ble situation. Physicians should be free to practice this type of act if requested by their patient. Assisting a chronically suffering person to die should not be a breach of the principles of the Hippocratic Oath. By practicing active euthanasia, the physician relieves the individual of the pain of his/her condition. It is an act of love. If people see a deer, which had been hit by a car, and is in terrible pain, they will kill it out of pity. The same should be allowed with humans, if pain reaches a level where it is unbearable. For people who do not have the choice of active euthanasia, starvation and dehydration is the only choice.The responsibility of the medical community is not just to preserve life, but to preserve quality of life. For an individual who is living in constant pain and torment, both physically and psychologically, with no hope for betterment, the desire to end the pain is entirely rational and justified. If the only relief possible is death, then death should be an option. Of course we should not encourage people to take their lives, but I do not feel we have the right to take that option away from them. I believe firmly that people should be allowed to exert autonomy in their own lives, and if someone firmly wishes to die, that person should be allowed to do so in a fashion befitting the ideals of personal dignity and involving the least pain. Of course, if active euthanasia were legalized there would have to be very strict and specific rules governing it. However, the principle itself is, in my view, sound.The Hemlock society justifies active euthanasia on the following grounds: One is an advanced terminal illness that is causing unbearable suffering to the individual. The other is a grave physical handicap, which is so restricting that the individual cannot, even after due consideration and training, tolerate such a limited existence. The Society also offered guidelines for active euthanasia, the following are ...
