A hot topic in the medical world will be if assisted suicide is a method that future doctors and patients should use. In the discussions of euthanasia, one controversial issue has been whether or not to legalize in the United States. On the one hand, patients and those who have terminally ill family members, would be putting the choice or option in their hands. On the other hand, there is the fear of doctors or individuals abusing this power. People can contend that patients deserve the right to choose how they want their life to end. There is a growing importance of making a legal decision in favor of this debatable topic, more places and people are for euthanasia and assisted suicide. The trend in dying with assistance is noteworthy because there is an increasing number of places that already use this, and America is next. By looking at how the other countries who already implemented euthanasia use this method, personal accounts of those affected, and the changing opinions of citizens, it is visible that a legal decision should be made soon. 

Many places around the world already have euthanasia and assisted suicide implemented, and have for years. Some countries have had euthanasia legal since the early 2000s. For a country that proclaims it first in everything and very advanced medically, it is interesting that the United States has not done much to put this in today’s national medical practice. America does not federally allow dying with assistance practice to be used in the medical field, but is falling behind in relation to the pace of other countries who use euthanasia. There are several states that currently let people use legally assisted suicide. Patients in Oregon have access through the “Death With Dignity (DWD) Act, which was implemented in 1997, the law allows patients with terminally ill or hopelessly ill conditions to request for lethal medication,” (Legality of Euthanasia in Different Countries and States). After 1997, other states caught on, including Washington, Montana, Vermont, Colorado, and California. At the moment, since a hand full of places in the US are already on board, it is probably easy for the rest of the country to as well. There are many other countries who have fully adopted the use of euthanasia. Places like the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Colombia, and Canada permit assisted suicide. Switzerland, for example, permits it only if the “person assisting acts unselfishly,” (Lewis). Depending on the country or state there were different ways that were chosen to make euthanasia and assisted suicide legal there. Mainly it was up to legislation being passed or the courts of that location deciding. Usually the individual must be terminally ill or have unbearable pain to consider this method. Also, to prevent a doctor manipulating the system, it is necessary for a second doctor to assess the situation and agree that the request is valid. The total list of countries/states that practice some form of euthanasia or assisted suicide are Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, Finland, France, India, Ireland, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Peru, Switzerland, Sweden, Uruguay, California, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Montana, and Vermont. Although these countries and states have dying with medical assistance form as an option, there are some certain things to mention. Some of the mentioned places only allow passive euthanasia, instead of active euthanasia. The US is behind those countries in its lack of letting a patient decide how they want their life to go. Many other countries around the world, and even some states, have advanced medically by legalizing assisted suicide and euthanasia. The implementation of the method of assistance with dying is significant because the fact that America describes itself as first at everything, but is behind other countries in the ability to give its citizens a right to choose. America just needs to go ahead and jump on the bandwagon of the other places and make this method an option for patients who need it. 

There are numerous amounts of personal stories by people who were directly affected by the benefit of assisted suicide laws. On the internet, specifically on YouTube, there are many videos showing people’s decisions regarding choosing assisted suicide. One video shows a child who “cannot breathe on her own, or even use her hands,” (CNN) with an incurable disease. If she, or other people with illnesses like hers, gets a cold or any other sickness, she will most likely die. Her parents were fearful, but relieved that their daughter could chose to end her life comfortably at home. Especially for parents, it must be extremely devastating to watch their children suffer and not be able to help them. Without this option she would live a short and painful life in the hospital scared. She was thankfully able to make this decision and chose to live the last few moments in a familiar location with people she loved. Another individual struck with making this decision was Brittany Maynard, who discovered she had a massive brain tumor in 2014. After months of research she had determined that “no treatment that would save my life, and the recommended treatments would have destroyed the time I had left,” (Maynard). She was aware that her decision would be less painful and not stretch out what would end up killing her anyway. Maynard would have lost all verbal, motor, and cognitive function by the time her cancer killed her. She wanted her family and friends to remember her as a normal, happy person, instead of the sick person she would become if not able to get this treatment. The choice of euthanasia put the judgment in her hand, and let her family remember her as someone still able to do things on her own. Euthanasia allowed her to enjoy her time left on Earth her way, and not stuck in a hospital or hospice care. People cannot imagine how helpless families feel when seeing their relatives are terminally ill and in immense pain. It must be great to give those patients options and a way to end that torturous time. Although some stories have happier endings, there are many more people who wish they had dying with medical assistance available to them. Those who do not have access to assisted suicide lose function and endure a draining ending instead of going a less embarrassing and peaceful way. America needs to recognize that a terminally ill patient, or one in excruciating pain, should be able to make the decision. This is a significant reason America should legalize euthanasia; there are people out there who deserve the option to skip the painful waiting and end their life the way they would like. 

