¶ … Suicide, assisted or otherwise, is a contentious issue in modern society. While most people would be upset if a loved one killed himself or herself, there is nonetheless widespread recognition that people's right to autonomy might supersede such concerns, especially when the choice is between a dignified death by suicide and a prolonged and painful terminal illness. However, there are still those who disagree and who believe that suicide is always or usually wrong. This ongoing debate is reflected in laws, societal values, and the philosophy of ethics.
Euthanasia, from the Greek words for "good death," is an old concept: in Sir Thomas More's Utopia, written in the time of Henry the Eighth, citizens of Utopia may end their lives with permission from religious and governmental officials (Minois 2001, 67). The concept of medically-assisted suicide is a largely late twentieth century invention (Minois 2001, 328). Proponents argue that -- despite continuing legal and religious prohibitions -- it should be lawful for someone with a terminal or progressive illness to end his or her life, with proper medical assistance to ensure a painless exit. Opponents generally point to the Hippocratic Oath -- the basis for modern medical codes of ethics -- which begins...
The question then becomes, what is more harmful, helping a patient to die, or forcing that patient to live in agony or incapacity? In the United States, the issue crystallized around the controversial figure of Dr. Jack Kevorkian. A medical doctor whose specialty was forensic pathology, Kevorkian became interested in the issue of terminally ill patients who wished to end their lives before the onset of unbearable pain or loss of faculties (Weir 1997, 219). Kevorkian took part in a number of well-publicized assisted suicides, in an attempt to force courts or legislatures to revise the laws against suicide. He was eventually convicted and forced to serve time in prison. The end result of Kevorkian's campaign was that individual states made contradictory decisions. In some states, like Alabama, there is no legislation or mention of suicide (assisted or otherwise) in the legal code, leaving suicide subject to common law, which considers it illegal. As a positive response to Kevorkian's efforts, Oregon passed the Death With Dignity Act in 1997 (Weir 1997, 130). This Act allows terminally ill people within the state to seek out physician-assisted suicide in order to end their suffering. This differs wildly from the situation in…
