The Legalization Of Physician Assisted Suicide - 1984 Words

Anthony Zhang 4.29.15 Period 3B Living in Pain or Death with Dignity The legalization of physician assisted suicide (PAS) in Oregon in 1994 changed the face of the argument between those who believe in death with dignity and those who believe in letting nature take its course. It was a major victory for PAS advocates as the first state in America had legalized PAS in the country’s history. In 2008, the neighboring state of Washington followed suit with a similar law and legalized PAS by a 58-42 margin. Vermont legalized it in 2013. PAS has also been decriminalized in the state of Montana. The assisted suicide of a 29-year-old Oregon woman with terminal brain cancer named Brittany Maynard in late 2014 brought light to the debate again.†¦show more content†¦Forcing terminally ill patients to suffer straight up to their last days is unacceptable and provisions can be made in order to allow competent patients to have a choice at the end of their lives. With a mere four states out of fifty in the nation allowing PAS, terminally ill patients with fewer than six months left to live will relocate to Oregon, Washington and Vermont in order to have their wish to end their lives fulfilled (as only legal residents of each state can get PAS). These are people who may be barely able to walk, bedridden, or on their last limbs. One could hardly call them fit for long-distance travel and relocation yet their desperation and desire to end their pain attracts them to the geographic extremes of the United States. Having laws as such force terminally ill patients and their families to leave their homes into an unfamiliar place in order to watch their loved one pass away at their fingertips. According to the San Jose Mercury News, No one should have to leave their home and community for peace of mind, to escape suffering and to plan for a gentle death.† Out of the complications that a person who is on his deathbed may encounter en route to a h ospital hundreds or even thousands of miles away from home, the most pitiful one is the pain. The pain