Lying in her hospital bed, in a morphine-induced coma, Esther was well aware of the loving family that surrounded her. However, she was tormented by the fact that she could hear their words, feel their touches, but was unable to respond, to give them any small sign of comfort. Esther had been diagnosed with lymphoma over 5 years ago, and after all the harsh chemotherapy treatments, was now in the final stages. Her only relief from the pain was the high doses of morphine that were regularly being pumped into her body through an IV. This relief came at a high price; the drug-induced coma made it impossible to move a muscle in her body. Her mind was fully functioning and yet she was trapped inside her own body. She longed to reach out and hug her husband and son sitting ever vigilant on either side of her bed. How she wished she could do something to ease their suffering as well as her own. .
Should a mentally competent, terminally ill person be allowed to choose the time and method of his or her death? This has been a largely debated, hot button topic as far back as the days of the ancient Greeks. For example, while Plato basically disagreed with suicide, he felt it should be an option in extreme circumstances, such as in cases of unmanageable suffering. On the other hand, Plato's student Aristotle believed that there was no justifiable reason to commit suicide.
The debate still rages today as terminally ill people fight for what they feel is their right to put an end to their suffering and to die a more dignified death. The opposition believes that no matter what the reason, suicide is morally wrong. A major concern is that if physician-assisted suicide is legalized it would be abused by family as a way to dispose of undesirable members, or by depressed patients who may have a curable illness but who simply no longer wish to live.
Imposing strict physical and psychological requirements on candidates for assisted-suicide would lessen the chance of abuse and help pave the way to a common ground solution.
