Thomas Jefferson said it best when his tirade of human rights included the pursuit of happiness, but what if this is only obtainable by means of death? For some individuals this is exactly the case. With incurable diseases and intolerable pain, some terminally ill patients feel they would be better of dead. When sickness and suffering has taken away the vitality you once had, and replaced it with sickness and pain, should you have the right to put yourself or ask someone to assist you in putting yourself out of your own misery?.
The pursuit of happiness does not include a dependency on machines or medications to make life bearable. It does not include being a burden on one's family. The word pursuit denotes action, not passively waiting, and a perfect example of action would be euthanasia or assisted suicide.
Euthanasia is the removing of life-sustaining machines, refusal of treatment, or any act that intentionally causes death of another person with or without consent. The word euthanasia originated from the Greek word euthanatos where ""eu" signify good and "thanatos" denotes death. Dying a "good death" should not include suffering and dependency on modern technology for life.
Assisted suicide is when the person who dies actually performs the last act, such as swallowing pills or administrating a lethal injection provided by a third party, usually a doctor. Suicide, and the attempt of, is not a crime. Assisting someone, by providing the means, is considered illegal, and can earn you a jail sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
Society's fear and dread of death and dying should not take away a patients choice to leave this earth on their own terms. When death is a forgone conclusion, legalized assisted suicide and euthanasia would insure a patient a peaceful death, surrounded by their friends and family. It would provide a humane end to a terminal illness tearing at the fabric of their dignity.