Most people do not think about death very often, or even at all, if they are young, strong, and healthy. For those diagnosed with a terminal illness, those thoughts are always lingering. How will one die is probably the most common thought that runs through people’s mind. Recently, in some states, that question may now have an answer. Currently, in six states, there are new laws that allow aid in dying, also known as physician-assisted suicide. Physician-assisted suicide is a great way for someone who is terminally ill to die comfortably, without suffering through months of pain and agony. There are, of course, rules and regulations that control who can take advantage of these new laws.
In the six states that currently allow this by law, physicians can aid someone in death in a few different ways. The most common procedure is to prescribe a lethal dose of medication to hasten the dying process. In most cases, the doctor cannot physically give the patient this medication, but rather, the patient must be willing and able to take the medicine on their own once it is prescribed. With the current laws in place, an individual must request this procedure, and in many instances, they must make this request multiple times.
Physician-assisted suicide was first established in
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This however is not the case. Statistics show that in Oregon since the law was passed giving the terminally ill the option to ask for aid in dying, only 1,545 people made the request to their doctor. Out of these 1,545 people, only 991 of them went through with taking the medication and ending their life. This means that 36 percent of those who requested the medication did not follow through with their initial requests. These figures do not take into consideration the people diagnosed with terminal illnesses that never requested