The_Right_to_Die

The Right to Die: Using Euthanasia Our government has taken away the citizens of America, the freedom of choice, by banning euthanasia. Since we have the right to live, should we not also have the right to die' Euthanasia, by definition, is “…the intentional killing, by act or omission, of a dependent human being for his or her alleged benefit; mercy killing” (Morehead et al. 243). Death must be the result, or it cannot be classified as euthanasia. Euthanasia is also known as “…justifiable suicide that is a rational and planned ‘self-deliverance’ from a painful and hopeless disease, which would eventually end in death” (Hoche, M.D. et al). Suicide used to be a crime punishable by giving all the dead person’s possessions to the government instead of the family of the decease keeping everything. If the one who tried to commit suicide failed, then he could be placed in a mental institution of some kind for a number of years or until doctors felt he could safely return to society without trying to hurt his self. Times have changed since then. Suicide, or assisting someone to commit suicide, is a crime. Punishments for assisting someone with suicide range from fines to 14 years in prison or both. Punishments for committing the actual act today are, of course, death or humiliation for failing. Those assisting are trying to be of help but are ultimately blamed and harshly punished. Euthanasia should not only be legal, but society should accept it as well. There are thousands, possibly millions, of people who are spending their last days on earth in pain. They suffer, with no relief, due to an incurable illness, praying for the day when death will come and end their torment. This country was based upon freedom. Assisted suicide should be an option, not a crime, for those suffering to choose. A doctor willing to help terminally ill patients put an end to their suffering should be praised rather than condemned (Weir 116-126). Yet doctors assisting these patients in ending their life could face legal and criminal ramifications (Weir 116-126). The real crime is forcing someone to live daily with excruciating pain when there is another avenue to take. The extremely sad part is that there are even more people who could care less that their loved ones live with this sense of dread daily. Euthanasia is only legal in Oregon and the Netherlands. Statistics estimate that 1,000 to 7,000 individuals are put to death by euthanasia annually in the Netherlands (Fenigsen 22-30). The sick person must first prove to the courts that his illness is incurable. Most people ask for euthanasia because the doctors do not have the materials and equipment to ease the pain and suffering they will have to endure before finally being “laid to rest”. Euthanasia allows the sick to pass away painlessly and surround their selves by loved ones when they die to ensure they are not alone (Rachels D70). No one likes the thought of dying alone or being dead for days before someone finds his body. By being able to choose the day and time to die makes perfect sense to those suffering daily from a disease or illness that will ultimately kill them in the end. The state of Oregon reviewed and passed a law called the “Death with Dignity Act” in 1997 (Honey B2). This act states “…anyone over the age of 18 years-old, a resident of the state of Oregon and is suffering from a fatal disease or illness may request a lethal injection to end their life”. The implementation of Oregon’s “Death with Dignity Act” shows that in at least one state, public and professional preferences are strong enough to enact a legislated right to assisted suicide for the terminally ill. Doctors, in Oregon, are allowed to give life-ending medication to someone who is mentally competent and diagnosed with less than six months to live. Patients can take a lethal dose only after a 15 day waiting period (Honey B2). Oregon has made strict guidelines for the doctors and the patients to follow in order to assist all those involved from a legal and a moral standpoint. Details regarding this active law are printed out every year with results proving that more people are using this law to their advantage not only by ending their own pain and suffering but to end their loved ones pain and suffering as well (Rachels D70). The first year this law was pioneered, 24 people were assisted in their death compared to 58 people in the latest statistics of 2003 (Insel et al. 552). Those caring for a loved one that will soon die, go through pain, as well, by watching a loved one painfully dying. When he is finally “put to rest”, those left behind still endure the hardships of medical bills. No one wants to lose a loved one but if the one dying wants to die with dignity and a clear conscience knowing high medical bills will not be a problem for relatives, it is not for society to judge. Many religions believe in and support euthanasia. The United Church of Christ, the Unitarian Church, and the Methodist Church of the West Coast of America, to name a few, all officially support the principle of voluntary euthanasia for terminally ill people (Rachels D70). These religions believe that their God is forgiving and He does not want those serving Him to be in extreme mental and/or physical agony. He would not refuse them the Kingdom of Heaven just because they ended their life early to avoid prolonged, unbearable suffering. In 1990, Americans were shaken by what a retired pathologist named Dr. Jack Kevorkian did. He constructed and offered to interested persons a device which journalists called “the suicide machine” (“Why He Feels”). His first patient who requested this procedure was a 50 year-old woman suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. A syringe, connected to a machine, was inserted into one of her veins. The woman then could push a button at her own will and on her own time that would release a solution of potassium chlorate. Upon releasing the solution, it would then begin to enter her veins and within just a few short minutes, her heart would stop and so would all her pain and suffering (“Why He Feels”). If a person does not want to live life with an incurable disease, there is no reason he should have to. People suffering from illnesses that ultimately end in death should have the right to their lives in a peaceful, dignified manner if they so choose. Jack Kevorkian was the first known doctor to accept and allow euthanasia in his medical practice and grant dying patients their last wish; a painful, dignified