It's Time for Voluntary Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide

America Needs Voluntary Euthanasia

There are at least two forms of suicide. One is 'emotional suicide',

or irrational self-murder in all of it complexities and sadness. Let me

emphasis at once that my view of this tragic form of self-destruction is

the same as that of the suicide intervention movement and the rest of

society, which is to prevent it wherever possible. I do not support any

form of suicide for mental health or emotional reasons.

But I do say that there is a second form of suicide -- justifiable

suicide, that is, rational and planned self-deliverance from a painful and

hopeless disease which will shortly end in death. I don't think the word

'suicide' sits well in this context but we are stuck with it. Many have

tried to popularize the term 'self-deliverance' but it is an uphill battle

because the news media is in love with the words 'assisted suicide'. Also,

we have to face the fact that the law calls all forms of self-destruction

'suicide.'

Let me point out here for those who might not know it that suicide is

no longer a crime anywhere in the English-speaking world. (It used to be,

and was punishable by giving all the dead person's money and goods to the

government.) Attempted suicide is no longer a crime, although under health

laws a person can in most states be forcibly placed in a psychiatric

hospital for three days for evaluation.

But giving assistance in suicide remains a crime, except in the

Netherlands in recent times under certain conditions, and it has never been

a crime in Switzerland, Germany, Norway and Uruguay. The rest of the world

punishes assistance in suicide for both the mentally ill and the terminally

ill, although the state of Oregon recently (Nov. l994) passed by ballot

Measure 16 a limited physician-assisted suicide law. At present (Feb. l995)

this is held up in the law courts.

Even if a hopelessly ill person is requesting assistance in dying for

the most compassionate reasons, and the helper is acting from the most

noble of motives, it remains a crime in the Anglo-American world.

Punishments range from fines to fourteen years in prison. It is this catch-

all prohibition which I and others wish to change.