Regan Landman

Longberg
EN 102 Fri. 9:30-12:30
April 22, 2016
Final Exit
Everyone has known someone with a terminal disease at some point in their life, whether it be
cancer or a heart disease. Remembering how much pain they were in in the last stages of their lives is a
painful, unforgettable, memory, but what if these people didnt have to die in pain? What if there was a
way that they could die when they wanted to, before all the pain and suffering that their family members
would never forget? There is. The method is called assisted suicide. However beneficial these two
methods may be, they are not legal in most of the United States. Assisted suicide should be legalized
across America for the benefits provided to the patients and their families.
The Final Exit Network is an organization focused on legalizing assisted suicide in America, and
has been since 2003 after its split with the original program, the Hemlock Society (The Hemlock
Society). The Final Exit Network works to obtain the basic human right of competent adults to choose to
end their lives on their own terms when they suffer from irreversible physical illness, intractable pain, or a
constellation of chronic, progressive physical disabilities. This is essentially saying they wish to pass
legislation that allows physicians and qualified terminally ill patients to legally perform assisted suicide.
The Final Exit Network will provide free services to the patients who qualify, along with plenty of
information so that the patients can make an educated decision, home visits if possible and a
compassionate presence for individual and family. (Mission)
The prescription drug that is administered to the patients is called secobarbital. Another drug that
patients may be given is pentobarbital. These two drugs slow a persons brain activity and nervous
system. The physician will prescribe the patient a lethal dose of one of these drugs that they are to take on
an empty stomach, which helps shorten the wait for death. A lethal dose of secobarbital is usually 9 g in
capsules or 10 g of the pentobarbital liquid. Both of these drugs are recommended to be mixed with a
sweeter substance to hide the bitter taste (Fass).

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Since 1998 when the first law legalizing Death with Dignity prescriptions in Oregon, which is
what some people call the drugs that are given to the patients who practice assisted suicide, 1.173 people
have received prescriptions for the drug. Of those people, 752 people have used them and died. Of those
who died, the average age group is 65-74, with the average age being 71. The people who have gone
through with their death have had many different reasons to do so. 79% of those who have taken the drug
had a malignant tumor, while ALS is the second main reason, at 7%. Heart disease, chronic lower
respiratory disease, AIDS, and other illnesses finish the last 14% (Barone, Emily). Those who have
chosen to die by assisted suicide were controlled by their illness. By choosing when they get to die, and
how they get to die, they have taken back the control that they once had in their life, before their illness
had taken over. While people never chose to get ill and willingly put themselves through all this, they at
least got to choose when they ended their struggle. Once the patient and the physician has been cleared,
there is an average of a 47-day gap between the time that the patient requests the drug and the day of
death. On the day of death, there is only a 25 minute waiting period between the time of ingestion and the
time of death, while there is only a five-minute period between the time that the person ingests the drug
and when the patient goes unconscious.
While many people would enjoy the option to decide, they cannot, simply because they do not
live in a state that has legalized assisted suicide. There are only five states that have legalized physicianassisted suicide; California, Montana, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington. In all five states, the patient
seeking assisted suicide must be a resident who is at least eighteen years old and is predicted to have six
months to live at most. The final requirement is to have two oral requests to the physician that are at least
fifteen days apart, in addition to a written request. The physicians protocol varies by state, but they have
the same general idea. The physician must be licensed in the same state that the patient is a resident, the
patients must be diagnosed with a terminal illness with only six months to live, and must certify that the
patient is mentally competent to make this decision, and if not, must be referred for a psychological

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examination, and is required by law to inform the patient of alternatives such as palliative care and
hospice (State-by-State).
Although assisted suicide has not been a viable option for Americans for a long time, it has been
in other countries. Australia, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Switzerland have all
legalized assisted suicide, with Switzerland being the country with the longest history, legalizing assisted
suicide in the 1930s. Australia, Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands have all legalized
euthanasia. (Country Comparisons).
National support in the United States has risen by a good amount from 2014 to 2015. 81% of the
18-34-year-olds who participated in a survey in 2014 supported assisted suicide, compared to the 61% in
2014. This number rose to 81% in only one year later. 35-54-year-olds who support assisted suicide rose
from 57% to 65%. Additionally, those who are 55 and older who are in support added five percent to the
56% that had previously supported the cause in 2014 (Dugan. Andrew). Based on the numbers presented,
one can only expect a greater increase from last year to this year. If this many people are behind this
cause, then congress should start considering drafting a bill that makes assisted suicide and euthanasia
legal in the United States.
Support for assisted suicide within doctors has risen as well. As of 2014, 56% of the 21,000
doctors surveyed said they were in favor of aid in dying. This number rose from the 46% of doctors in
favor in 2010 (Briggs, Bill). This may be in correlation with the rise in the number of doctors and
physicians taking the Hippocratic Oath when they graduate. Nearly 100% of graduating students swear to
some rendition of the oath, mainly the modernized version. The oath is a binding document that states that
the doctor will do what is best for the patient. There is one part of the oath that makes it easier for any
doctor or physician to aid a patient in dying. I will apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures [that]
are required, avoiding those twin traps of overtreatment and therapeutic nihilism.

