FREE ESSAY ON ASSISTED SUICIDE OR EUTHANASIA

ASSISTED SUICIDE OR EUTHANASIA

ASSISTED SUICIDE or euthanasia
On July 26, 1997, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously upheld decisions in New York and
Washington State that criminalized assisted suicide. As of April 1999,
physicians-assisted suicide is illegal in all but a couple of states. Over thirty states
have established laws prohibiting assisted suicide, and of those who don't have statues,
a number of them prohibit it through common law. In Michigan, Jack Kevorkian was
initially charged with violating the state statue. He was charged with first-degree
murder and delivering a controlled substance without a license. The assisted suicide
charge was dropped, however, he was eventually convicted of second-degree murder and
delivering a controlled substance without a license. Only one state, Oregon, has
legalized assisted suicide. The Oregon law, which went into effect in October 1997,
provides that a doctor may prescribe, but not administer, a lethal dose of medication to
a patient who has less than six months to live. As of April 1999, 23 patients were given
the drugs under the statue, and 15 of them used the drugs to commit suicide. A report
released by the Oregon State Health Division found that the law was working well and had
not been subject to abuse (REED A9).
The word Euthanasia originated from the Greek language: eu means "good" and thanatos
means "death". The term euthanasia normally means that the person who wishes to commit
suicide must initiate the act (WORLD BOOK). However, some people define euthanasia to
include both voluntary and involuntary termination of life. Euthanasia has many meanings
so it is important to differentiate among the vaguely related terms.
These meanings of terms were cited from George Lundberg, M.D. in Views of Assisted
suicide.
Involuntary Euthanasia: This term is used by some to describe the killing of a person in
opposition to their wishes. It is basically a form of murder and not a popular view among
most people.
Passive Euthanasia: Hastening the death of a person by withdrawing some form of support
and letting nature take its course. For example: removing life support, stopping medical
procedures, stopping food and water and allowing the person to dehydrate or starve to
death, and not delivering CPR.
Active Euthanasia: This involves causing the death of a person through a direct action,
in response to a request from that person. A well-known example would be the process that
Dr. Kevorkian took on the Michigan resident and was found guilty of 2nd degree murder.
Physician-Assisted Suicide: A physician supplies information and the means of committing
suicide to a person, so that they can easily terminate their own life. The term
"voluntary passive euthanasia" is becoming commonly used.
Except for involuntary euthanasia, all these terms are closely related because the victim
requests the action. The only discrepancy is who is actually committing the act, and that
is insignificant since the choice is up to the victim. So when physician-assisted suicide
is mentioned in my argument it will also include passive and active euthanasia.
Qualities of death issues are constantly bringing upon arguments on whether or not
physician-assisted suicide should be legalized. The people who want it to become
legalized have a very worthy reason: it is a pro-choice decision. That is the majority's
opinion. Recent polls done in the U.S. claim 57% are in favor of the euthanasia choice
while 35% oppose this view (CNN/USA Today poll of 1997-JUN). On the other hand the 35%
who oppose these views come with the law on their side and also a way to justify their
point of view.
The main opposition comes from three established groups who seem to promote their
objection for different reasons. The first organizations are the conservative religious
groups; they are often the same organizations that oppose access to abortion. The second
establishments are the medical associations whose members are dedicated to saving and
extending life, and feel uncomfortable helping people end their lives. The third and last
group are the ones concerned with disabilities, who fear that euthanasia is the first
step towards a society that will kill disabled people against their will. Many faith
groups and various religions believe that God gives life and therefore only God should
take it away. Suicide would then be considered as a "rejection of God's sovereignty and
loving plan"(DOBSON 2). This is an important belief for this member of one of these
religious groups. They would probably never choose any type of suicide, including
physician-assisted suicide, for themselves. For each deeply religious person in North
America, there are many non-religious or secular people. A large number of adults who
have liberal religious beliefs treat euthanasia as a morally desirable option in some
cases. There are also many secularist, atheist, and agnostics who disagree with religious
based arguments. Many of these people would like to use suicide as an option in case they
develop a terminal disease and life becomes unbearable. Do religious groups have the
right to take their own personal beliefs and demand them to the entire population. Should
the personal beliefs of some religious people decide public policy for all adults,
including religious liberals, Humanists, Atheists, Agnostics, and rest of the population.
