Assisted Suicide; Who Has the Right to Choose?.
Euthanasia or assisted suicide is a very sensitive and debatable topic in today's society. Webster's Dictionary defines euthanasia as a painless and easy death. However there are many religious, moral, and ethical arguments against this method that is currently illegal . Many people seem to fear and dread the thought of aging and death itself. It is not easy for most of us to see death as an inevitable part of life. However the issues that surround euthanasia are not only about death, they are about one's liberty, right to privacy, and control over one's own body. The question is can assisted suicide be accepted as a reasonable choice, or should a patients pain and suffering be prolonged in order to preserve life, without regard to the quality of that life?.
Currently there are a few specific types of euthanasia which are distinctly classified. Passive euthanasia is removing life support or not providing CPR to a dying patient. One of the most common types of passive euthanasia is giving a patient large doses of morphine to control pain. Excessive amounts of morphine can slow down breathing and assist with death. Active euthanasia is directly causing death of a person who requests to die. A well known example was the mercy killings in 1998 of a patient with ALS by Dr. Jack Kevorkian. Kevorkian injected poison into the patient which caused death. Dr. Kevorkian was later found guilty of 2nd degree murder.Physician assisted suicide is when a doctor supplies the patient with information and/or the tools to commit suicide. The doctor "provides lethal pills or sometimes a carbon monoxide gas mask so the person can easily terminate their own life". Lastly, involuntary euthanasia is the act of killing a person who has not requested aid in dying. This is often done to patients who are brain dead or in comas that will probably never become conscious again.
