Physician Assisted Suicide

Physician-assisted suicide should be legalized for those with a condition that is causing them suffering or cannot be treated. This practice is illegal in most countries due to the overwhelming misunderstanding on the idea and the odd obsession with forcing people to survive against their will. Hopefully through educating the public on what assisted suicide is, what conditions meet the requirements for assisted suicide, and how the procedure actually goes, the practice will be legalized and help those who are suffering and their families. So, what is assisted suicide? The widely accepted definition is “voluntary termination of one's own life by administration of a lethal substance with the direct or indirect assistance of a physician” (“Physician-assisted …show more content…
These states are California, Montana, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington. All states except for Montana have clearly stated guidelines on what meets the conditions for physician-assisted suicide. The patient at hand has to be the minimum age of eighteen years old, a resident of said state, capable of making decision for themselves and expressing said opinions, and must be suffering from a terminal illness with a life expectancy of six months or less. Not only does their primary physician have to diagnose this condition, but a consulting physician must agree with said diagnose and agree that the patient is fit to make rational decisions on their health decisions. The patient must also undergo a psychological exam and be found fit to making such important life choices by a committee of psychologists and specialists. If these either of these two physicians do not find the patient to be mentally fit of making such decisions, they will refer them to a specialist to undergo a separate examination of their psychological well being. It is also the responsibility of both physicians to educate the patient of alternatives such as continuing treatment, pain medications or management options, and other such medical care. ("State-by-State Guide"). This information is to educate the patient on other options, but not force them into continuing treatment if they do not wish …show more content…
One widely made argument “is not truly fully respecting a person's "autonomy" or honoring an individual's real wishes” because those arguing against assisted suicide believe the patients are mentally ill and seeking attention for their physical and mental struggle, rather than wanting to end their lives ("Why Assisted Suicide Should Not Be Legalized"). As has been stated, many psychologists and specialists are involved in assuring that the patient is of sound mind and judgement before they will consider the patient eligible for assisted suicide. Those against suicide say that those who have been saved from suicide rarely try again and that the disorders that lead to suicidal ideation are treatable. Once again, the patients asking from assisted suicide must be of sound mind and body before they can be accepted to undergo the practice. Since the patient has passed a psychological examination, they have no mental disorder to be treated. Their second argument has to do with pain management. They say that if the pain was taken care of by “pharmacologic, neurosurgical, anesthetic, or psychological approaches”, then the patients would not feel the need to end their lives ("Why Assisted Suicide Should Not Be Legalized"). So, to sum that up, they want to