Pro Euthanasia Paper

Tara Milar
English 1102
Final Essay

Euthanasia should be legal in the United States in order to end suffering of terminally ill patients in a dignified manner. Terminal illness is a disease that results in death regardless of treatment intervention. It is common among the terminally ill to refuse food or water in order to speed up the process of death. This can be a very uncomfortable and painful way to die. One can imagine the desperation when choosing to speed up the process of death, so why do we not give terminally ill patients the right of choice of when to end their life?

When suffering from a terminal disease, the patient may lose their mobility, control over their bladder, control over their bowel movements and even lose their will to live. In the United States, the choice to take your own life is legal. There are no regulations against shooting yourself, hanging yourself, jumping off a bridge or overdosing. These forms of suicide can not be graceful or dignified in any manner. This leaves the question of the difference between suicide and assisted suicide. Suicide is the act of taking one 's own life voluntarily and intentionally. Assisted Suicide is defined as the suicide of a patient suffering from an incurable disease by taking lethal drugs provided by a doctor for this purpose. It is common for many states to oppose euthanasia because it goes against their morals. The problem with the argument against the practice of physician assisted suicide is that not all Americans share the same morals. If morals are in question, would it be “morally correct” to force a patient to suffer until death even when death is inevitable?

In R.G. Frey 's Euthanasia and Physician Assisted Suicide, Frey shares the need to control our own lives. He shares that in health, we exercise control over how we live while making decisions that affect the quality of our lives. Frey shows that we act in ways that reflect our decisions about how we want to live and when serious illness takes over, everything changes. In our day to day lives, we make decisions ourselves and maintain our independence. It is only when we are faced with death, that the influence of others is introduced and it becomes harder to control our lives. Unless someone were a terminally ill patient suffering from endless physical and emotional pain, the thought of ending someone 's life may seem uncomfortable. We are faced with decisions that we can make only for ourselves every day. Not allowing a patient to pass because of being uncomfortable is similar to being told by the government when we can and can not go to the bathroom. It is a personal and private decision.

In many cases, euthanasia is a conversation that is avoided because of it 's sensitivity. The word euthanasia is derived from the Greek meaning, “good death” but is often associated with negativity. In Dick Westley 's book When It 's Right To Die, he shares his ideas on the denial of death. He explains the denial of death as a repression of death into the subconscious because it is too unpleasant to face or think about. He shows physician assisted suicide as a decision between the physician and the patient, without outside influences. Westley points out that physician assisted suicide allows the patient to die peacefully and gracefully with dignity and without fanfare or public scrutiny. He coins the term “dying well” which he shows to be the most appropriate way to describe euthanasia.

In Westley 's chapter “Living and Dying Well”, he stresses that just as no one should should die alone, no one should undertake the act of active euthanasia alone. He states that dying well requires that people accept the fact that dying is a part of human nature. It is in his opinion that the patient should take full responsibility in the performance of euthanasia. Westley stresses that taking responsibility does not mean that the person must act alone in isolation during the procedure. It is an act so grave and serious that it is best done with the support of chosen others.

In Oregon, physician-assisted suicide was legalized in 1998. In the documentary, “How to Die in Oregon”, several terminally ill patients are followed as they exercised their right to choose when to die. The main character, Cody Curtis, is followed along with her family as she is diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma. Cholangiocarcinoma is a cancer of the bile duct which causes bloating and excessive bile build up in the abdomen. Patients with this form of cancer are typically given a six month “expiration date”. For Cody, she knew she would be faced with an immense amount of pain and chose to request lethal medication to end her life when the time was right. Cody surpassed her six month diagnosis, but her health began to decline soon after. When the time came, she chose to take the lethal medication with her family at her side while in the comfort of her own home. The last words she uttered were, “Thank you!”. This thank you was a thank you to the state of Oregon for allowing her to choose her own fate.

“How to Die in Oregon” also focused on the lives of those who were unable to take advantage of this right. Nancy Niedzielski was a grieving widow who 's husband passed from cancer. Her husband, Randy Niedzielski, was diagnosed with with brain cancer that metastasized to his spinal cord and nervous system at the age of 55. Randy was given a six month life expectancy from his physician. With no option but to suffer an agonizing death, Randy requested that his Hospice nurses assist him in dying. When he was denied his request, he asked his wife Nancy to do anything she could to change the law so no other terminally ill patient has to suffer. After Randy 's passing,

Nancy worked tirelessly to do anything in her power to legalize physician-assisted suicide. With hard work and dedication, Nancy assisted in passing a law making physician-assisted suicide legal in Washington state. “Randy was kind, gentle and caring. He would be the first to say if his suffering in dying meant others had a choice he didn 't get, then it was worth it. None of us know for certain what our death will be like or whether we 'd want to use this end-of-life option. One thing I do know for certain: I want a choice.”

It is important to point out that euthanasia is not illegal in all 50 of the United States. States such as Oregon, Washington, Montana, Vermont and New Mexico have embraced the legalization of physician aid in dying (PAD). In Derek Humphry 's The Good Euthanasia Guide 2005, he investigates the six years of physician assisted suicide in Oregon. The Death With Dignity Act was passed in Oregon in 1994 but did not take effect until the first day of 1998. The Death With Dignity Act allows a terminally ill patient with an estimation of less than six months to live to request a fatal dose from a physician in which to end his/her life. Since the legalization, many patients have taken advantage of their right for various reasons. Because of the legalization, 160 out of 171 terminally ill patients were able to die in the comfort of their own home. All of the patients were able to die surrounded by friends or loved ones.

