Right To Die

1 Pages 359 Words

Right to Die.
An Argumentative Essay by Darrell Fortune.

Death is an unavoidable subject everyone has to confront at one

time or another. We all wonder when we will die, and under what

conditions. Will it be a peaceful death, which steals into the night like a

cold wind? Or will it come suddenly, crashing into the room like an

inescapable wave. I personally would not like to have such knowledge,

but for some people death is escape. It is escape from pain, suffering,

and the emotional distress placed upon their family from a terminal

illness. That’s why I feel physician-assisted suicide should be a legal

option for the terminal ill.

When we think of physician-assisted suicide, the first person that

pops into our minds is Dr. Jack Kevorkian. Dr. Kevorkian admitted

helping 130 people to commit suicide, and was charged with 2nd Degree

murder in 1999. He is now serving 10-25 years for administering a fatal

injection to a terminally ill man. One reason for legal physician-assisted

suicide is that some terminal illnesses cause great pain and suffering on

the patient. Victims also have to watch their once strong, proud bodies waste away into waxy, thin skeletons. I know that today’s technological

and pharmaceutical advancements can keep a human alive long after

death has come knocking, but shouldn’t they have an option before being

kept alive in an empty vessel?

Another reason physician-assisted suicide should be legalized is

the stress it places on the patient’s family. The stress arises from many

factors. Some of these include not only emotional stress from the illness

of a relative, but also financial problems. Hospital stays cause medical

bills to pile up, and even though most people carry insurance, the

coverage sometimes runs out, or only pays a certain percent of the bill.

Wouldn’t you like to know that your d...