I don't think it's smart to allow government into the killing business, and that's what assisted suicide is. With abortion legal, we don't currently see this, but ideally a society should respect and protect the life of each of it's members. Killing children within the womb of their mother or killing elderly or sick people is certainly not respecting, let alone protecting the life of each member in a society. Human suffering is such a tragic part of life, and each person has his/her share it to some degree, some more than others. It's natural human instinct to want to alleviate that suffering as much as possible, sometimes in any way possible. The question is, how far does society go to do that? I would argue that doctors should continue to work for and provide cures to ailments and pain medication for variant degrees of pain. People can choose to decline extraodinary means such as surgeries, respirators, or have DNRs. People may also decide that certain medications which may take days or weeks off of life are necessary for comfort. However, other means such as denying food or water, a basic human necessity (which helps to keep one comfortable) or actual medications or injections to terminate one's life is taking measures too far. Some may argue it is dignified not to suffer a miserable death, but if we say that suffering in some way makes us undignified, we would have to claim that each person on this Earth is undignified which is blatantly untrue. The goal of doctors and society should be to recognize the inherent value in human life and preserve it, not take it.
We must turn towards societies that have permitted assisted suicide, and realize that assisted suicides have increased in Oregon, the only state where they are permissible. In Dutch countries, they have proceeded to euthanasia, which is very dangerous. It's been said that people have been euthanized that were unable to give consent or had families that either were not around or chose to give consent. Babies that are ill or deformed also recieve the euthansia "treatment" as it is deemed "humane". Things get progressively worse as Switzerland attempts to open the door to assisted suicide for those who are mentally ill or depressed. More and more people may feel the need to end their lives, those that are depressed, pressured by doctors, or feel they are alleiving their family of a "burden". The bottom line, it's a dangerous road to go down. Who knows what damage will befall before we can turn back?
We as humans don't have the power to take the lives of other humans. Only God and nature can do that. Humans aren't animals, and we must cotinue to promote the sanctity of human life in our society.
"I don't think it's smart to allow government into the killing business, and that's what assisted suicide is."
I think you may have missed an important point at the beginning of the article. They said that most people ask their doctor for a perscription (probably morphine or related) and then take it home and give it to themselves. So first of all it is between the patient and the doctor. The only involvement of the government is giving the permission of the patient and doctor to do what they do.
As to denying food a water, my mother was very clear that she did not want to go to a hospital for intravenous or other feeding. And my husband was adament that he did not want feeding tubes. At some point they each became disinterested in eathing or drinking, or unable to swallow and soon slipped into a coma. They did not suffer. I know this because they only groaned if I shifted their body to clean their waste.
As hard as it is for us to accept, there comes a time of multiple organ failure and shutting down when death is inevitable. I have never understood why those who profess to believe in God the most seem the most dramatically opposed to all this. Should people be denied the right to join their God when their body is failing? In fact, as I recall the Terry Schivo case, I was astonished to see all the religious people writhing, wailing and falling on the ground at the thought that this poor woman would soon be with God. If this is faith???