unbearable deterioration who plead with us as fellow human beings to help them die. (20) A physician’s help is still needed in order to die without pain. When a person is pleading for help due to unbearable pain, we are helpless and therefore unable to aid in his or her request. There is no reason for people to have to suffer such horrible deaths. Only a physician can provide the essentials to relieve a person of his or her needless pain and suffering. “We are not arguing for a limitlessly broad right to die. We seek to secure the right of mentally competent, terminally ill individuals to choose a death with dignity and without needless suffering”(20).In this quote Barbara Dority is stating the importance of death with dignity and needless suffering. The fight for the right to die is an important issue; however, the fight for those who suffer needlessly is more important. It is considered ethical when a person dies of natural causes after a long fight with a terminal illness; however, if a person decides to take charge at the end of a long illness and chooses to die painlessly and quickly it is considered unethical. Prolonging one’s life is given a much higher value than the care and the needs of the dying. The ultimate goal in death is to die peacefully. It would be a dream come true if we could all die in our sleep without pain and without suffering. In an article written by Dr. Christina M. Puchalski she states: In encouraging people to fight to the end, we neglect to give them the opportunity to bring closure to their lives; to complete unfinished goals; to forgive those they had conflicts with, to be forgiven; to make peace with themselves, with God; to say good-bye; and to die with dignity. (35)Sometimes when putting up a strong and endless fight to the end, we forget what is really important. In order to attain a peaceful death one mu...
