Assisted Suicide

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Assisted suicide is the common term for actions by which an individual helps another person voluntarily bring about their own death. "Assistance" may mean providing one with the means (drugs or equipment) to end their own lives, but may extend to other actions. The current waves of global public debate have been ongoing for decades, centering on legal, religious, and moral conceptions of "suicide" and a personal "right to death". Legally speaking, the practice may be legal, illegal, or undecided depending on the culture or jurisdiction. The moral code against assisted suicide is stated as early as Hippocrates and included in the Hippocratic Oath traditionally taken by medical doctors.

I think the most famous to have taken a stand in this situation was Dr. Jack Kevorkian (also known as Dr. Death).

wikipedia:

Kevorkian started advertising in Detroit newspapers in 1987 as a physician consultant for "death counseling". His first public assisted suicide was in 1990, of Janet Adkins, a 54-year-old woman diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 1989. He was charged with murder, but charges were dropped on December 13, 1990 as there were, at that time, no laws in Michigan regarding assisted suicide.[15] However, in 1991 the State of Michigan revoked Kevorkian's medical license and made it clear that given his actions, he was no longer permitted to practice medicine or to work with patients.[16] Between 1990 and 1998, Kevorkian assisted in the deaths of 130 terminally ill people, according to his lawyer Geoffrey Fieger. In each of these cases, the individuals themselves allegedly took the final action which resulted in their own deaths. Kevorkian allegedly assisted only by attaching the individual to a euthanasia device that he had made. The individual then pushed a button which released the drugs or chemicals that would end his or her own life. Two deaths were assisted by means of a device which delivered the euthanizing drugs mechanically through an I.V. Kevorkian called it a "Thanatron" (death machine).[17] Other people were assisted by a device which employed a gas mask fed by a canister of carbon monoxide which was called "Mercitron" (mercy machine).[18]

He fought for legalising this procedure, claiming, if i recall correctly, that it is a doctor's role to end the suffering of patients. He won several trials, but he was eventually sent to prison for 8 years for 2nd degree murder.

Personally, at the beginning I didn't think this procedure was exactly necessary, however after looking deeper into this problem and specifically into Jack Kevorkian's actions, I have ended up strongly supporting this action.
There are people out there suffering from horrible disease, perhaps in a terminal stage, perhaps a lifelong struggle. They can't live their lives normally any more and they can't enjoy anything, so staying alive is a struggle. These sick people are unable to take their own lives, therefore they need the assistance of a doctor/medic to help them make a painless and supervised transition. Moreover, their state and their situation is first investigated by the doctor to determine the nature of their illness, if they suffer from depression or anything that might interfere with the objectivity of their decision.
Just as it has been stated, it is a person's decision and perhaps an existential right for someone to be able to end their life, therefore maybe the state shouldn't involve in somebody's private, personal life decisions as long as they do not affect anyone else.

I'm not sure in which countries these actions are legal or not prohibited.

What is your opinion on this matter?
Discuss.

I've always supported this. My mother and I were talking about it just the other day. I see no reason as to why a person shouldn't have the right to die as much as the right to live? If I was sick with cancer and after so many tries couldn't beat it, I don't want to be kept alive and suffering and in pain waiting for death to come to me, I would want to die then and there, at that point it would be one of the fex things that I could control. And I'm not being kept alive for the sake of my family. They should support me in it if I am in pain and whatnot.

It's a decision someone makes, not forced murder or something.
I don't see why anyone would frown apon this.

If you think it's wrong to help someone who is sick die, like they want to, then I think you're selfish.
Helping them go is helping them stop the suffering, and for someone to be strong and kind enough to help these people, power to them.

Having wrote many essays on this at school, I've come to a rather weird stance on euthanasia. Personally I believe that it should only be allowed if the person is struggling to live and going through immense pain, i.e. if they're dying within the next week or so and it's bloody painful during the process. If someone is 30 and has AIDS, they're not in danger of dying and euthanasia is as bad as murder, when this person is still more than capable of living a normal life, at least for some time.

After all killing someone is still a horrible thing to do, whether they want it or not.

True. I understand and support it if it's done to end or prevent unnecessary suffering. As for regular suicide, no law can stop a person from taking their life if they mean to do so and they will, but what can diminish the amount of suicides is educating people in the sense that sometimes suicide is seen as an escape route when it isn't and one can not come back from it.

As for assisted suicide, like I said and as was said above, it is okay when it ends or prevents unnecessary suffering. Since it's your own life you should be in complete control of it and no one else but you. The country should support free will in that sense and help those in need although, if it were legal (assisted suicide) one should keep a close eye on doctors so no one abuses this new "right" (read: no angels of death, please).

For instance, your parents can not get by on their own, have Alzheimer's or whatever else that is making life uncomfortable for them and you. If they choose to leave this world then they are making this decision for themselves since their condition might be irreversable and for you because they understand the position they've put you in. It would be incredibly selfish to deny a grown person, an adult and one with a long life behind them, the freedom to leave this world when they feel like it's time.

Although, now that I think of it.. in some places it is allowed for people to be executed for their crimes.. how can this be allowed when euthanasia is frowned upon?