Physician Assisted Suicide

In my opinion, physician assisted suicide is not black and white, either entirely right or wrong. Before I did the research for this debate I believed that people should have the option to end their own lives, because I am a strong supporter of abundant personal freedoms. However, after extensively researching the subject I have refined my opinion.

I believe Physician Assisted Suicide should be permitted under certain circumstances and then only under strict regulations. This is because I was made aware of many possible nightmarish scenarios that could come about upon the Federal legalization of assisted suicide. To give one example, a financially strapped family might pressure an elderly member to seek assisted suicide in order to ease their burden. That person may love their family so much that they would agree, and fake the mandatory evaluation intended to confirm the patient was acting on his own accord, even it was against his personal beliefs. That is just one of many situations that could occur, or, realistically, may have already occurred in Oregon.

On the other hand, I believe that "passive euthanasia" is acceptable no matter what the situation, as long as the recipient consents. Passive euthanasia is defined as hastening the death of a person by removing life support equipment or by stopping medical procedures, medications, etc. I feel this way because these are natural ways to die. If medical science had not been invented they would have died anyway. Their lives are not taken unnaturally, they're being sustained unnaturally.

Although my personal spiritual beliefs remain undefined, I do not disbelieve in the existence of a creator. The Roman Catholic, Lutheran and Episcopal churches, along with certain Muslim and Jewish faith groups are all openly opposed to the concept of suicide. Now, admittedly, the dogma and obvious BS of most churches turn me off. But a statement I read put out by the Catholic church, convinced me that I would never seek suicide other than Passive Euthanasia. It reads, "Suicide is considered a rejection of God's sovereignty and loving plan." The idea of nothingness after death scares me more than anything else, and to have my final act on earth be a direct rejection of God, with no chance of reconciliation, is wholly unappealing to me.

Although I had originally opted to take the devil's advocate and argue against my opinion, my research of anti-P.A.S. literature partially swayed me to its cause. I believe that people should have the right to hire doctors to kill them if they are 100% sure that it is what they want, that it's purpose would be to end unbearable suffering, and if they are incapacitated to do it themselves.

Bibliography

1. "Euthanasia and Physician Assisted Suicide: All Sides." http://www.religioustolerance.org /euthanas.htm

2. Swickard, Joe. "Fieger: Crusader now seeks martyrs robe." Detroit Free Press, November 25, 1998. http://www.freep.com/news/extra2 /qfieg25.htm

3. Taylor, Fred. "Suicide Watch." ABC News, 1998. http://www.abcnews.com/dispatches/bureaus/euthanasia032298/suicide_profile2.html

4. Horgan, John. "The Right to Die." Scientific American, May 1996.