. Arizona; 1995Nicholas LovingAge: 26Diagnosis: Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrigs’s Disease)Outcome: Fatal; Terminal at all stagesDecision: Nicholas Loving, decided to ask for assistance from Dr. Jack Kevorkian Judge Stephen Reinhart of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has deemed that a “dignified” death entails the right to have one’s self killed, based on the Constitutions “due process” clause. Protects Personal liberty and privacy.(Kavenaugh; 1997) Compassion in Dying v. State of WashingtonThe Constitution guarantees a “fundamental right” to assisted suicide.(America; May 1997)III. Relief of Suffering that Medication can not helpA. Hemlock Society1. Support Euthanasia and Physician Assisted Suicide. 2. Support Terminally ill patients right to die. (Issues and Controversies on File; September 1996)B. Knowledge is Comfort1. Death can alleviate mental suffering. 2. Knowledge that the option to kill one’s self is there provides mental comfort.(www.rights.org/~deathnet/Humphry_essay.html)3. Derek Humphry’s Final Exit: written to help people make a decision about their final days or diagnosis. 4. The option of euthanasia puts one’s mind at rest about their prognosis and worsening condition(Issues on Controversies on File; Nov. 1997)5. Doctors should make it their own moral obligation to help their patients in whatever way is necessary including physician assisted suicide should that be the desire of the patient.(Issues and Controversies on File; Nov. !997)6. If there was always a medication around to treat the pain and suffering, then the patients would not feel the need to resort to any form of suicide. Since certain illness such as AIDS are not curable and cause undue pain and suffering, they should be allowed to kill themselves instead of suffer from deteriorating health. 7. It is not only physical pain but also mental pain that they seek to elim...
