Put under such broad and pitiful circumstances, most Americans would say yes to the previous question. Indeed, statistics continually show, dating back to 1978, the two thirds of Americans support euthanasia when asked a question that has been phrased similarly to the one I have given here. This misleading statistic shows only half the story. When the statistics are further scrutinized we find that in fact America is split into thirds on the issue, as shown in an article that appeared in Atlantic Monthly by Ezekiel Emanuel. This showed that when the statistics are further examined, a third of America support euthanasia under numerous circumstances, a third oppose it under any circumstance, and a third approve of it in few cases but oppose it in most. This can be further explained by this quote, appearing in the same article:

Other, more carefully designed questions ca

Our goal should not be to rush into legalizing euthanasia, but in preserving the safety of the patients. Many supporters of the euthanasia movement cry out “Its already being committed anyway. Why not legalize it and be able to set restrictions and guidelines upon it?” This logic possesses only one fault. Daniel Callahan, president of the Hastings Center, an organization assisting terminally ill patients to make decisions regarding euthanasia, said it will when he said, “Why should we expect new statues to be taken with greater moral and legal seriousness [than the ones currently in place].” Doctors are continually ignoring the laws and guidelines of what is currently established, so how is it at all realistic that we should not expect them to commit the same violations when new laws are passed?

So, one may ask, what is the main cause for euthanasia? Of course it would be the relentless, unforgiving pain, right? Wrong. Numerous sources and research studies have come up with the conclusion that the main reason for terminally ill patients choosing to undergo euthanasia is depression, a symptom which is hardly life-threatening. In a survey conducted by The Journal of the American Medical Association of terminally ill patients and their attitudes towards euthanasia, they concluded that “depressive symptoms and other psychological factors, such as feeling unappreciated, appear to be more determinants of both patients’ personal interest in euthanasia and PAS (physician-assisted suicide) and the instability of this interest.” The actual statistics show that in individuals who showed depressive symptoms, 19.5% showed a personal interest, compared to only 8.7% who showed no depressive symptoms; furthermore, in those feeling unappreciated 22.0% showed a personal interest in PAS, while a mere 8.4% showed interest in those feeling appreciated. Take into account these are actual terminally ill patients who must seriously consider this option for their own well-being that gave the previous results. These are not the opinions of bystanders who try to pretend they know what the reasons are for patients undergoing euthanasia or PAS.

As James D. Torr exhibited, people like Kathleen Foley, the Memorial Sloan-Ket

Some topics in this essay:
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