Position Essay Euthanasia

Patients with depression should not consider suicide but rather seek guidance from mental health professionals.

Criteria have been established to determine eligibility for an effortless departure from life for those who are suffering both physically and mentally from a terminal illness. Despite receiving prescribed medication, some individuals pass away in unfavorable conditions while their loved ones witness their agony. For patients experiencing distress and lacking a quality of life, continuing to live is not imperative. Additionally, certain elderly patients wish to die with the remaining dignity they possess.

Physician assisted suicide provides individuals with relief from their pain and suffering, especially when recovery is not possible. It presents a less painful way to pass on from life. It has evolved from being illegal to being decriminalized since the 1960s.

Despite being illegal in the United States, assisted suicide can be legally performed under strict conditions in Oregon. The Netherlands was the first country to allow doctors to assist patients in ending their lives, as noted by Humphry (29). A well-known practitioner of assisted suicide in Michigan was Jack Kevorkian, who connected his patients to a medication-delivery machine that required patients to push the button to receive doses. It was crucial for Kevorkian's patients to perform this action themselves to avoid violating Michigan state law regarding murder.

Kevorkian facilitated a patient's management of carbon dioxide via mask administration, and aided a Lou Gehrig's disease sufferer who sought an end to their pain by passing away. In the United States, individuals with terminal illnesses may opt for a DNR order as an accepted means of euthanasia.

If a patient with a terminal illness experiences respiratory or cardiac arrest, they may choose not

to be revived. However, the presence of a DNR order is crucial in this scenario. In the absence of such an order, healthcare personnel are required to conduct all life-saving procedures regardless of the patient's desires. While accepting non-resuscitation can bring some solace, patients must also confront the unsettling certainty of their imminent demise. Physicians can solely administer pain relief medication prior to the patient's passing.

Except for Oregon, it is prohibited to end a person's life before their natural death in America and necessitates a DNR order. However, assisted suicide is gaining recognition and becoming gradually legalized. In 1994, Oregon was the first state to legalize assisted suicide with over fifty percent of the state voting in favor. Moreover, Washington and California had analogous ballot measures that garnered significant popular support in 1991 and 1992 respectively (Robinson).

The people who resist this action are largely the same as those who oppose abortion. If the legalization of abortion is possible, then it's feasible that legalization of assisted suicide will come soon after. According to statistics, almost all countries have seen a rise in individuals supporting this idea. Karl Marx, a German physician, advocated for euthanasia and doctors providing patients with an easy and peaceful death (Marx 402). The medical community is divided between those promoting life extension and those believing they must be compassionate as doctors. Presently, the United States only has a DNR order which may not be enough; nevertheless, it's a positive step forward.

For many years, the topic of Euthanasia has garnered significant media attention. Today, an increasing number of people support assisted suicide as society becomes more accepting, especially in cases where terminally ill

patients suffer intolerable pain. The question remains whether these individuals should endure their pain until their bodies give out or be granted a peaceful passing with dignity. Many unanswered questions surround this subject that require time for resolution. It remains to be seen whether Euthanasia will become decriminalized in the United States.

At present, individuals seeking assisted dying must journey to Oregon and hope to find a willing physician. Both Derek Humphry's "Final Exit" and Peter Owen's "Euthanasia and the Right to Death" are sources on this topic.

The 1970 publication of Humanities Press features Karl F. H. Marx's "Medical Euthanasia," which was originally reintroduced by Walter Cane in the Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences in 1952 and spans pages 401-416.

In 1997, Robinson, B. A. wrote an article on euthanasia and physician assisted suicide which was published by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance. The article can be found at http://www.

The website religioustolerance.org provides information on euthanasia (found at euth.htm).