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Nancy Gerrard
Professor Kenneth Dorhout
English 1001
25 November 2014
Assisted Suicide
This life is chock full of both beautiful and painful moments which some may argue is
what essentially makes this life worth living. It is impossible to know pleasure without pain, and
it is impossible to know elated happiness without first experiences heart wrenching sadness. This
life is marked both by triumphs and failures, as well as ups and downs. Human beings are all
granted this rollercoaster ride within the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a document
written for the protection of universal human rights written by the draft committee and adopted
by the United Kingdom. In article three it says that Any human being has the right to life,
liberty, and the security of his person. In article two of the same document it states that The
right to life of any person is protected by law. Death cannot be inflicted to someone in a
deliberate way, only through executing a capital sentence filed by a court, when the crime is
punished through law with such a measure (Quffa, 2013). Within life, humans are granted every
right to live, but what about the ones that wish to die? What about when the pain and suffering of
this life take away an individuals desire to live to the point where they want to take away the
only thing they have ever known? Assisted suicide is the administering of lethal drugs to a
patient who no longer wants to live anymore. These drugs are to be used by the patient after the
decision has been made by both physicians, family members, and the patient themselves that
they are terminal, with a bleak chance of recovery, and are in enough pain that relieving this

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suffering through assisted suicide is okay. Jean-Jacques Rousseau said, Man is born free and
everywhere he is in shackles. Within this life people are granted naturally nothing except the
dismal promise that they will meet death eventually, but are legally not allowed to pursue death
in a peaceful and premeditated way even though they are in so much pain that they may argue
that they are only corpses with heartbeats, and shells of the humans they once were. It is a right
given that humans may live, and it should also be a right given that humans may die. People
should be allowed to pass away in peace if they wish, when they no longer have the will to live
due to being in enough pain as to make it not worth it. Assisted suicide should be legalized in
certain cases due to moral, as well as economic reasons.
Assisted suicide differs from euthanasia in a few aspects. Firstly, there are two different
types of euthanasia including passive and active. Passive euthanasia is the allowing of someone
to die through withholding treatment, and active euthanasia is the administering of lethal drugs to
a patient by a physician (Gormon, 1999). Assisted suicide differs from both of these. Assisted
suicide is when a physician writes a prescription for a lethal drug, but the patient is responsible
for administering it to themselves.
Assisted suicide is something that should be considered in certain situations. When every
inch of someone is wrought with pain, and they no longer see a light at the end of the tunnel,
then it should be available to them. It should be legalized and available to patients with
conditions in which there is no chance of recovery, and essentially they are just waiting to die. At
the end of the day, patients should not feel pressured to engage in this if they are not completely
sure of their decision. The patient should consult with at least two physicians in order to
determine that there is no chance of recovery. The decision should also be discussed with family
members, and loved ones to determine that this is the best way of relieving the patients pain.

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Finally, the patient should be consulted by a psychiatrist in order to establish that they are in a
right state of mind, and not just using assisted suicide in order to escape their mental problems
without first seeking help.
Pain is something that is not welcomed with open arms in this world, but it is something
that lessons can be taken from. It gives the means to grow to the individual experiencing it. At
some point, however, there is such a thing as pain with no greater cause. Pain for a greater cause
implies that there will be some greater lesson learned, and it will make the person enduring it
stronger. Patients dealing with inoperable diseases and conditions must have to deal with pain
without a greater cause. This sort of pain cannot be defined to one part of the body because it
encompasses them, and becomes them. It is something that cannot be separated from
psychological, physical, or economic pain and hardship because it is all of these things. There is
no way to determine the total pain of the patient, whether it is solely physical or emotional (Quill
2012). Whether it be from going through treatment for this disease or symptoms from it, this type
of pain within these conditions is unavoidable. From this type of pain it may be seen within some
patients the lack of desire to live. This does not mean that there is something mentally wrong
with the patient pushing them to the line where life changes to death, but rather that humans are
all given a threshold for pain and theirs may be fully reached. Once this threshold is reached, it
can be said that these patients are essentially waiting to die instead of experiencing life with both
the ups and downs, and rather only a slow downward spiral. The quality of life in society should
mean more than the quantity of life, but unfortunately it does not. Once people believe that the
quality of their life has been had, and with the diagnosis of a terminal illness, they should be
allowed the choice of dying before their condition deteriorates even farther.

