Agreeing with the Assisted Suicide Law
People should have the right to die if the pain of living exceeds their capacity to adequately deal with it. For instance, there are cancer patients with terminal illnesses that experience unimaginable agony due to the fact that painkillers often do not work on the more severe cases (Fenigsen 231). Since they are in effect suffering massive amounts of pain with no immediate relief in sight, it would be more humane to allow them to die a dignified death that is based on their own choice rather than prolong their suffering. Not only that, people have a right to their own bodies and what happens to them and, as such, the right to end their life should be considered an essential aspect of their own inherent and inalienable rights (Popik and Balch 20). Last, yet certainly not the least, is the fact that some people have simply gotten too old and are merely waiting for the inevitable. In these cases, they view the financial cost they are placing on their family members as being far too much of a burden and, as such, they at times would like to end their lives prematurely (Wilson 13).
Impact of Religion on Opinion
While religious viewpoints do impact how people view certain morals and ethics, the fact remains that some religious views are simply far too archaic to be properly implemented into modern day society. When examining the assisted suicide law, it is likely that my religion does not impact how I view the law since I consider it a necessary aspect of medical care. While it is true that when looking at the bill from a religious viewpoint it does seem like murder; however, what religious advocates fail to take into consideration are the rights of the individual and how they wish for their suffering to come to an end. It is far more humane to allow a person to die and end their suffering rather than needlessly prolong it all for the sake of some sort of religious dogma that hasn’t been properly updated in centuries (Kheriaty 9).
Exercising the Right
Recent statistics show that hundreds within Oregon, Washington, California and Vermont have died peacefully under the death with dignity bill. This helps to justify the creation of the bill and proves that it is not superfluous and has actually enabled numerous people to avoid living excruciatingly painful lives.
Presence of a Trend
It is likely that there is a trend that is present and will definitely continue to gain traction over the next decade as more states realize that it is more humane to allow a person to die with dignity than allow them to continue living a painful existence. However, it is also likely that attempts at implementing this sort of bill will be met with considerable levels of opposition from religious groups that view the act as being nothing more than murder (Kardish 18). Fortunately, as evidenced by the legalization of gay marriage in various states, the rule of law rather than religious ideology is what influences the government (Darr 34). Within the next 10 years or so, it is likely that the bill should be able to gain considerable traction resulting in its implementation in all states within the U.S.
Works Cited
Darr, Kurt. “Assistance In Dying: Part II. Assisted Suicide In The United States.” Hospital Topics 85.2 (2007): 31-36. Print
Fenigsen, Richard. “Other People’s Lives: Reflections On Medicine, Ethics, And Euthanasia.” Issues In Law & Medicine 27.3 (2012): 231. Print
Kardish, Chris. “Doctors, Death And The Law.” Governing 28.8 (2015): 18. Print
Kheriaty, Aaron. “The Assisted-Suicide Movement Goes on Life Support.” Wall Street Journal – Eastern Edition 23 May 2015: 9. Print
Popik, Jennifer, and Burke Balch. “Euthanasia’s Busy Year: Rationing, Involuntary Denial Of Treatment, And Direct Killing.” National Right To Life News (2014): 20. Print
Wilson, Clare. “US States Grapple With The Right To Die.” New Scientist 225.3010 (2015): 13. Print