Imagine sitting on your death bed, knowing you are dying, just wishing for that day to finally come and end your pain and suffering.  Many terminally ill patients wish for their suffering to be put to an end. Terminally ill patients are defined as patients who have been given an estimated life expectancy of six months, or less, given that their disease takes a normal course (CNN Library).  Some believe that it is cruel to insist that these unfortunate souls wait far a natural death, while others believe that technology can stop their pain and put an end to their misery.  The argument over “physician-assisted suicide” is an important debate raging in our country. Physician-assisted suicide is a facilitated death by means of a lethal dose of a prescription drug given by a physician with the full consent of the patient (CNN Library). Assisted suicide should be an option to those who no longer have an acceptable quality of life and who wish to end their suffering

An acceptable quality of life is for a person to be able to enjoy every single day without suffering, to have feelings of independence by being able to feed themselvesself and taking care of their own basic needs. When an individual struggles with breathing or feels pain constantly, their life is bleak and torturous. These factors make “life” bleak.   Those who suffer this much dream about not suffering any longer and to be free from wires, hospital beds and medications. This is common for many people who can no longer do the things they enjoyed and are confined in a hospital bed for the next six months until they die. Patients who are terminally ill and have less than 6 months left to live should have a choice to end their life in the comfort of their home if they desire. Kristy Allen, who is 63 years old and has stage 4 colon cancer,  explains in the New York Times article, “Who May Die? California Patients and Doctors Wrestle With Assisted Suicide” that she no longer wants to keep trying new drugs that aren’t going to help. She says how scary it is to try a new drug because she doesn’t know how her body will respond and doesn’t know how sick it’ll make her feel. She, also, states that if there was a curable measure, she would definitely be all for it; however, there aren’t. Allen stresses, “I don’t want to become a burden to my family. I don’t want my husband to take care of certain hygienic needs.” This highlights that there are people in the hospital that are forced to wait to die.  Her concern it not only about herself, but about her friends and family members.  It is a worry about emotions and finances.  She wishes to have her power over her life and life choices restored that was taken so terribly by this disease. Those who argue against her personal choice to die do not know how much the terminally ill suffer, both physically and psychologically.  To continue living makes them suffer and pray to just die. In “Assisted suicide: An ethical Dilemma,” Michael Duck emphasizes to the viewer that his wife, a terminally ill cancer patient, would be willing to try any drug and endure any pain, if there was a chance to cure her. However; there was nothing that could be done to help here, so she wished to proceed with an assisted suicide procedure. Assisted suicide would peacefully grant terminally ill patients their wish because living is no longer an option for these patients. 

Assisted suicide is a totally painless and voluntary procedure for those who wish to have it. Because physician-assisted suicide is illegal in most states, there is no set drug guidelines about what a physician who is helping with aid-in-dying needs to prescribe.  It is up to the discretion of the physician as to the appropriate means for physician-assisted suicide (“FAQ’s”). Consequently, most physicians use one of two different types of barbiturates: Seconal and Nembutal(“State-by-State”). Seconal costs much less than Nembutal as it costs $125 and Nembutal costs a steep $1000 (Fass). Insurance does not cover the cost of lethal drugs(“State-by-State..”). Seconal’s lethal 10 gram dose, which comes in the form of 100 individual caplets that is taken by being broken apart to produce about three tablespoons of powder (“State-by-State”). The powder is, then, mixed in with water and has a very bitter taste (“State-by-State”). It could also be mixed in with applesauce or pudding that would help cover the taste (“State-by-State”). Within five minutes, the patient would be in a coma and death within a half hour (Engber). Nembutal comes in a liquid form and is taken in almost the same way as Seconal (Fass). The most pain the patient is in throughout the whole process is due to the disease; the lethal dose causes no pain to the patient. This allows the patient to die peacefully, pain-free, and fast (Engber). If a patient decides the time is not right, then they simply do not have to take it; it only means the assisted suicide option is “working as intended because it has given you the freedom and empowerment to set your own time frame” (Fass). About one third of the patients granted the physician-assisted suicide measures never end up taking the medication. Simply knowing they have the option, gives them comfort (“FAQ’s”).

