ntinue the euthanasia procedures under state law (Hagen). The number of doctors who are willing to assist patients in euthanasia is astounding. Forty-one percent of doctors who were surveyed by a medical journal stated that they would aid a terminally ill patient to commit suicide. Thankfully, only four percent confessed that they had helped a patient die within a six-month period (Meier 45). Dr. Ryan Hagan Sr., a psychiatrist in Oregon, said that he has counseled numerous patients who have requested euthanasia only to back out of the decision within a few days. While Oregon’s politicians tend to make the law seen “dignified,” most often he encounters patients who are scared of their situations. He said that many feel pressured to make the decision by others or either the person is in a state of depression. He fears that many patients make rash decisions on death and therefore terminate their lives without being properly informed by doctors. He feels that the law opens the door for many to needlessly end their lives before their due time (Hagan). The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1997 that the average American does not have the right to physician-assisted suicide. The unanimous decision also covered that Washington’s and New York’s bans on euthanasia were constitutional. On the other hand, it did not rule whether or not it is legal for a state to have laws that allowed it, therefore letting Oregon off the hook for the time being (Matas 17). In October 1999, the House of Representatives passed the Pain Relief Promotion Act. It is a bill that would legally criminalize a physician if a pain medication dosage is above what is needed to relieve pain. The Senate rejected the bill, and it is in the process of being revised for a future vote (Ruggless-Ash). California also recently tried to legalize euthanasia, but the people of California voted against it (Johnson 33).Although euthanasia has a growing amount of leg...
