Assisted suicide (or Euthanasia) is a topic undergoing serious debate. There
exist two obvious and definite opinions regarding this controversy. The
anti-euthanasia faction consist of:  Conservative religious groups. They
are often the same organizations that oppose access to abortion. 
Medical associations whose members are dedicated to saving and extending life,
and feel uncomfortable helping people end their lives.  Groups concerned
with disabilities, which fear that euthanasia is the first step towards a
society that will kill disabled people against their will. These groups bring
both a religious and professional ethics perspective to the opinion that
physician assisted suicide should be prohibited by law. The other side of the
debate over euthanasia is those individuals who follow the convictions of Dr.
Jack Kevorkian and the Right to Die organization. The book Prescription:
Medicine (1993) is an interesting, yet controversial book about physician
assisted suicide. Authored by the only physician known to provide assisted
suicide to terminally ill patients, Dr. Jack Kevorkian, the book brings up some
topics of heated debate. Kevorkian discusses his Suicide Machine, reasons for
assisted suicide, and some of the cases he has supervised. The Proponents for
Euthanasia In his book, Dr. Kevorkian explains the ancient roots of euthanasia
and his invention of the Suicide Machine. He gives examples of how doctors in
the time of the Pythagorean readily gave poison to any patient who requested it.
Kevorkian tries to justify assisted suicide by carefully stating the words of
the Hippocratic Oath. He also thoughtfully interprets both the laws and the oath
in order to make it look like they agree with his ideas. One justification for
assisted suicide that Kevorkian uses is that of a proclamation by a medical
committee that it is ethical for physicians to help terminally ill patients
commit suicide. Only, he doesn’t make it very obvious that the committee is
part of a special interest group known as the Society for the Right to Die. This
committee was obviously biased because of its affiliation with the organization.
There could be some complicated problems if physicians were allowed to perform
euthanasia at anytime on anybody who wanted it. The biggest problem might be if
someone is mentally and physically incapacitated to the point where they can’t
make decisions on their own, and they want to die, who is really making the
decision? Are they deciding or is it their greedy relatives that want the
inheritance? Absolutely no one has the right to choose who gets to live or who
gets to die. Advocates of voluntary euthanasia contend that if a person is meets
the following criteria then there should be legal and medical provision to
enable her to be allowed to die or assisted to die. The individual must be: 1.)
suffering from a terminal illness 2.) unlikely to benefit from the discovery of
a cure for that illness during what remains of their life expectancy 3.) as a
direct result of the illness, either suffering intolerable pain, or only has
available a life that is unacceptably burdensome (because the illness has to be
treated in ways which lead to her being unacceptably dependent on others or on
technological means of life support) 4.) have an enduring, voluntary and
rational wish to die (or has, prior to losing the competence to do so, expressed
a wish to die in the event that conditions #1 - #3 are satisfied); and 5.)
unable, without assistance, to commit suicide The major argument is that people
possess the right to end their own lives if they wish to. There is no laws or
regulations outlawing it and the action harms no one other then the individual
who commits suicide. Advocates of euthanasia believe that death is preferable
for people whose quality of life has shrunk to zero, find the indignities of
being cared for as an infant unbearable, or simply want to die with dignity
before they become very sick. This group would include, but is not limited to
individuals afflicted by ALS, Huntington's Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, AIDS,
Alzheimer's, etc. The Opponents of Euthanasia In a recent article from the
Connecticut Post (1998) a physician described the phrase “doctor assisted
suicide” as an oxymoron. The author believes that if someone assists you with
taking your life you have not really committed suicide. Whether it is a doctor
or your best friend helping you take your life, it is nothing less then murder.
As mentioned earlier in this document the three primary constituents of the
anti-euthanasia debate are religious institutions, medical professionals, and
persons with disabilities. There are two primary arguments offered by
Christians, and those of other religions, that caution against a person pursuing
suicide, in any form: 1.) Life is a gift from God, and that "each
individual [is] its steward." Thus, only God can start a life, and only God
should be allowed to end one. An individual who commits suicide is committing
sin. 2.) God does not send us any experience that we cannot handle. God supports
people in suffering. To actively seek an end to one's life would represent a
lack of trust in God's promise. These beliefs are common in most religions
ranging from Christianity to Islam. In some ancient religions suicide is
permitted but the method of death is in no way comfortable or “good”.
Usually the suicide is very painful and is a symbol of your faith. Unfortunately
because of the secular nature of most religions their views on euthanasia are
not very practical arguments, especially with the growing percentage of
Agnostics, Atheists, Humanists, secularists, non-Christians and liberal
Christians. Medical professionals who are dedicated to preserve life argue that
the oath that they take upon becoming a physician binds them to not assist their
patients in committing suicide. In fact the American Medical Associations’
policy toward euthanasia says that "Physician assisted suicide is
fundamentally inconsistent with the physician's professional role…" and,
"it is critical that the medical profession redouble its efforts to ensure
that dying patients are provided optimal treatment for their pain and other
discomfort. The use of more aggressive comfort care measures, including greater
reliance on hospice care, can alleviate the physical and emotional suffering
that dying patients experience...". To be a practicing doctor you must
follow and understand this oath. A recent survey performed by Dr. Diane Meier of
Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, NY, of 1,902 doctors showed that
6.4% of those who responded admitted that they had helped at least one patient
commit suicide. The doctors questioned specialized in aging, infectious
diseases, cancer, and diseases that affected kidneys, nerves and lungs.
Opponents of euthanasia also argue that if physician assisted suicide were
legal, insurance companies and family members who do not wish to see funds
wasted on costly medical bills would opt to have their relatives or clients
commit suicide without proper consent. This is of major concern to disabled
persons who worry that if lawmakers permit terminally ill patients to commit
suicide that eventually laws will be created to allow states to kill anyone that
it deems to be worthless. Granted this statement may seem a bit unrealistic;
however, when looking back at the atrocities of history (i.e. nazi death camps
and human medical testing, etc) the question is valid as to where physician
assisted suicide will stop at. Conclusions My moral and religious convictions
strongly oppose suicide in any form, whether it is someone jumping from a
building or physician assisted. I believe that by killing yourself you will be
condemned to Hell. However, this does not mean that I am in favor of a law
outlawing euthanasia. To do so would limit an individual’s rights. It is my
belief that as an individual you have the right to do anything. This not only
includes the rights to life, liberty and happiness, but also the right to steal,
murder and commit suicide. Fortunately, if you exercise a right that is
regulated by law you will be punished by a government agency for it.
Furthermore, if you commit suicide my religion tells me that you will be
punished my God. Not everyone has the same moral and ethical convictions as I
do; therefore, it would be wrong to force others to follow them. Whatever the
outcome, laws relating to euthanasia need be determined by the federal
government and not by individual states. Otherwise, too many discrepancies and
problems will occur. For instance, there could be an influx of people seeking
assisted suicide into states that have legalized it. If the government permits
euthanasia there needs to be a specific set of guidelines to follow outlining
who can choose euthanasia and who can administer it. There will be complications
if physicians were allowed to perform euthanasia at anytime on anybody who
wanted it. The biggest problem I see is if someone is mentally and physically
incapacitated to the point where they can’t make decisions on their own, and
they want to die. In this case who is really making the decision? Are they
deciding for themselves, or are greedy relatives or insurance companies making
the choice? Absolutely no one has the right to choose who gets to live or who
gets to die. Kevorkian seems to think of himself as some sort of saint for
offering assisted suicide as a professional service. I don’t agree with
Kevorkian that euthanasia and “obitiatry”, as he calls it, can benefit
everyone. There are definite rules and regulations at to when assisted suicide
is permissible.

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