death (“Jack Kevorkian”). Kevorkian based his practice on one simple philosophy and used this philosophy to justify his actions, which were, “…people have the right to avoid a lingering, miserable death by ending their own lives with help from a physician who can ensure that they die peacefully” (Jack Kevorkian). The very thought of prolonging a life that will be filled with pain up until the very end is not only unsettling but cruel to make someone do especially if there is a way to end all that. Dr. Kevorkian, also known as “Dr. Death”, ended the lives of approximately 130 people for almost 10 years (“Jack Kevorkian”). In 1997 alone, he “helped” kill 30 people (“Jack Kevorkian”). The majority of those 130 people were females between the ages of 40 and 50 but there were some in their early twenties. For someone to end his own life takes an exceptional amount of courage. Looking at the number of women who went to Dr. Kevorkian asking his help in ending their pain for the last time, one would have to rethink the age-old stereotype of men having more courage than women do. The state of Michigan sentenced Dr. Kevorkian to 10 to 25 years in the state prison for his role in using euthanasia. Years before he went to jail; however, Michigan authorities revoked his license to practice medicine as well as inhibited him from prescribing or having any access to any type of prescription drug. Kevorkian’s reaction to this punishment was not what the authorities thought he would do. Instead, he kept on practicing euthanasia procedures and maintained his ability to assist people in their own deaths by offering them death by carbon monoxide instead of potassium chlorate. Kevorkian told Dan Rather in an interview he did with 60 Minutes, “…not every doctor should be allowed to practice physician assisted suicide…have to be certified by the Medical Review Board…obtain a license to assist those in need.” If a patient has been diagnosed with an incurable disease that will eventually cause the patient much pain and suffering and that patient has made a sound decision to not only put his self through that but also those around him as well, the government and our society should understand and let that person die with some kind of dignity. No one can say what he would do or how he would think if put in that position unless he was in that position. The freedom to make decisions based upon one’s own personal well-being is a right every person in the United States has. The right to be able to die, under the proper circumstances, should not be excluded from that. Rational suicide cannot be committed without the patient having made out a Will (Medical Advance Directives et al). Making out a Will shows evidence of an orderly life and forethought on behalf of the departing (Insel et al. 552). An individual who plans to end his life should have the decency to leave his worldly possessions to those being left behind without confusion as to whom gets what or what goes where. The “soon to be departed” should also take into consideration the criminal liability his accomplice or accomplices will have to face when he is gone. A note of some kind that states exactly why taking his life was necessary and it was a choice taken voluntarily. The blame should be taken away from those assisting as well as any guilt that may be felt afterwards. By doing this, the departing person demonstrates, and takes full responsibility for this action. Euthanasia and the right to die are subjects that are troubling and difficult to discuss. The decision of euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide should be the decision of the patient (who is terminally ill) and their doctor. Dr. Jack Kevorkian said it best during an interview he gave 60 Minutes, “I have not sought to end my patient’s lives, only to help end their suffering.” Assisted suicide or euthanasia should be legalized in the United States for the obvious and foremost reason: to end unnecessary pain and suffering. Of course, there must be strict regulations in order to make this work. Otherwise, serial killers could go around killing every man, woman, or child in sight regardless if he was terminally ill or not. There should be a law allowing assisted suicide and euthanasia in all 50 states, not just one, that clearly states the difference between assistance in suicide and cold-blooded murder. If every state passed a law like the “Death with Dignity Act” passed by Oregon, it is possible that each state just might see, for example, a reduction in the number of suicides that have resulted in innocent bystanders being hurt as well and quite possibly the number of murders or unexplained deaths could also decrease. Anything is possible. At least that is what we, as Americans, are taught to believe in. The right to be able to end one’s own life is a personal choice. People make personal choices every day of every week and are not questioned and/or prohibited. This personal choice should not be different from any other choice people make every day of week. The United States prides itself in knowing that each and every one of its citizens is free to live as he so chooses. How a terminally ill person decides to end his life should be given the same respect. The right to die, in all respects, is as natural as the right to live. References: Fenigsen, Richard. “Euthanasia: How It Works: The Dutch Experience.” Hastings Center Report Special Supplement Feb. 1989: 22-30. Hoche, M. D., Alfred and Karl Binding. Permitting the Destruction of Life not Worthy of Life. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 1980. Honey, Charles. “End of Life is Fraught with Issues.” The Grand Rapids Press. 25 Oct. 2003: B2. Insel, Paul M., and Walton T. Roth. Core Concepts in Health. Mountain View: Mayfield Publishing Company, 2000. “Jack Kevorkian-Euthanasia Pioneer.” ABC News. Newsmaker. November-December 2003. Retrieved October 25, 2007 from http://abcnews.go.com/reference/bios/Kevorkian.html. Medical Advance Directives. Brochure. HealthCare Financing Administration. U.S. Government Printing Office. Baltimore, MD. August 1996. Morehead, Albert, and Loy Morehead, ed. The New American Webster College Dictionary. 3rd ed. New York: Penguin Books Ltd., 1995. Rachels, James. “The End of Life: Euthanasia and Morality”. Oxford University Press. 1986: D70. Rather, Dan. “Why He Feels What He Is Doing Is Right”. 60 Minutes. 19 May 1996. Weir, R. F. “The Morality of Physician-Assisted Suicide”. Law, Medicine, and Health Care 20 1992: 116-126.