Much like anything else that is illegal in the United States, assisted suicide still occurs. The term “underground euthanasia” is used when referring to assisted suicide that is practiced while against the law. In R S Magnusson 's article Euthanasia: above ground, below ground, he shares the stories of many physicians involved with underground euthanasia. In an interview conducted by R S Magnusson, a doctor named Tony confessed, “I think the ultimate obscenity... was one of my patients... who helped a friend of his to die at home by helping him take a large quantity of sleeping pills and then holding a garbage bag over his head until he died, and I think that is absolutely... appalling and barbaric, and primitive.”. It is incidents like this that solidify the fight towards legalizing euthanasia. If euthanasia were legalized, such barbaric actions would not be necessary in order to end one 's life. Certainly the way in which this person died can not be considered dignified. This situation proves the need to turn underground euthanasia into above ground legalized euthanasia.

Though physician assisted suicide has been legalized in many states, there are several regulations that must be considered. Residency of the state is a requirement, which means the patient must own property, rent in the state or have proper identification which shows them being a resident. In Oregon specifically, the patient must request a lethal dose of drugs from their physician both in verbal and written form. A 17 day waiting period is mandatory, giving the patient an ample amount of time to reconsider. In order to assure the dignity of the patient, the death certificate must state the cause as the underlying illness and not suicide.

Many argue that legalizing euthanasia would cause controversy. Who would be able to tell if the patient is in a clear state of mind when making the decision? One of the guidelines to legal physician-assisted suicide is that one witness and one physician must declare the person of sound mind before proceeding with the prescription. This assures that the patient is not being influenced from outside sources and indeed is making a clear conscious decision. Another argument is that there would be no way to assure the correct patient is taking the lethal medication and not someone else. The physician must be present at the time of ingestion in order for it to be a completely legal assisted suicide. Many would say the practice is against morals, my answer would be that all of our morals are not the same.

Derek Humphry shares the most likely reasons from choosing to request physician assisted death in order of importance.
1. Losing autonomy (independence or freedom);
2. Decreasing participation in activities;
3. Losing control of bodily functions;
4. Burden on family, friends and caregivers;
5. Inadequate pain management;
6. Financial implications of treatment.

The most important job of a physician is to improve the quality of life for their patients. Having a patient fighting for a life that is going to end regardless of treatment is not improving the quality of life but instead spoiling any life that the patient has left. While hospice care is available for terminally ill patients, this may not be the wish for all patients. The job of the hospice physician is to make the patient comfortable until their life has come to an end. It is the choice of the patient to refuse this service but there are no other options available beyond pain control.

When considering physician assisted suicide, it is imperative that the physician and the patient develop a trusting relationship. It is the job of the physicians, nurses, and other medical personnel to strive to keep patients healthy and alive. When a patient becomes terminally ill, it is important that they trust their physician to help them with their decision to continue with treatment or request the assistance in suicide. If there is no trust between the physician and the patient, the patient may ask a family member or friend to assist them with their prescribed lethal dose. However, friends and family often do not have the knowledge or skill to go through with the assisted suicide successfully. Building a lasting relationship between physicians and patients leaves little room for error when the time comes to move from life to death.

Whether or not we choose to legalize euthanasia, it is necessary for the United States to become educated on the subject itself and not rule it out immediately due to sensitivity. Like other subjects such as; abortion, right to marriage and birth control, death with dignity is a sensitive matter and often frowned upon to speak of publicly. We must remember that terminal illness is on the rise and fighting for the right to die could soon concern ourselves or a loved one.

It is in my opinion that the United States should not have to forcefully accept death but should be open to those who choose to come to terms with their own mortality. It is our human right to act how we want to, speak how we want to and most importantly think how we want to. The United States is a country of multiple religions and morals, which should be taken into consideration when deciding on the rights of your fellow Americans. We owe it to each other to educate ourselves on the effects of terminal illness rather than brush it off due to our own comfort zones.

In the United States we are free to choose our sexual preference, career, family, friends, and our religion. These decisions are free from the government 's control, however we are unable to choose whether we should live or die. The government involvement in this choice is a violation against the rights of the American citizens. No human being knows the time or date to which their life is to expire but if life should be cut short by an illness, we should be allowed our right to die in a peaceful manor of our choosing that is dignified according to our own standards. Whether one chooses to take advantage of physician assisted death or not, it should be made available. It is our right as individuals as much as it is our right as American citizens.

Works Cited

Humphry, Derek. The Good Euthanasia Guide 2005: Where what, and who in choices in dying. (2005)
Frey, R.G, Gerald Dworkin, and Sissela Bok. Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide. (1998)
Westley, Dick. When It 's Right To Die: Conflicting Voices, Difficult Choices. (1995)
Magnusson, R S. Euthanasia: above ground, below ground (2003)
Richardson, Peter “How to Die in Oregon” (2011)

Cited: Humphry, Derek. The Good Euthanasia Guide 2005: Where what, and who in choices in dying. (2005) Frey, R.G, Gerald Dworkin, and Sissela Bok. Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide. (1998) Westley, Dick. When It 's Right To Die: Conflicting Voices, Difficult Choices. (1995) Magnusson, R S. Euthanasia: above ground, below ground (2003) Richardson, Peter “How to Die in Oregon” (2011)