In the 1990's a doctor named Jack Kevorkian made headlines when he invented a machine that could assist in the suicide of terminally ill patients. Even though Dr. Kevorkian had video tapes of his patients stating they wanted to die, he was still convicted of murder and sentenced to eight and a half years in prison. The question is: do patients have the right to end their lives with the help of a physician? My opinion is yes, and I am not alone. Switzerland, Oregon, Washington state, and Vermont have lifted their ban on assisted suicide.
But I also see there are legitimate concerns, like when a person is in severe pain, they might make irrational decisions that they cannot take back later. But I still think that a person's body is theirs to choose what to do with. And, I think it's arrogant of the state to force the patient to take chemo drugs, lose their hair, vomit, and make them more miserable than they already are just because they're afraid of what might happen. After all, wasn't America founded on risky undertakings? The founding fathers knew that if they were caught they would be executed. But, they still did the right thing.
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