4 Reasons Why Patients with Terminal Illness have the Right To Die

When a patient is told that they only have a number of months or weeks left to live, their dignity is being taken away. Death with Dignity or assisted suicide gives these people the opportunity to take their lives back and die surrounded by their loved ones. The prognosis for many terminally ill patients is agonizing and distressing to the patient and their families. Assisted suicide preserves dignity and allows the family to be able to make arrangements and be prepared. Though assisted suicide is not suitable for everyone, the option should always be available to those who need it.

(patientsrightscouncil.org)

Brittany Maynard, pictured above, was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor in 2014. She accepted her fate and decided to die via assisted suicide on November 1st of 2014. Maynard was 29 years old and knew she wanted to leave this Earth on her own terms while she was still herself. Patients who are considered terminally ill do not want to use Physician-Assisted Suicide to escape their fate, they want to go on their own terms so they can die peacefully when they please.

(People.com)

The Hippocratic Oath, taken by physicians, states that they promise to do no harm. Many people believe that using assisted suicide to hasten death is doing harm, but isn't using artificial means of survival also doing harm? Everyone has a different view on the word harm. However, in the medical field, the patient's dignity and mental state are the most important part of their wellbeing. If they want to die, withholding that right goes against their wishes to keep their dignity.

(Britannica.com)

Currently, 70% of Americans support euthanasia. Both republicans and democrats equally support and do not support euthanasia making the debate bipartisan. In a poll conducted by Gallup, when worded with painless death and then changed it to "suicide" there was still over half of the population supporting physician assisted suicide.

(gallup.com)