""Eu-thanasia," from Greek words meaning good or easy death, has taken on a very different meaning today: The killing of a patient by his or her doctor" (Doerflinger 1). Today many people view euthanasia as assisted suicide that targets the handicapped, the mentally impaired, and the terminally ill. The Ohio Right to Life Committee states, "Euthanasia violates the principle that each human being has intrinsic dignity and value, regardless of age, physical or mental condition, or state of dependency" ("Euthanasia" 1). Because the National Government determined that there is no constitutional prohibition to make physician-assisted suicide (PAS) or euthanasia legal, each state can decide its own laws (Sinclair 4). Therefore, every state across the nation should declare euthanasia as an illegal practice.
One of the major problems dealing with assisted suicide is that "people with illnesses and disabilities would have decisions made for them and imposed on them" (12 Problems 1). For example, in Holland where the practice of PAS is legal, doctors assist more people to die without the patient's request than for patients who actually request assisted suicide. Secondly, "people with illnesses and disabilities would be influenced and coerced by many others and by circumstances" (12 Problems 1). Many times patients will make the decision of suicide not because of their physical condition, but instead they believe that the services and help they need cannot be provided. Thirdly, disability-rights advocates claim that assisted suicide reflects society's preconception of disabled people leading insignificant lives (Smith 1). Dr. Dick Sobsey argues that permitting PAS only to those with disabilities will only reinforce these biases (12 Problems 2). .
Burke Balch and Randall O"Bannon illustrate how suicide and mental illness coincide. They state that an average of 93 percent of people who commit suicide suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder, and most people who contemplate suicide just want help (Balch and O"Bannon 1).
