The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms states that we have the legal right to life, liberty and security - perhaps the most basic and fundamental right we are provided. The right to speech does not remove our option to remain silent, the right to vote does not remove our right to abstain from voting, so shouldn’t our right to live in turn give us the right to die? This has become a prominent debate between medical professionals, the public, the government, and those demanding the right to die with assistance from medical specialists. The terms physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia are often confused. Euthanasia, also known as “mercy killing”, occurs when a physician administers the means of death to the patient, usually a lethal …show more content…
The impact suicide has on families can be traumatic and harrowing, often because it is unexpected. Legalizing assisted-suicides can help families better understand the patients decision, and provide them with the proper closure, so they are not faced with a sense of guilt or overwhelming grief following the death. Illnesses can slowly destroy the essence of their prey, and consume one’s mind, body, and soul. The option of assisted-suicide can give these helpless individuals a sense of control back. It is impossible for us to measure someone’s pain, so if they want to die with a sense of dignity, and have the decision lie in their own hands, and not in the hands of their illness, who are we to deny that?
One of the most well-known cases involving the fight to legalize assisted-suicide in Canada is that of Sue Rodriguez. In early 1991, Rodriguez was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) which led to her losing her voluntary motor control. She requested that the
Supreme Court of Canada allow a medical-professional to assist in ending her life. Rodriguez believed she was being discriminated against because suicide is not illegal, but she felt