ASSISTED SUICIDE

Assisted Suicide

Abstract

Suicide referrers to the taking one's own life intentionally, or causing one's own death. It is one of the 13th leading causes of death globally according to the “World Health Organization”, while resulting in over a million deaths every year. Suicide is not always considered a crime in all cultures, neither like in ancient Roman and Greek culture, nor during the samurai era where seppuku and the military tactics of banzi-charge, kamikaze, and the terrorist tactics of suicide bombing are acceptable. Euthanasia, the right to die, or medically assisted suicide is a contentious issue, involving people who are in extreme pain, have the minimal quality of life due to injury or illness, or are terminally ill. Related to the topic is the famous "Dr. Death", who was an American pathologist, assisting at least 130 patients to end their lives, and well known for publicly championing a terminal patient's right to die via physician-assisted suicide (Christian, 2009).

Similar to the issue is the Vacco v. Quill case which is one of the landmarks in term of the “Supreme Court of the United States” decision regarding the right to die, and the patient's right to seek assistance in this regard. In another similar concern, the “Supreme court of the United States” in the “Washington v. Glucksberg” case, collectively held that the “Due process clause” did not in any way protect the right to assist anyone in ending their life. While according to the Oregon Death with Dignity Act, Death through physician assistance was legalized, aside from some restrictions. Oregon became one of the first legal authority to all the terminally ill to end their life through physician assistance, after the passing of the Act, which was approved during the general election of 1994.

Table of Contents

Suicide1

Acceptance of Suicide rituals1

Medically assisted suicide2

Euthanasia2

Voluntary euthanasia2

Non-voluntary euthanasia3

Right to Die3

Case of Dr Jack Kevorkian of Michigan In 19893

Mindset and events4

Criticism and Kevorkian's Response4

Kevorkian Opinion5

Vacco v. Quill5

Decision6

Facts of the Case6

Violation of the Fourteen Amendments7

Washington v. Glucksberg7

Facts8

Decision8

Oregon Death with Dignity Act8

The law9

References10

Suicide

The taking one's own life intentionally, or causing one's own death is known as suicide. It is despair that usually causes a person to commit suicide, but mental disorders like bipolar disorder, depression, alcoholism, drug abuse and schizophrenia are also known as the main causes. Significant role is played by misfortune, pressure, relationship problems, or financial difficulties in pressuring a person in ending his or her life (Miller, 1991).

According to the “World Health Organization”, suicide is the 13th leading cause of death across the globe, estimating over a million deaths every year. Ten to twenty million attempts are made to commit suicide every year globally resulting in non-fatal results. It is a fact that religion, life, and honor influence the views on suicide, as the Abrahamic religions believe in the sanctity of life; suicide is considered an offense towards God. This view considers suicide a serious crime, a view that is still shared across the western world.

Acceptance of Suicide rituals

Suicide has not always been considered a crime in ...