The Right to Die

The Right to Die

Since the 1900's, patients have had the right to refuse life-saving treatment options offered by their doctor, and therefore choose to die. For many years, people have debated the next step in patient rights, known as assisted suicide. Assisted suicide is the procedure through which a doctor indirectly assists a terminally-ill or incurably suffering patient to end their life. This procedure usually involves the use of a fatal dose of prescription drugs that are supplied to the patient, and the patient remains in full control as to whether or not the drugs are ultimately administered. A similar procedure called euthanasia involves direct action of the doctor to end the patient’s life upon the patients request ("Assisted Suicide").

Proponents of assisted suicide or euthanasia see these options as the next logical step in patient rights given the fact that patients are currently able to refuse life-saving treatment, also known as passive euthanasia. Also, proponents, including many doctors, see it as a dignifying and compassionate need to suffering patients to prevent illegal incidents of such practices that lack proper safeguards and guidelines. Opponents believe that either option is morally unjustifiable, and that it will lead to abuses. Some take a religious approach in their argument by insisting that life is sacred (Grayling), while some state that the Hippocratic Oath taken by doctors and healthcare professionals should forbid such a right ever becoming a reality ("Physician-Assisted Suicide").

At the center of the debate are the suffering patients, and provided they are capable of making a rational decision, they should be allowed to choose their own fate. Not only it is compassionate, but it's unselfish. Many doctors do support such rights, and safeguards are in place to ensure that those rights would only be given to the few patients that would utilize such a right when absolutely necessary.

A fundamental and simple reason...