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Casey McKay

Honors English 4

Mrs. Sydlowski

18 April 2018

To Go Gentle Into That Good Night

A woman lies down on her hospital bed. The amount of medical treatment she has

endured for the past year is reflected in her sunken cheeks and glassy eyes, but the treatment will

never amount to the endless nights she has spent alone in that hospital writhing and screaming in

pain. Today, she is surrounded by her loved ones that hold her hand and comfort each other as the

euthanasia is distributed into her body. The woman smiles and gently closes her eyes as the

suffering leaves with her last breath. However, the unfortunate reality is most patients will never

have the luxury of having the access to physician-assisted suicide. The legalization of physician-

assisted suicide has been an uphill battle for years despite the positive benefits. Assisted suicide

should become nationally legalized because it respects autonomy, follows strict safety

procedures, and it is a moral and humane practice.

First, assisted suicide respects autonomy. Assisted suicide is a topic that centers around

the human body. With a matter that directly involves an individual’s own body, that person

should have a right to any decision regarding that matter. Author of the article “There Is a Right

to Die,” Peter Singer, declares, “In a state that protects individual rights, therefore, deciding how

to die ought to be recognized as such a right” (Singer). Americans are born with certain

unalienable rights. According to the 9th Amendment, human rights do not cease at the Bill of

Rights, therefore entitlement to the right to die may be allowed. If a person is in an incredible

amount of pain, they should have the right to end that suffering. Humans are born with the right
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to free will. Assisted suicide should not be a choice that other people make for someone else if it

does not get in the way of the rights of others. Steve Siebold, author of “Legalizing Euthanasia

Leads to a Stronger and More Compassionate Society” expresses his point: “Critical thinking

says that people should have 100 percent control over their own decisions as long as those

decisions don’t violate the rights of others” (Siebold). A person is in charge of their own opinions

as long as they are not causing harm unto anyone. Euthanasia frees an individual from any harm

and it does not violate the rights of any other person, so there should be a right to assisted

suicide. Physician-assisted suicide respects natural-born rights, so it should become nationally

legalized.

Next, assisted suicide follows strict safety procedures. To receive euthanasia, one must

first go through with numerous procedures. These procedures for a singular person to carry out a

physician-assisted suicide ensures no one is having their safety or mentality compromised. The

author of the article, “Right to Die,” confirms, “Quill’s requirements included that the patient

have an incurable disease causing great suffering; that the patient must ask repeatedly to die; that

doctors should confirm that the patient is not suffering from depression or distorted judgment;

that the patient and the doctor should have a prior relationship of medical treatment; and that the

doctor should seek the opinion of a second, independent physician” (Right to Die). It would be

nearly impossible to proceed with euthanasia if the particular person in question was not already

one-hundred percent on board with the idea. The doctors make sure that the patient is fully aware

of their decision and confirms the patient is only ending their life because they are in too great of

a physical suffering to continue living. All these procedures protects the safety and well-being of

all patients. The assisted deaths are not just a decision from the patient. Just as any human has a

right to die, a doctor also has the right to refuse administering euthanasia. Mars Cramer, author
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of “Euthanasia Respects Individual Autonomy and Requires Deliberation,” acknowledges,

“Demands for euthanasia are not made lightly and are more often denied than granted, largely

because of insufficient forethought” (Cramer). Doctors may consider an euthanasia demand to

have insufficient forethought, so they can consequently deny the demand. This practice promotes

safety because everyone who receives euthanasia will put significant thought into it to ensure

they are not making a mistake. Assisted suicide follows strict safety procedures because there

must be several precautions to carry out, and a doctor can deny administering euthanasia if it is

believed a person has not put enough thought into it.

Lastly, assisted suicide is a moral and humane practice. When a person is hospitalized,

they are likely to be suffering and in great pain. Euthanasia through physician-assisted suicide

ends any and all suffering that one may face. The authors of the article, “Physician-Assisted

Dying Is Justified by Accepted Ethical Principles,” declare, “This suffering is unnecessary, since

it can be prevented by allowing patients the option of medical aid in dying. Forcing patients to

undergo unnecessary suffering is not compassionate but cruel” (Mercier, et al). To end one’s

suffering would be a peaceful way to die. It is cruel to force someone to endure all that suffering

when the person wishes to no longer suffer. Assisted suicide will end that suffering which makes

it a humane and compassionate practice. Not everyone will die the same way. Some people may

die in a gruesome manner, however, others may die in a more dignified manner. Assisted suicide

allows one to die in a dignified manner. Peter Singer, author of, “There Is a Right to Die,”

reports, “In the United States, you can buy a gun and put a bullet through your brain without

breaking any laws. But if you are a law-abiding person who is already too ill to buy a gun, or to

use one, or if shooting yourself doesn’t strike you as a peaceful and dignified way to end your

life, or if you just don’t want to leave a mess for others to clean up, what are you to do?” (Right
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to Die). A person that dies through voluntary euthanasia ensures they will not die in a gruesome

manner. They will not have to end their lives by their own hand, and they will have the access to

a blood-less, silent, and peaceful death. These circumstances make the assisted suicide practice a

dignified way to die. Assisted suicide is a moral and humane way to die due to the nature of the

practice.

To conclude, assisted suicide should be readily available to every patient. Sick people

will undergo many negative events. The aid of death has many benefits and lift the burdens of

some negative events. Euthanasia respects autonomy because it is a natural right and a person

should be able to decide what to do with their own body. Assisted suicide also follows strict

safety procedures by making sure a patient is in a secure state of mental health and has filled out

an abundance of paperwork. This practice is also a moral and humane practice because it gives a

person the opportunity to end their suffering and die in a clean and respectful manner. As Julius

Caesar once said, “It is easier to find men who will volunteer to die, than to find those who are

willing to endure pain with patience.”

Works Cited
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Cramer, Mars. “Euthanasia Respects Individual Autonomy and Requires Deliberation.”

Euthanasia, edited by Margaret Haerens, Greenhaven Press, 2015. Opposing Viewpoints.

Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Accessed 20 Feb. 2018. Originally published as

“Euthanasia Was the Right Decision for My Wife” in Washington Post, 22 Oct. 2012.

Mercier, Jean, et al. “Physician-Assisted Dying Is Justified by Accepted Ethical

Principles.” Ethics, edited by Noel Merino, Greenhaven Press, 2015. Opposing

Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Accessed 21 Feb. 2018. Originally

published as “The Ethical Bases of Medical Aid in Dying” in http://impactethics.ca, 21

Jan. 2014.

“Right to Die.” Issues and Controversies, Infobase Learning, 10 Nov. 2016. Accessed 20

Feb. 2018.

Siebold, Steve. “Legalizing Euthanasia Leads to a Stronger and More Compassionate

Society.” Euthanasia, edited by Margaret Haerens, Greenhaven Press, 2015. Opposing

Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Accessed 21 Feb. 2018. Originally

published as “Belgium Twin Brothers Die by Euthanasia” in www.huffingtonpost.com, 16

Jan. 2013.

Singer, Peter. “There Is a Right to Die.” Euthanasia, edited by Margaret Haerens,

Greenhaven Press, 2015. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context.

Accessed 21 Feb. 2018. Originally published as “A Death of One’s Own” in project-

syndicate.org, 15 Dec. 2011.