Physician-assisted suicide is already adopted in some states with regulations surrounding who is eligible for this procedure. Of course, not anyone who is in the hospital should be able to receive an assisted suicide. Five States, including California, Oregon, Colorado, Washington, and Vermont, along with Washington DC, have legalized physician-assisted suicide(“FAQ’s”). These states have legalized the procedure if the patient meets the following guidelines: is a resident in that state, is at least eighteen years old, has a six or less month life expectancy, and has orally requested twice by at least fifteen days apart, and has written a request (“State-by-State”). Patients in these states must adhere to all the guidelines and must be capable of making his or her own healthcare decisions (“State-by-State”). Lastly, the patient must be able to self-administer the drug to his or herself as a totally voluntary measure (“State-by-State”). Physicians cannot recommend, force, or administer the aid-in-dying drug; but can only provide the medication when the regulations are met (“State-by-State”). In 1997, The U.S. Supreme court ruled “state laws banning physician-assisted suicide do not violate the Constitution” (CNN Library). Oregon was the first state to adopt this legislation in 1994 under the “Ballot Measure” Act (Mills). Washington State was next to pass “Initiative 1000” in 2008 which allows for this aid in dying (Mills). Vermont passed the “End of life Choices” bill in 2013. California passed the End of Life Options Act in 2015 (Mills). Colorado legalized physician aid-in-dying with the End of Life Options Act and Washington DC legalized this process with the Death with Dignity Act of 2016; both of these occurred in 2016 (Mills). Montana has also adopted physician-assisted suicide by court ruling (Mills). This means that each patient requesting this procedure must be granted by a judge in a court procedure. Each case is specialized and varies among certain circumstances. With the recent additions to the legalization of assisted suicide, it has become a popular topic in the hands of government officials. Many states are still pushing for the legalization of physician-assisted suicide (Span). With strict rules for assisted suicide, no one would be forced to do this, and it would just become an option for patients. 

Many people believe assisted suicide is against their religious beliefs; however, these same people hold contradictory views. In a questionnaire conducted by Maria Bulmer and Gary J. Lewis, many people who stated they were “moderately religious” to “very religious” were also against assisted suicide. These people stated they did not believe in physician assisted suicide because it “takes the power away from God” (Bulmer).  While believing that dying is a natural course in life, those same proponents take new medication for their illness that have the potential of curing them. To choose technology and medication over divine or natural issues illustrates that those in the test study have conflicting beliefs. They are defying “God’s power” in the opposite way, making themselves live longer. If the people who believe God chooses when someone dies, they should stick to their word and let life take its natural course without any medication to live longer or shorter. Most religions allow their followers to take general medicine without concern of their loyalty to the religion. Religion is a big influence on one’s belief’s; however, if it was a very dangerous medicine that had even a slight chance of working on a patient, most people would still take the chance to live. This shows that Americans are willing to risk death, through the use is experimental medications, even if it makes them suffer and has the potential to kill them anyways. Assisted suicide is taking a medication to relieve these people from the pain and suffering that is upon them every day. If there isn’t a medication that can help these terminally ill patients anymore, assisted suicide can at least stop the pain. Some people who are against the legalization of physician-assisted suicide state that it defies their morality and beliefs (Bulmer). Although, this doesn’t go against their moral compass because it is a totally voluntary procedure and no one would be forced or required to use this method of medicine. All that proponents for the legalization of assisted suicide wish is to have complete control over their body and choices (Span). Proponents for the legalization of physician-assisted suicide just want to be able to have the option of this procedure. 

If made a more accepted policy throughout the United States, this could have an enormous impact on the world today. Healthcare costs are rising along with insurance rates causing healthcare to be hardly affordable for some families. This will become a bigger issue in the near future as the baby boomer age is aging. More and more people will be asking for assisted suicide due merely to the fact that they can no longer afford to keep paying for these expensive medications and medical bills.  A large amount of healthcare expenditures occur at the end of life. A large amount of the money we spend on healthcare occurs in the last few months of life before someone dies. Having the option of assisted suicide would create less strain on the healthcare budget and on families. Having the option of assisted suicide would lower medical bills allowing families to have a larger amount of money to spend after the death of the loved one. This could greatly help families who do not have the money to afford these expensive bills and could relieve these families from huge amount of debt along with mourning the death. Having the mere option of assisted suicide could greatly improve our country and even our own futures. No one knows the fate of our death and what we might be dealing with in these last couple months of our lives.

 