d never actively hasten death. Many believe that it is a violation of professional ethical standards for a doctor to help someone to die. The Roman Catholic Church and other religious groups oppose assisted suicide on the grounds that it constitutes taking a life, which is morally wrong in any circumstance.Adversaries of legally assisted suicide say that making suicide a legitimate, medical option will have disastrous consequences for the terminally ill. It could also adversely affect other patients who are not in such a dire situation. First, they point out, the safeguards included in most proposed assisted suicide laws would still leave patients vulnerable to abuse. The overriding concern is that assisted suicide would be more common among low-income families that are hard-up. Opponents argue that the dying person may feel that he or she is a financial burden to the family and many therefore choose suicide rather than continuing to live sustained by expensive medical care. Legally assisted suicide would leave the poor, elderly, and the disabled without adequate protection against suggestions from doctors and family members.Finally, critics say, the assisted suicide option become an “easy way out” for families weary of the physically and the emotionally draining ordeal of caring for their dying loved one. Opponents say that caregivers who want to avoid the continued difficulty of a patient’s prolonged illness may counsel the patient to choose assisted suicide.BibliographyAngell, Marcia “Euthanasia in the Netherlands—Good News or Bad?” New England Journal of Medicine (November 28, 1996): 1676Angell Marcia. “the Supreme Court and Physician-Assisted Suicide—the Ultimate Right.” New England Journal of Medicine (January 2, 1997): 50.Byock, Ira. “Why Do We Make Dying So Miserable?” Washington Post (January 22, 1997): A23Lagnado, Lucette. “Top Journal Divide Ov...