America is not the only place that its citizens are changing their minds, which is an example of how globally the US needs to catch on. The opinions of people around the world are changing to match the viewpoint of letting patients chose to end their lives medically. “According to the British Social Attitudes Survey, 80% of the public said they wanted the law changed to give terminally ill patients the right to die with a doctor’s help” (Ethical Problems of Euthanasia) is a prime example of how minds are changing. And in that same survey, 45% supported giving nonterminal ill people the same option. Citizens of countries without this option are starting to want change. Especially for countries where there are no places of legalized euthanasia, there are people desperate for their government to listen to changing ideas. Particularly in the US, since there are some states allowing dying with assistance, other states are/have been ready to implement euthanasia legislation. People must uproot their lives to move to those states, so they can acquire that kind of treatment. It is difficult that, so many people are turning to the option of assisted suicide, but are limited on where they can go. From close to a century ago people have begun to change their opinions on euthanasia. As the years started to progress it was visible there was a slow, but steady change in opinions. Starting in the early 1930s people were very opposed or scared of assisted suicide and euthanasia. By 1947, the nation was pretty much tied up, over the span of close to fifteen years citizens were already starting to question whether euthanasia should be accepted nationally. The poll, which ends in 1980, has the national total leaning towards legalization. Compared to the 80s the US has increasingly become more open to new options. Currently, according to a poll conducted by Gallup News the “percentage in U.S. who say euthanasia- 69%,” (Euthanasia Still Acceptable to Solid Majority of U.S.). A large majority of the United States support assisted suicide as a medical method, which is a huge increase from when the first poll was taken. American’s continued support is the reason for California, the most recent state to accept euthanasia, to legalize it there. Over time the acceptance of euthanasia has dipped and risen again, but where the US is at right now is on an incline to put euthanasia into the law system. It can be predicted, the future for American medicine is headed in the direction of euthanasia and assisted suicide. The significance of the argument on assisted suicide is the fact more than half of US citizens have said they are for the method of dying with assistance being used in every day medicine practice. Euthanasia should be considered by the United States, because it is evident the people who live there are ready for a change in the medical system. America’s next move is to listen to its residents and legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide. 

Although there are many benefits of implementing euthanasia in the US, the fear of doctors taking advantage of this system is something to be mentioned.  The weakness of legalizing assisted suicide is the fact that it could be manipulated. Doctors could, theoretically, try to kill patients. Some believe the laws regulating euthanasia could end up “abused, and people would be killed who didn’t really want to die,” (Ethical Problems of Euthanasia ). People would have to wonder if these doctors are mentally fit or sound when handling their loved ones. One article suggests, “We could never, as have civilized societies before us, slip into the intolerable abuses of legalized euthanasia,” (Roy). Another thing to mention is, more doctors are becoming accepting of this method, “the highest percentage of Americans saying doctor-assisted suicide is morally acceptable occurred in 2015, at 56%,” (Euthanasia Still Acceptable to Solid Majority of U.S.). It could be that for every doctor with good morals, there are some with bad intentions who are supporting assisted suicide. The source also mentions how euthanasia could help doctors avoid being brought to trial if they do wind up ending someone’s life. Maybe a little suspicious that all of the doctors are suddenly supporting this method. But like previously mentioned, in the countries where assisted suicide is allowed, require a second doctor’s opinion before being guaranteed. If this second doctor does not agree with the request, then the person would be safe from wrongdoing. Even if the first person is trying to commit an evil act, there is a good chance they can be stopped before it is too late. In the United States, there is physician protocol involved with the extensive process, “The diagnosis must be certified by a consulting physician…,” (State-by-state Guide to Physician Assisted Suicide). The states which already have euthanasia legalized do not just have the two-doctor agreement, they also have at least a fifteen day wait in between oral requests. Even after those two, they still have to put in a written report, to again ensure the choice is a finalized and moderated decision. If and, or, when the US decides to fully establish euthanasia as a law, there will be many “hoops” to jump through before people are given the immediate decision to end their life. When this becomes a legitimate way of medical practice, the US will most likely follow the path of other countries, which will benefit the citizens there. 

Due to changing times, not just in the United States, all around the world, the question of whether or not to legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide stands. The future is in the hands of government officials who have to make the decision slowly and carefully. It is apparent and clear citizens are already moving for an outcome. Terminally ill patients and their close ones should be able to make the choice of life or death. As more people and places begin to switch to this method, the United States will fully join the list soon. The United States would not be the first to legalize euthanasia, and there is great evidence of a growing number of these countries. More of the world is slowly turning in the direction of assisted suicide. The personal stories show the struggles and triumphs of those ill when finally giving the choice; it helps them avoid a long, painful death. Opinions of US, and non-US, citizens have been beginning to lean towards euthanasia since the 1940s. There have been decades of people favoring the idea of implementing assisted suicide into the United States. Although there are many things officials should consider in favor of euthanasia, there is a fear of abuse from doctors. The fear is shut down by the process of other people signing off before doctors could jump into using the method. The decision would not be up to one person to decide if a patient is fit for the process. Overall, it seems pretty transparent America is ready to join the rest of the world and change its legislative stance on euthanasia and assisted suicide. The next step is for the Senate, House of Representatives, or Supreme Court to start looking at this method of treatment. There needs to be a ruling in the favor of legalization and in favor of the patients who certainly deserve control over their lives. 
