If you mean assisted suicide by terminally ill patients via the Death With Dignity Laws, then yes, I completely support it.

Death With Dignity Laws can save individuals and families years of grief and pain, and I support them and vote for them whenever they are on the ballot. Consequently, by doing so, I helped my state to pass such a law.

I'm torn on the issue of euthanasia--- It's a hard subject- and i refuse to make a generilisation.

But suicide, as in "I have a horrible life and i need someone to help me end it?" I'm completely against it.

@Pandawinx:

As defined by dictionary.com:

"assisted suicide: The suicide of a patient suffering from an incurable disease, effected by the taking of lethal drugs provided by a doctor for this purpose."

Many advocates of euthanasia prefer the term "assisted suicide" to avoid the euphemism and confusion that comes with it, as euthanasia is also the term used to put animals to sleep.

While it can also mean what you suggested - non-medical related assisted suicide, I chose to interpret this as another euthanasia question, considering the asker never defined her terms so we have to define it for ourselves.

I don't see assisted suicide and "personal" suicide as the same thing at all. Assisted suicide is a decision that you come to with the assistance of a doctor and, in many cases, friends and family. "Personal" suicide (I really don't know what else to call it) is most often a reactionary decision brought upon by depression or some other form of mental illness.

As far as assisted suicide goes, a person should be able to make the decision to end their life due to extreme pain or illness. A person should have the right to make that choice, and they should also have the right to go "with dignity" - ie, with the assistance of a doctor.

(I am also assuming, like Cinders, that this question is specifically talking about medically-assisted suicide, via the Death with Dignity laws.)

If you're living with heavy physical pain and health complications that is making your life completely miserable and hellish I think you have the right to end it.

generally

Until indemnity is provided to those participating in humane euthanasia and physician assisted suicides, my answer is NO. I'd want this to be a nation-wide, constitutionally sanctioned option before approving of this...er..."medical practice."

Until then, a lot of physicians are going to be targets of malpractice claims. So again, on a legal standpoint, I'd have to say no.

^^ Except there haven't been malpractice suits because of the Death with Dignity Laws in Oregon and Washington, as it's backed up by a surprisingly large majority of the population and requires multiple steps to actually perform which safeguards against pretty much any legal ramification.

^^You're absolutely right. There hasn't been any malpractice suits against assisted-suicide physicians in recent memory and only 34 states currently criminalize euthanasia. Also, with advance directives, terminally ill (and in one instance, a mentally ill) patients have the right to decide how they'd like to die.

Alright, tell you what, I'll mull it over.

I am definitely for this.
If I was ever in a person's situation where I am in extreme pain and/or suffering, I wouldn't want someone to tell me "No, we cannot help you kill yourself, even though you're suffering to the maximum degree..."
It would make things so much worse...I don't want anyone to die painfully, and someone forcing me to die painfully would make it even more painful.

I dunno, I'd always worry that someone would get charged with murder.

I wouldn't the person I am assisting would have to ask someone else probably.

^Unless you are studying to be a doctor, you don't ever have to be in this position.

I am a huge supporter of having a choice in when to end your life.

^i am studying to be a doctor

I think that it should be totally up to the person so long as they are in a stable frame of mind. Like if I got diagnosed with a terminal illness and I knew that there was a very slim chance of survival I'd want euthanasia. I'd live my life for a while longer but when I find myself bed bound and in constant pain because of my illness that's when I'd want to go. Because really, is life reduced to bed, painkillers, and constant illness related agony really living? At that point you're practically dead already so you might as well put an end to your pain since you're only going to prolong suffering. Terminal illness is just a long way to die. I believe that it is a person's right to decide when they are ready to go; especially if they are incurably ill.

I mean we offer this to animals. Like my dog (gonna get a little graphic here so if you don't like this kind of thing, here's your chance to stop reading) had several tumors that kept coming back. She started getting super thin because she stopped eating. She couldn't get up to go to the bathroom and her personality changed so drastically because of it. She was suffering and there was literally nothing we could do to help. We didn't want to watch her keep going to the bathroom on herself and whimpering so we took her to the vet and she got euthanasia. If we don't want to let animals suffer like that, why would we force a human to do so?

Also consider this; it very well could happen with or without assistance. If someone with an illness is in that much pain and wants to go, there are so many ways to accomplish that without medical help. It's like anti-abortion laws, the only thing that you're doing is making it less humane and more brutal. At least with euthanasia, it is more controlled and clean so to speak.

I watched this documentary in a lifespan class once called, How To Die In Oregon. It was pretty interesting and covered euthanasia.