been legal then I would have requested it with no hesitation at all, and had Advance Directives been available I would have written one.”