Argumentative Essay: Legalizing Assisted Suicide

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Rick Reece 4/9/12 Legalize Assisted Suicide The year is 1987 and Dr. Kevorkian started advertisements in Detroit newspapers, which he was advertising himself as a physician consultant for “death consulting.” Dr. Kevorkian’s first public assisted suicide was in 1990, of Janet Adkins, who was 54-years-old and was diagnosed Alzheimer’s disease in 1989. Kevorkian was charged with murder, but the charges were dropped because there weren’t laws regarding assisted suicide in Detroit at the time. Kevorkian then lost his medical license do to the controversy. Between 1990 and 1998, Dr. Kevorkian helped end 130 terminally ill patient’s lives. Kevorkian allegedly only assisted in the patients’ deaths by attaching a device to them, in which the patients would press a button to finally end their life painlessly and on their own terms. Is this right? On March 26, 1999 Kevorkian was charged with second-degree murder and the delivery of a controlled substance, since he lost his medical license. Kevorkian went to his trial and disband his attorneys. After a two day trial the Michigan jury found Kevorkian guilty to second-degree murder and was charged with 10 to 25 years in prison. Kevorkian was later released from prison and died June, 3 2011 at the age of 83. Should we allow people to end their lives and “die with dignity?” I believe that the United States should legalize assisted…show more content…
"Assisted Suicide Is Controversial for Doctors." Village Life Company: Multimedia Information Since 1996. Villagelife.org, 1998. Web. 9 Apr. 2012. "Jack Kevorkian." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 27 Nov. 2011. Web. 9 Apr. 2012. Jenkins, Austin. "One Doctor's Dilemma, As Assisted Suicide Law Takes Effect · OPB News." News for Oregon and Southwest Washington · OPB News. Oregon Public Broadcasting, 04 Mar. 2009. Web. 9 Apr. 2012. Worsnop, Richard L. "The CQ Researcher Online." CQ Press Electronic Library. SAGE Publications, 21 Feb. 1992. Web. 9 Apr.

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