Physician-assisted suicide is best defined as the patient’s voluntary choice to take their own life by ingesting lethal medication prescribed by a doctor. The terms euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide are often used interchangeably; however, there are differences in these two practices. As clarified by the Right to Die Societies, euthanasia requires an active role in the patient’s death, such as an injection administered by a medical professional. Physician-assisted suicide is best defined as an inactive role. The physician writes a prescription that would ultimately terminate the life of the patient (worldrtd.net). The medication is specifically adapted to precipitate death and to minimize suffering.
This controversial topic has been highly debated across the world. As enumerated by Stacey Burling in her article, laws to legalize physician-assisted suicide have already been enacted in 5 states across the U.S.: Oregon, Washington, Montana, Vermont, and California. Euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide is also legal in the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, …show more content…
The Catholic Church’s justification on their position is clarified by the Right to Die Societies; they believe that the act of killing a human, regardless of if it’s to eliminate suffering, infringes divine law and affronts human dignity (worldrtd.net). There is an indoctrinated credence in the Catholic religion that only God can take a life. However, these religious rules and restrictions can’t be used to dictate law. Religious beliefs vary widely from person to person. Physician-assisted suicide is an individual choice. If someone’s religious beliefs hinder them from choosing physician-assisted suicide as an option, then there’s nothing wrong with selecting an alternative treatment. In the same regard, someone’s religious beliefs shouldn’t dissuade another person from utilizing physician-assisted