Euthanasia Essay - The Truth About Assisted Suicide :: Euthanasia Physician Assisted Suicide

The Truth About Assisted Suicide This essay recognizes that it is unexpressed to tell the truth about aided suicide. Or rather, its hard to get people to listen. Folks generally are about as eager to delve into the issue of assisted suicide as they are to ferment out the details of their own funeral. Its a delicate and unnerving subject, involving the ultimate issues of life the reality of human mortality fears about illness, disability, and old age and the passing play of loved peerlesss to the dark, dank grave. Nonetheless, this essay int reverses to tell all these things, since they relate to euthanasia/assisted suicide. Simply getting people to pay close attention to assisted suicide - to grapple with its threat - is often a challenging task. This is even true of people who are religious or prolife, whose faith informs them that death isnt the end but the beginning. I understand the emotional dynamic at work. Life is surd and worrisome enough without visiting the painfu l realm of assisted suicide. It is difficult even for deeply religious people, to listen, to heed, and to care enough to become involved. But avoidance of the assisted-suicide issue is a luxury that those who believe in the infinite prise of all human life can no longer afford, because battles over assisted suicide are being waged - and more battles planned throughout the country. Tragically, one major battle has already been lost Oregon legalized assisted suicide in 1994 and the law went into effect in September 1997. Today in the U.S. a small number of physicians participate actively in their patients suicide, and it is absolutely legal. On the bright side, since 1997, when Oregons voters refused to repeal the states assisted-suicide law, a broad-based national coalition of diverse groups has formed to even off the death agenda. Disability-rights activists, advocates for the poor, professional associations in medicine and law, and hospice organizations - all of which tend to b e liberal and secular - have joined with religious people and traditional prolife activists to oppose medicalized killing. And this coaction has borne fruit Since 1994 five states (Maryland, Rhode Island, Louisiana, Iowa, and Michigan) have passed laws explicitly making assisted suicide a crime, while Virginia outlawed it as a civil wrong, subjecting anyone who assists in a suicide to civil litigation. In November 1998, Michigans voters rejected an initiative to legalize suicide by an overwhelming 71 to 29 percent.