The Freeing of Dr. Death

Dr. Jack Kevorkian, often referred to as Dr. Death was recently freed from a Michigan prison after spending eight years of his elderly life incarcerated for aiding others with assisted suicide. He was sentenced to 10-25 years for second degree murder, but was let out early for good behavior. Dr. Kevorkian was most notorious in the 1990's for his 130+ assisted suicides that he took part in. He made a mochary of the justice system telling them he couldn't be stopped and to go ahead and try to stop him. Finally, in 1998, their mission was accomplished. He was charged in the death of a patient, who had Lou Gehrug's disease.

All the controversy surrounding this man has made many people rethink their views on the subject of physician assisted suicide. Should people be allowed to choose their own demise? Is this cheating God out his own job? Should laws be set in place to regulate this kind of behavior? What would you do if you or a loved one was deathly ill and no longer wanted to suffer through agony and pain? Is it right to euthanize humans as you would an animal?

There is only one place in the United Stated of America where assisted suicide is legal and that is in the state of Oregon. The state of Michigan, where Dr. Death is from and still resides, now has a law in effect banning physician assisted suicide, every since 1998, when Jack Kevorkian was sentenced to his prison term.

Furthermore, I don't think that just anyone should be allowed to have a doctor help them kill themselves. I think there has to be some standards set in place. I think the person should be on their death bed and there is no foreseeable chance that they will make a full recovery or be able to live a relatively comfortable life. If someone is only given 6 months to live and they are in so much pain that they have to be on medication 24/7 and be so heavily sedated they have no idea what is going on around them, then why should they or their loved ones have to suffer anymore? The medical bills are just going to keep on piling up. If everyone has had their chance to say their final good-byes and the patient agrees that they want to end their life, then I think that is their choice.

Additionally, I can also see the religious groups' point of view on the subject. They think God is the final decision maker on when people enter this life and leave for eternity. Doctors or anyone else for that matter should not have that kind of power at their discretion. But when you think about it, is it really that much different than when doctors perform surgery to try to save someone's life? They do open heart surgeries, remove tumors, along with numerous other operations. If you want to get technical, should any of this be done because it could be interfering with God's ultimate plans for all of us?

In conclusion, I think assisted suicide should be legalized with fully established guidelines set in place. I think only certified physicians should be able to help those patients which are in dire need to being put out of the unfortunate misery that they are in. I don't think lawmakers should be the ones deciding who has to suffer and who does not. I do not think assisted suicide is taking God's job into your own hands.