Physician-Assisted Suicide: Support and Opposition Physician-assisted suicide is a method used by patients to terminate his/her own life with lethal medicine that is prescribed by a doctor. The lethal dose of medication is administered by the patient, not the doctor. This method is for patients whom are terminally-ill and no long want to wait to die. Physician-assisted suicide (PAS) is one of the most controversial issues in modern medicine because of the support and opposition surrounding it. Organizations and people that support PAS all have an understanding of what benefits and options it gives to those whom want to end their lives. While there is support, a great deal of controversy surrounds PAS. Religious and ethical reasoning and a…show more content… According to State-by-state guide to physician-assisted suicide (2017), those states include: California, Vermont, Oregon, Washington Colorado, and Washington, D.C. . The state of Montana has no laws against it (Popik, 2016). Oregon was the pioneer in physician-assisted suicide with the passing of the Death with Dignity Act in September 1994 (State-by-state guide to physician-assisted suicide, 2017). In Oregon, Physician-assisted suicide is not a decision made easily or that is taken lightly. There are many steps that must be taken before a person takes advantage of the Death With Dignity Act. According to Girsh (2002), first the request must come from a terminally ill, mentally capable resident of Oregon. Then the patient must be examined and diagnosed by two doctors. Next, the patient must have a mental-health check and be be presented alternative options. After a time period of fifteen days, the patients can fill the prescription from the doctor two days later. Finally, the patient can take the lethal medicine with or without friends, family, or a doctor present. Although this screening is thorough, one flaw is that is it does not require family members of the patient to be contacted of what their loved ones decision (Girsh, 2002). Many other states have pushed hard to pass laws similar to the Death With Dignity Act. Colorado voted in November 2016 on Initiative 145, known as the "Medical Aid in Dying…show more content… Compassion & Choices is a group out of the state of Washington that works with medical care providers, churches, and other organizations to offer better end-of-life care. The group also works to ensure that the physician-assisted suicide laws in each state are upheld (About compassion & choices, 2017). In one case, a 62-year-old woman with inoperable lung cancer, and who was living in hospice care, seeked out Compassion & Choices to assist in her death and provide advice. A volunteer group called the Caring Friends program worked with her to make sure she had exhausted all her options, and that she knew the laws. In the state the woman lived, PAS was illegal. After understanding the law and considering her options, the woman then searched for a doctor who, despite criminal action, would prescribe her the lethal drug to end her own life. The doctor who assisted her risked his medical license and broke the law to help the suffering woman. The woman, and Compassion & Choices, knew the legal risks of PAS in states where it is illegal, but yet ….. (Girsh,
