Should Assisted Suicide Be Legal? The Debate Between Autonomy and Societal Responsibility

In hospitals, homes, and private conversations, one difficult question keeps showing up: Should assisted suicide be legal? It’s not just a legal or medical topic; it’s something deeply personal. As medicine helps people live longer, some start wondering if they can also choose when it’s time to stop.

For a few, that decision feels like a basic right. For others, it's a line we shouldn’t cross. This debate isn’t easy, and there are no perfect answers. But maybe that’s exactly why we need to talk about it.

Should Assisted Suicide Be Legal?

Assisted suicide means when a person chooses to end their life but is helped by someone, usually a doctor, who gives them the medicine to do it. It is different from euthanasia because in euthanasia, the doctor provides the drug, but in assisted suicide, it is taken by the individual. Countries like Switzerland, Canada, and some U.S. states like Oregon and Washington have made it legal, but with many rules. The person must be in control of their mind, extremely ill, and must choose it on their own. A lot of people have asked: should assisted suicide be legal, because they believe it gives people peace and dignity when they are dying.

But others say this could be risky. What if someone feels forced to do it because they think they’re a burden? What if society starts seeing it as an easier option instead of offering better care and support? These are serious concerns.

Autonomy and the Right to a Dignified Death

People who support assisted suicide often say it’s about having control. When someone is sick and knows they won’t recover, they might feel like they’re losing everything: their freedom, privacy, or ability to do simple things. For them, making this final decision is a way to hold onto some dignity.

In Oregon, where assisted suicide is legal, most patients don’t talk about pain. Instead, they say:

1. They have lost their independence

2. Life doesn’t feel enjoyable anymore

3. They don’t want to live without dignity

To these individuals, it’s not about giving up, it’s about choosing how they go, before they lose everything that made life feel like theirs.

The Responsibility to Protect Life

However, there are a lot of hazards. Despite feeling like they have no other option, some people may not truly wish to die. For instance, someone who lacks funds, receives subpar treatment, or has no family support may believe that taking their own life is simpler than going through hardships alone.

People with mental illness or despair have requested and received assisted death in Belgium and the Netherlands. Since mental illness can occasionally be treated, this worries a lot of people. The law may be abused if it becomes overly lenient.

Therefore, we must consider ways to prevent people from choosing assisted suicide for the wrong reasons when we ask whether it should be permitted.

What Does India Say?

In India, assisted suicide is not legal. But in 2018, the Supreme Court allowed passive euthanasia, which means that doctors can stop life support in some cases if the person is brain-dead or dying, and if there is a legal will or family permission.

This decision was based on Article 21 of the Constitution, which talks about the right to life and was interpreted to also include the right to die with dignity. But even now, active euthanasia and assisted suicide are illegal in India.

One reason is that the majority of people in India still don’t get good health care or mental health support. If assisted suicide is made legal too soon, without these services, it can be dangerous.

Balancing Choice with Protection

So, how do we find a balance? Some say we can make assisted suicide legal, but with very strict rules. For example:

1. Only allow it for people with terminal illnesses

2. Make sure they go through psychological checks

3. Be sure they’re not being pressured

4 . Require second and third medical opinions

5. Provide full support with palliative and mental health care first

This way, it’s not an easy option, but one that’s available in truly extreme cases. It respects personal freedom while still protecting the vulnerable.

Conclusion

So, should assisted suicide be legal? It depends on how we look at it. Some people want the freedom to choose death when life becomes painful and hopeless. Others are scared it might be misused or push people to die even when they could be helped.

This is not a question with one simple answer. But we must talk about it, honestly and carefully. In the end, we should ask: Are we doing enough to help people live better before they feel like dying is the only way out?

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