Dr. Abraham Halpern, an ex-president of the American Association of Psychiatry and the
Law, wrote an article in the New York Times stating that "Oregon's Death with Dignity
Act....should be repealed. It greases the slippery slope and will surely result in
undignified and unmerciful killings"(HALPERN). Dr. Gibson, the founder and president of
Focus on the Family, also agreed, saying "We will eventually be killing those who aren't
sick, those who don't ask to die, those who are young and depressed, those who someone
considers to have a poor quality of life, and those who feel it is their obligation to
get out of the way"(DOBSON 5). These two intellectuals are making it seem that the Oregon
law would permit roaming gangs of bureaucrats to visit nursing homes and decide which
residents deserve to live and which to die. Of course, future legislation cannot be
predicted, but the present statues passed by Oregon are very specific in application.
This process will never be used unless a patient specifically requests assistance in
dying. For that reason many suffering patients and their families want it to be
legalized. The big question is: Who will the set the standards and does it involve the
potential for abuse should it become legal?
The Mappe's and DeGrazia's Biomedical Ethics book, reviewed and used for reference by the
Oregon Health Division, contains the proposed clinical criteria for physician-assisted
suicide. These are the conditions one must follow before going through with the procedure
(QUILL400-410).
1. The patient must have a condition that can not be cured be cured and must have severe
suffering. In the first condition the patient must know and understand what is going to
happen to them. Someone must explain to them other comfortable alternatives. One cannot
get assisted suicide if they have diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or
multiple sclerosis. A doctor is not allowed to make a make final decision if there is any
doubt about the patients condition or prognosis (401).
2. The physician must be sure that the patient is not requesting death because his or her
comfort care is not good enough. In the second condition the request can not be a result
of inadequate care. All measures of comfort must be considered if not tried before the
physician-assisted suicide can be prepared (402).
3. The patient, of his or her own free will, must clearly repeat their request to die
rather than suffering. If both the patient and doctor decided that death is the best
possible outcome then the doctor should encourage the patient. The physician must be
certain that the patient is serious (402-403).
4. The patient's judgement can not be distorted. The patient must be rational and able to
understand the choice that he or she is making. Depression is a major factor that causes
a patient's judgement to be altered. Therefore the primary physician must request an
expert psychiatric evaluation before proceeding with the process (403). 
5. Physician-assisted suicide should only be carried out on the context of a meaningful
doctor-patient relationship. This then helps the doctor understand the reason for the
request. It is also highly recommended that the doctor actually witness the patient
previous to his or her current condition(404). "The physician who has helped the patient
throughout his illness, should be there for the patient at the time of death"(LUNDBERG).
6. Finally there must be clear documentation to support the condition. A system must be
developed for reporting, reviewing, and studying such deaths and clearly separating them
from other forms of suicide. Not only does the patient have to sign a consent form, but
the physician and consultant must sign one as well. The last step assures that the
physician, consultant, and the family members will be free from criminal prosecution as
long as the conditions are in good faith (QUILL405-408). 
If the proper guidelines are followed, this will not only benefit the families, but also
benefit the insurance companies and hospitals perhaps leading to cut backs concerning
patient expenses.
Oregon, similar to the Netherlands, are considered pioneers to some by facing this issue
considering the circumstances. Oregon has made the first step into supporting the
individual right for assisted suicide. Whether or not this view is unpopular to some,
people should still have the right to make that decision concerning their own welfare.
Since this was a country built on Christian beliefs this will be an on going debate and
might never come to a consensus. 
Bibliography
BIBLIOGRAPHY 
Dobson, James. "Dr. Dobson's Study." Focus on the Family. 1998. 17p. Online. 
Internet. 17 JAN. 1998. Available http://www.family.org/docstudy/newsletters/ a0000580.
Html.
"Death." The World Book Encyclopedia. 1990
"Euthanasia." The World Book Encyclopedia. 1990
Halpern, A.L. and A.M. Freedman. Letter. New York Times. 2 NOV. 1997: n. pag.
Lundberg M.D. George D. Views of Assisted Suicide from Several Nations. 1997. 
New York: JAMA, 1997. Online. Medical News and Perspectives. Internet. 24 Sept. 1997
available http://www.asst.suicide.com/html. 
Quill, Thomas A. Bio Medical Ethics: Proposed Clinical Criteria for Physician-Assisted
Suicide. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1996
Glover, J. Causing Death and Saving Lives. New York: Penguin Books, 1997.