Death. A permanent cessation of all vital functions: the end of life (Dorland). What does death feel like? Nobody knows. At least, nobody wants to know. And of course, nobody wants to think about it. It must be painful, right? Well, maybe thinking about it is a good idea. Why should anyone have to go through a long and agonizing death? Imagine sitting in the hospital, in a chair next to a grandmother who has terminal cancer. She has been in and out of the hospital many times and her declining health has been a sign of her impending death. A few months pass by until she’s back, but this time her health has deteriorated even further. She breathes slowly, and when someone tries to talk to her, there is no response, no sign of life …show more content…
The opposition believes that patients could be pressured into ending their life in order to relieve their family of his or her degrading presence, or how it would be more cost efficient to end life compared to continuing to receive healthcare treatments (Reasons to Oppose Physician-Assisted Suicide). In the court of law, prosecution for these comments to patients is difficult to prove, so it is assumed that PAS has more complications than survival. However, reasonable people who are mentally capable of making their own decisions about terminating their lives, will not let someone sway their decision making so easily. These patients can feel the pain and misery they are suffering, allowing them to make rational decisions about if death will put them at rest. If the patient thinks that living with their illness can be achieved to their level of tolerance, he or she will decide so. Yes, there is no doubt that making the final decision is heartbreaking, but the patient realizes that living with their illness is worse than death. There are also multiple steps taken to ensure the patient is one-hundred percent confident in his or her decision, through the two verbal requests and written request for PAS, as well as an approved psychiatric state of health (Oregon Death with Dignity