“Dogs do not have many advantages over people, but one of them is extremely important: euthanasia is not forbidden by law in their case; animals have the right to a merciful death.”― Milan Kundera, The Unbearable Lightness of Being . A dog does not have to suffer through an agonizing death but a human being does. Euthanasia is the direct action of ending the life of a person or animal in order to stop their suffering. Euthanasia falls in different categories like voluntary and involuntary. Assisted suicide is when a patient performs euthanasia with the help of a doctor. Assisted suicide is a very controversial topic, it has even made its way to the Supreme Court. Assisted suicide is a personal choice that should be legal.
Dr. Jack Kevorkian, a pathologist who was also known as, “Doctor Death” believed people have the right to choose when and how they want to die. He practiced assisted suicide on about 130 people and was tried four times for murder but was not convicted the first three times ( Ball 2 ). Dr. Kevorkian’s first public assisted suicide was with Janet Adkins, a vibrant 54-year old English teacher from Portland who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease ( Wilson 1). “My
…show more content…
The Netherlands for example, was the first country to legalize physician-assisted death. The doctors in the Netherlands have to consult an independent physician who reviews the case and also have to prove that they have a close relationship with the patient ( “Consider euthanasia” 2). In America physician-assisted suicide is only legal in Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and Montana. There are regulations and rules that doctors must follow . For example, some of the regulations are that the patient must have less than 6 months to live, be of sound mind, and only a doctor of medicine can perform the assisted