Evaluation of Assisted Suicide

The United States is largely a society which fears and battles death. As a result, everything in medical power is done to keep a person alive, whether they prefer it or not.  The debate related to assisted suicide and the right to die has emerged over the last few years with discussions related to taking patients off life support or allowing them to die with dignity after losing any semblance of quality of life. This issue has sparked humanistic and religious debates related to how compassion can be applied to those who are incapacitated. To die with dignity is to make the choice to end one’s life and suffering in a peaceful and dignified manner. While the United States is slow to adopt this concept, other countries operate successfully in order to service patience in ending their lives.

I have never had a personal experience of a loved one with a terminal illness but can understand that the pain and loss of quality of life would be best met with a compassionate death. If my family member wished to die, I would hope to be able to support them in their decision while weighing the chances of a full or partial healthy recovery. I would weigh the peace of death with the trials of their suffering and support them in their journey to peace. In The Suicide Tourist, Dr. Kervorkian did the terminally ill patient a service in helping him to die and not prolonging his immense suffering. Despite the benefit of this, I do not think the United States is ready for regulated physician-assisted suicide because of the potential for guideline breaches and potential exploitation.

Work Cited

McKeown, T.,and J. Zaritsky. The Suicide Tourist. CTV Television Network, Point Grey Pictures Inc., 2007, https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=tD1_sGZz8yo. Accessed 29 Nov. 2013.