Persuasive Essay On Physician Assisted Suicide

The idea of physician assisted suicide is one that has almost always been meet with an uncomfortable stare, even though public opinion has increased since it first became a well known issue in Northern America. Real drive for the movement started in the 70’s when about 53% of the population supported the movement, a large advance from the mere 37% at the start of the 50’s (Drum). As of now, roughly 70% of the entire population support the idea of having the option of Assisted Suicide, yet only four states have passed legislation in the support of ‘Right to Die’ laws. Most of this hesitation to pass the laws is because the ethics behind the idea of assisted suicide have long been viewed as twisted, and this has been because of false information or just a plain lack of knowledge about the subject. Assisted Suicide, no matter how controversial, should be open for the decision ultimately to be that of the individual themselves without the input of anyone else, as the decision to die is the most personal that one can make and should not be skewed by misconceptions or false information. The most important part of any

Suicide, under any circumstance, is viewed as a sin by the Catholic Church, mainly as they view it as self murder, which is viewed as a rejection of God's plan. The idea of assisted suicide was directly mention in 1980 when the Church released “Declaration on Euthanasia,” which called abortion, euthanasia, and all other life-ending measures to be “poison to human society,” even when death was imminent (Drum). They oppose this as a “violation of the divine law.” Even Pope John Paul in 1995 personally addressed the issue and condemned the growing acceptance of euthanasia as a personal right (Humphry). As this opinion of most of the members of the church, areas where religious conviction is high, the amount of support drops