Is assisted suicide ethical? And what makes someone eligible to commit suicide? Many people oppose it, because they feel it is immoral and or unjust, but others believe that it is a humane thing to do, if a patient is terminally ill and is suffering. Both sides of argument have a strong case, and who's to make that crucial decision? .
Over the years, there has been a great deal of controversy about this ordeal. So far in 36 states, assisted-suicide has been specifically outlawed assisted suicide. Dr. Jack Kevorkian has been present for more than 40 suicides. He believed in allowing people to make their own choice as far as whether they wanted to live or die. Dr. Kevorkian called the machine that he used on the victoms, the Thanatron - 'death machine' in Greek. It was devised so that the patient themselves could pull the trigger. It started with an intravenous drip of saline solution. Then the patient would press a button starting a device which stopped the saline solution and started releasing a drug of thiopental with a 60-second timer. This would put the patient into a deep coma. Finally, the timer's click would begin a lethal dose of potassium chloride, which in minutes would stop the heart. The patient would die of a heart attack while asleep. The Thanatron was made from odd bits and pieces of household tools and toy parts, magnets and electrical switches. Kevorkian called it " dignified, humane and painless, the patient can do it in the comfort of their own home at any time they want.".
I strongly believe that what Dr. Kevorkian is doing is a very good and noble thing. All of his patients were either terminally ill or were under such agony and pain that they could not bear to live out the rest of their life. Why is it okay to do it to animals, but not to humans? When a horse has broken its leg and will never be able to walk again, we think nothing and simply destroy it because the horse will never live a fulfilling life.