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Within society it is not unheard of to euthanize an animal in order to put it out of its
misery. When people decide that their animal is dying and in enough pain, they take the animal
to the vet clinic in order to have it put down. There is a large stigma in which ending a humans
life, even though they are in horrendous pain, is completely wrong. Why is it that humans can
take away the life of an animal as an act of love, but when it comes to a fellow human being it is
completely wrong? Some may argue that human life means more than an animal life, but this
could not be more untrue. Life is defined as the quality that distinguishes a vital and functional
plant or animal from a dead body (Life, Merriam Webster). A life is a life. An animal cannot
communicate with anyone when it is ready to die, so what makes it okay to put this animal out of
its misery, but turn and look the other way when a human being says that it no longer wants its
life?
Suicide cannot be prevented. If someone wants to die, they will do it. The problem with
this is that they may do it in a way that is unexpected and more harmful than it needs to be.
People may end their own lives in ways like shooting themselves, hanging, and overdosing on a
prescription not ended to kill them. By legalizing assisted suicide, people who no longer have the
will to live can do it in the comfort of their own homes. They can do it in a way that they are
surrounded by their loved ones, and they will have a chance to say goodbye. In the chance that
an illness cannot be cured, the right to assisted suicide and to die peacefully should be allowed.
Legalizing assisted suicide is a way for people to die in a dignified way when they are ready,
instead of them trying to do it themselves.
The religious argument against assisted suicide is simple: God giveth, and God taketh.
People with religious backgrounds have the moral standing that dying on their own terms is
wrong. Within the early Christian church, there was no definite view on suicide, in fact there is

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no mention within the New Testament or Old Testament in the Bible that suicide is wrong. It was
only later that people had an obligation to remain alive and withstand miseries they may face.
(Rubin, 2010). The counterargument for this is that it is a different time now. The idea of
martyrdom was instilled a long time ago, in order to reduce the rate of suicide by convincing the
people that if they did not kill themselves and withstood lifes pain that they would be rewarded
ultimately by being allowed to enter a place where they would have an eternity of peace and
happiness. Within the Ten Commandments, it states that Thou shalt not kill. This may be used
against the right to die, but dying and killing is in life everywhere today. There have been wars
since the beginning of time in which innocent people have died. Assisted suicide allows people
who want to die the right to die, and war, which is all over the world, gives death to people who
may not want it. With the multiple belief systems in the world today it is impossible to not allow
assisted suicide due to the fact that a lot of people may be against it due to religious beliefs. By
not allowing assisted suicide, there is lack of rights being offered to people who may not believe
in God and an afterlife.
Assisted suicide is a relatively inexpensive process. The drugs this process cost around
$35, whereas the cost for proper health care can be anywhere from $35,000 to $40,000. The
difference between these numbers is incredible. Some may argue that by legalizing assisted
suicide, there is a price put on life, and it somehow cheapens it. The counter argument for this
would be the fact that regardless of what the final decision is, whether to let the patient live, or
help them die a price will still be paid. A price will be paid for the attention that the patient
receives along with the treatment, and a price will be paid for the drugs involved in the assisted
suicide. In contrast to it cheapening life, it allows the patient the ability to not accrue more
medical debt for the family once they eventually pass. Again, the point should be made that if the

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patient wishes to live, they do have the right granted to live, and should not feel like they need to
relinquish this right due to pressure from their doctor, or family members. Doctors time may also
be used instead on patients who have a chance at living and do not wish to die instead of treating
patients who want to die, and are terminal.
Assisted suicide is legal few places. In the United States it is legal in both Oregon and
Washington. In both states the law is very strict of who may receive this care. For someone to be
approved for the prescription of lethal drugs to end their lives it requires two physicians
approval that the patient has six month or less to live. The request must be made twice, fifteen
days apart, and it must be self-administered (Hafner, 2012). The Death with Dignity Act in
Oregon statistics in 2013 give a lot of support to the movement of passing similar bills within
other states. The statistics of patients who used their right to die is as follows: 121 patients were
written prescriptions. Out of these 121 patients, 69% were 65 or older, and the median age was
71; 53.5% were well educated (with at least a bachelors degree); 64.8% had cancer; 97.2% of
patients died in the comfort of their own homes, and 85.7% were in hospice care. The reasons for
wanting to go on with their decision to pass included loss of automony (93.0%), decreased
ability to do things that made life enjoyable (88.7%), and loss of dignity (73.2%) (Oregons
Death with Dignity Act2013). The major fears seen in physicians within Oregon after the act
was passed included things that could be fixed if it had more popularity and was legal in more
areas. Some included fear of violation of federal laws, the family may sue, and ostracization
from other colleagues (Lee 1996).
These statistics are extremely important in refuting a few arguments against passing laws
that permit assisted suicide. One of the arguments against assisted suicide being legal is the fact
that some may believe that allows for a slippery slope into a society that no longer cares about

