Physician Assisted Suicide- Giving People the Right to Die with Dignity

By: Colleen Cannistra

One of the first things you are taught on the journey of becoming a doctor is the Hippocratic Oath. Essentially, under this oath, you pledge to “…prescribe only beneficial treatments, according to his abilities and judgment; [and] to refrain from causing harm or hurt” (Britannica). Until recently, this practice has helped guide physicians everywhere from right and wrong. But what if it isn’t that simple? 

Physician Assisted suicide occurs when a doctor provides a patient with necessary means/information to enable them to end their own life. While at first this may seem immoral and wrong, there are quite a few reasons why patients may choose to do this. 

First off, if physician assisted suicide is not an option for patients, there is a possibility that they will take matters into their own hands and end their life in a much more gruesome and upsetting way. For example, Doctor Marcia Angwell of Massachusetts signed a petition that would make the “Death with Dignity Act” legal after her father killed himself with a firearm after being denied physician assisted suicide. He was suffering through a terminal illness and was facing the same conundrum that millions of other innocent people experience every day. If the Death with Dignity act had been legal, both Dr. Angwell and her father would have suffered much less.

Another positive impact of physician assisted suicide is patients finally having control over their lives. After not having a say in what happens to them for so long, it is only fair that they get to choose their outcome. Physician assisted suicide also helps patients’ loved ones grieve less and makes their healthcare bill significantly less costly.

While the concept of physician assisted suicide may be a hard pill to swallow, giving patients back their right of bodily autonomy is only fair. After fighting their battles for so long, letting them die with dignity is the least we can do.