So what was the problem with merely waiting 17 days for the guy to die naturally? Why does the doctor stain himself with an attempted murder and total violation of his Hippocratic oath?
When it comes to drugs and their administration, I'm not sure that anything is illegal in Oregon. For that matter, I'm not even sure oaths mean anything there either.
Would you want to lay helplessly in bed in a drugged up haze of pain for 17 more days until your body finished giving out on you?
A drawn out "natural" death is a miserable, pathetic experience for everyone involved. I wouldn't let a dog I didn't like suffer like that, let alone a person.
Have you ever been around someone dying from cancer or a similar disease during their last few days of life? I've seen family members go like that, and it's horrible. Why should the patient have to endure such a terrible end when they can go comfortably and at their own volition? We treat farm animals and household pets better than we treat dying people.
And, just to touch on the issue of states' rights, if Oregon voters want assisted suicide to be legal in their state, why should the federal government (or other states) have any right to deny Oregonians their wishes?