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one another and lives may be thrown away at merely whims of not wanting to be alive. Only 121
patients were written prescriptions, and from the 121 patients written prescriptions only sixtythree used this as their way of dying. This can show that not everyone has to do it. At the end of
the day it remains up to the patients whether or not they want to carry on with their decision.
The fact that 85.7% of patients who used assisted suicide that were in hospice care, is
monumental. A huge argument against assisted suicide is that people should be provided quality
care instead, palliative care, and hospice care. Due to a majority of people that passed from
assisted suicide being under hospice care, this statistic refutes that palliative care would improve
all conditions. People still wanted to die enough to pursue assisted suicide even with being in
hospice care.
Countries that allow euthanasia within clinical and in home settings are Switzerland and
the Netherlands. France and Germany allow euthanasia in extreme situations and migrating to
places who offer euthanasia. Places that reject this are most United States, Romania, the United
Kingdom, and Wales. Within Switzerland there are two clinics that provide services for
euthanasia, Exit and Dignitas. Dignitas allows other people to come from other countries in order
to receive their services. They may travel thousands of miles, and are usually extremely sick
(Quffa 2013).
The Hippocratic Oath is one that all doctors must make. It is an oath taken to protect
human rights and that doctors must not use their abilities to play God. There is a lot of concern
that if assisted suicide was legalized there would be a distrust within health professionals and
patients in knowing that the doctor could betray their trust and prematurely end their lives. The
Hippocratic Oath has both an original version and a newer version. Within the older version of
the document, it states that abortion is not allowed, in the newer version it does not mention it.

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Society recognizes rights within women, but it forgets the rights of humans to die at their wish
when they believe that their time is up and are in insufferable pain. In the newer version of the
Hippocratic Oath it reads, Most especially I must tread with care in matters of life and death. If
it is given to me to save a life, all thanks. But it may also be in my power to take a life (Tyson
2001). This quote allows that doctors are given the right to help sustain life, and also allowed to
end a life. If somebody wants to live, they should be given every right to keep their life, but if
not, doctors have the power to take it. The newer version also states, I will remember that I do
not treat a fever chart, a cancerous growth, but a sick human being, whose illness may affect the
persons family and economic stability (Tyson). This means multiple things. A person is more
than their illness, they are more than just a sum of their parts. The human spirit is something
great and intangible, but within a tangible body that is susceptible to illness and pain. If people
wish to end their lives, they deserve the right to be allowed to die before their spirit is so
tarnished that they are nothing but wisps of the people they once were. A patient deserves the
right to request physician assisted suicide because he is more than his illness. The patient should
not have to deal with waiting to die, when death is inevitable in everyone. Patients should be
given the right to preserve what is left of their spirits before their conditions deteriorate farther to
the point of destroying their psyche as well.
Life and death are extremely black and white, just as pain and pleasure are. When life
becomes too much for someone to handle, and the pain of a terminal illness relinquishes a patient
of the quality and joy of a live well lived, and wish for their life to have a dignified end, it should
be legally granted to them. Assisted suicide should be legal and available to people when they no
longer want to live, and it should be the duty of the rest of humans that their wish is within good
means, and be carried out as an act of love. Just as human beings are granted the right to live

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legally, they should as well be legally allowed the right to die in certain circumstances. For
economic, and moral reasons, terminal patients who have decided they no longer have the will to
live should be allowed to die peacefully, in a premeditated way with the help of a doctor.

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Works Cited
Gorman, Daniel. "Active and Passive Euthanasia: The Cases of Drs. Claudio Alberto De La
Rocha and Nancy Morrison." (1999): n. pag. 23 Mar. 1999. Web. 25 Nov. 2014.
Hafner, Katie. "In Ill Doctor, a Surprise Reflection of Who Picks Assisted Suicide." The New
York Times. The New York Times, 11 Aug. 2012. Web. 25 Nov. 2014.
Lee, Melinda, Heidi Nelson, Virginia Tilden, Linda Gazini, Terry Schmidt, and Susan Tolle.
"LEGALIZING ASSISTED SUICIDE VIEWS OF PHYSICIANS IN OREGON."
THE NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE 334.5 (1996): 310-15. Print.
"Life." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2014.
<http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/life>.
"Oregons Death with Dignity Act-- 2013." Death with Dignity Act. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Nov.
2014.
Purvis, Taylor E. "Debating Death: Religion, Politics, and the Oregon Death With Dignity Act."
National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 25
June 2012. Web. 25 Nov. 2014
QUFFA, WEDAD-ANDRADA, and DAN-VALERIU VOINEA. "Assisted Suicide - Between
The Right To Life, The Obligation To Live And Social Acceptance." Contemporary
Readings In Law & Social Justice 5.2 (2013): 261-266. Academic Search Complete.
Web. 25 Nov. 2014.

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Rubin, Edward. "Assisted Suicide, Morality, and Law: Why Prohibiting Assisted Suicide
Violates the Establishment Clause." Vanderbilt Law Review 763rd ser. 63.3 (n.d.): n.
pag. Web. 25 Nov. 2014.
Tyson, Peter. "The Hippocratic Oath Today." PBS. PBS, 27 Mar. 2001. Web. 23 Nov. 2014.
"The Universal Declaration of Human Rights." Welcome to the United Nations: It's Your World.
United Nations, n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2014.