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I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy, and
understanding may outweigh the surgeon's knife or the chemist's drug (Tyson, Peter). These lines may
serve as reminders that rounds and rounds of chemotherapy or extensive surgery to prolong a patients life
are not always in the best interest of the patient. On occasion, a patient will feel that surgeries and having
their bodies being pumped with chemicals will do more harm than good, and in this case, they may feel
that assisted suicide is the best option. This oath may ease a doctors mind considering that it states that
they will do what is best for the patient. If assisted suicide is whats best, that is what will happen.
While the majority of the people in America are supporters, there are still quite a few who are
opposed. These people would argue that assisted suicide may put unnecessary pressure on the patients
when deciding to take the drug or not. The family members of these people may try and convince the
patient to take the drug for various reasons, one that most people would say comes to mind is inheritance.
Although family members can be very persuasive, the final decision is made by the patient. The doctor is
there to provide information about various methods to die, but the ultimate decision comes down to the
patient and what he or she feels is the right choice.
Another reason that a person may feel pressured to take the drug is because he or she or the
family is unable to pay the hospital bills, which would heavily influence ones decision. If the family does
enough research, they will find organizations, such as The Final Exit, who are willing to offer payment
for the drug if they are qualified. The cost for the drug can vary anywhere from $35 to $100. This is
significantly less than the average yearly cost of providing care for terminally ill patients, which can be
thousands of dollars every year (Would Financial Motivations Encourage).
An additional argument some may have is that sometimes people have miraculously recovered
from the aforementioned illnesses (Additional Arguments Against Euthanasia | American Life League).
For those who argue that people can get better, the likelihood of this happening is slim. In fact, in a study
done in Chicago, nearly 63% of the predicted time patients had left to live were overestimated. This

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happens more frequently with doctors who have been helping one patient for a long period of time due to
being more emotionally invested (Jain. Manoj).
If people do not feel like assisted suicide is an option for them, there are still plenty of other
options. One option is the refusal of treatment. If patients are uncomfortable taking a drug that kills them,
but doesnt want to live for much longer, but still wants to be able to say goodbye to their loved ones, the
refusal of treatment is a good option. This option is more natural, which makes people feel more
comfortable with dying. Another option is palliative care. The goal of this is for the patients and
families to accept dying as a normal process. It seeks to provide relief from pain and uncomfortable
symptoms while integrating psychological and spiritual features of patient care. Palliative care strives to
offer a support system to help patients live their remaining time as actively as they can and to help
families bereave and deal with the illness of a loved one (Nordqvist. Christian). Palliative care is a great
option for families who are struggling to accept the ultimate fate of their loved one. The final option is a
living will. This allows the patients to express their wishes while they are still able to as a precaution
before their health starts declining to the point where they wont be able to tell the doctors what they
would like to happen.
A nation where those who are on the brink of death are able to decide when, how, and where they
get to die is a nation that many people want to live in. As of today, only 10% of the states in the US have
legalized this when more than half the country is in support of assisted suicide. The Final Exit Network
has been behind these people for thirteen years, and they wont quit until all 50 states have legalized
assisted suicide. While there are various other methods that a person can choose, the choice of a quick and
painless death is one that should be available to those across the country. Many patients would find
comfort in knowing that they have control over a situation they had previously lost control over
unexpectedly. Control over when and where you get to die is a decision that everyone should have the
right to.

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Works cited
"Additional Arguments Against Euthanasia | American Life League." American Life League. American Life
League Inc. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.
Barone. Emily. "See Which States Allow Assisted Suicide." Time. Time. 3 Nov. 2014. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.
Briggs, Bill. "Most U.S. Doctors Now Support Aid in Dying: Survey - NBC News." NBC News. N.p., 16 Dec.
2014. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.
"Country Comparison." Country Comparison. Care. Web. 28 Mar. 2016
Dugan. Andrew. "In U.S.. Support Up for Doctor-Assisted Suicide." Gallup.com.
27 May 2015. Web. 27 Mar. 2016.
Fass, Jennifer, and Andrea, Fass. Medscape Log in. Medscape Log in. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2016
Jain. Manoj. "When Terminally Ill Patients Ask How Long They Have. Doctors Find It Hard to
Say."Washington Post. The Washington Post. 19 Dec. 2011. Web. 07 Apr. 2016.
"Mission." Mission. Web. 12 Mar. 2016.<http://www.finalexitnetwork.org/Mission.html>.
Nordqvist. Christian. Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide. Medical News Today. MediLexicon
International. 30 Oct. 2015. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.
"State-by-State Guide to Physician-Assisted Suicide - Euthanasia - ProCon.org." ProConorg
Headlines. 10 May 2015. Web. 31 Mar. 2016.
"The Hemlock Society I Compassion & Choices I Final Exit Network." The Hemlock Society I Compassion &
Choices I Final Exit Network. Web. 03 Apr. 2016.
Tyson, Peter. "The Hippocratic Oath Today." PBS. PBS, 27 Mar. 2001. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.
"Would Financial Motivations Encourage Insurance Companies. Health Care Providers. and Patients to Seek
Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide If Those Options Were Legally Available? - Euthanasia ProCon.org." ProConorg Headlines. Web. 07 Apr. 2016.