Choosing Life over Death

            Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, three natural born, American rights that people in this country take for granted every day. But there are people in America who don’t feel as if they have these rights because they are terminally ill and cannot escape from the body that is trapping them. Some terminally ill patients decide that there is nothing left for them here and want to end their life but they can’t without going through drastic measures because it is against the law. Physician assisted suicide also known as physician assisted death and death with dignity, is when a patient request to die and the physician prescribes a lethal dose of a drug and gives it to the patient to take on their own time. Physician assisted suicide is unlike euthanasia because euthanasia involves the doctor physically giving the lethal dose to the patient. Everyone has a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, which is why physician assisted suicide, should be legalized in Vermont.

           

            Life. It’s a word we say every day, something we are a part of every day. Having the right to life and the right to live also means having the right to die. It clearly states in the fourteenth amendment of the Constitution that ‘Nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.’ No state is allowed, according to the Constitution, to take away the right someone has to their life. But what isn’t said as clearly is that if a person has right to their life they also have a right to the flip side, death. Terminally ill patients who want to die have a right to if they choose. Every person also has a right to their autonomy, which is their body. Each person has a right to their own body and what happens to it. But being diagnosed with a terminal illness isn’t something people get to choose but they should have the right to decide how to deal with the illness and if they decide that they aren’t going to be happy in at the time of their death they don’t want to remember life as it is for them at the present, they should be able to say when it needs to end. Legalizing physician assisted suicide in Vermont would allow the people who feel like this to make the decision they really want to, to feel like they are in control of their life instead of the illness.

            Liberty: The power or right of doing, thinking, speaking, etc., according to a choice. As stated in the definition anyone with the right to liberty has the power of doing, thinking and speaking depending upon a choice that is made. That choice could be eating an ice cream in the middle of the night even though you know you’re not supposed to, or changing your college major because you decided you like children better than adults or choosing to die because the world has dealt you a bad hand and you want to remember life when it was good. It is every Americans constitutional right to liberty and it is also stated in the Declaration of Independence. That people all over the country are trying to make this choice but the law is restricting them. Respect for the patient is a very critical thing too and dying is very personal and emotional experience. If people have the right and the power to make decisions like this they should be able to. People with incurable diseases aren’t going to change their mind about how they feel and holding them back is only going to make matters worse. The patient could choose to do something drastic that may end up harming other people. All American citizens have the power of liberty and if they choose to use it they shouldn’t be held back.

            Pursuit of Happiness, not a phrase used in everyday life, but it is thought about by everyone at least once a day, though most people may not realize it. As stated in the Declaration of Independence every person has the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. What most people don’t realize is that every day we think about the pursuit of happiness. Things as simple as what we are going to wear in the morning or what to eat. Because if we don’t pick something we like, we won’t be happy. But there are bigger things that have more of an effect on life. When people don’t get to choose what they want, it makes them feel depressed; the amount of depression varies depending on the situation. Some terminally ill people are trying to be happy but they can’t and the only thing that would help them would be to choose something they want and that would be to end their life, but they aren’t allowed make this decision and they won’t be happy until they do. In addition, the suffering of terminally ill patients is immense, both physical and physiological. But physician assisted suicide helps relive people of this pain and lets them enjoy the end of their life on earth knowing that they will be going to a better place. Happiness is a very important part of life and death. It is every Americans right to the pursuit of happiness and we shouldn’t be restricted from achieving it.

            Death is a very personal process and should be look upon as something that we get to decide if we have the chance. Every American has a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness so why shouldn’t these rights apply to death too? Terminally ill patients deal with a great deal of pain and depression and they should get the chance to end their life if they know there is nothing left for them and nothing more they can give to the world. Legalizing physician assisted suicide in Vermont would be beneficial to all people with an incurable disease and the people who are connected with the patient. Physician assisted suicide is not something that, if legalized, people will feel obligated to do. The patients will know when it is there time to die and they should be able to. Even though we have all these rights, people don’t really use them. Legalizing physician assisted suicide would initiate these rights and allow all Vermonters to feel like they have a chance to be happy and it would keep our state the unique and wonderful place that it is.