DEATH WITH DIGNITY

BY ERIC SANTANA – Currently, there are six states in United States of America that have created laws regarding the concept known as “Right to Die,” more commonly referred to as Death with Dignity. For those unfamiliar with this medical concept, it refers to the idea that a patient should have the right to have a doctor perform an assisted suicide using a painless lethal injection. There are valid arguments given by both sides of this debate.

Among the states that have laws in place regarding “Death with Dignity” are California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Vermont, Oregon, and Washington. In order to ensure that the law is not abused in any manner, these states have specific protocols that include waiting periods, multiple patient diagnoses, as well as the evaluation of the mental state of patients and families. The arguments in favor of Death with Dignity conclude that with this form of “assisted suicide,” the patient can avoid severe pain and extensive medical treatment. In all cases the patients who are selecting to enact the use of assisted suicide are often in extreme pain and cannot live the life they want. By using this practice, they can end their lives on their own terms and minimize the pain they know lies ahead. In terms of families of the ill many are in support of this law as it allows them to say a prepared and more comfortable goodbye to their suffering family member. From the families’ point of view, without this law, their loved one’s’ death would be a strained process; which in many cases causes more pain for not only the patient but for the families of the ill.

On the other side of this debate, in many states, it is unethical and immoral to provide a service such as “assisted suicide” for various reasons. First of all, those against “Death with Dignity” believe that it violates the moral and ethical principles of the Hippocratic Oath, a pledge that doctors take when they start working on this profession. The Hippocratic Oath essentially states that doctors must always work for the benefit of their patients and attempt to be ethical individuals who honor and value the lives of their patients.The ethics of “Death with Dignity” come into play, as many believe that assisted suicide devalues human life. Is it ethical for doctors to “play God” and decide when an individual can die? The most common argument of those against the “Right to Die” practice is the possibility that the law will create a “slippery slope” where doctors could become desensitized to the loss and “murder” of patients and in turn become corrupt, focusing more on self-interest by working with insurance companies regarding the lives and monetary worth of the patients.

The differing views around this law are extensive, this article is only displaying a fraction of how complex this topic truly is. In summary, there are numerous opinions and arguments on both sides of this law that leave the ethical, medical, and moral debate of the “Right to Die” subjective. This debate further the ethical, medical, and moral dilemma that surrounds this controversial law, but it is evident that the concept of the “Right to Die”, is very subjective to one’s personal perspective. To truly understand and develop an opinion on the subject one must truthfully ask, if someone you knew, family or friend, wanted to use Death with Dignity, would would you do?