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Alicia Lovato
Collin Hull
English 2010
13 December 2016
The Right to Die
Should Euthanasia be a legal option for people with a terminal illness? This is really a
question of value, belief, and judgments. The legalization debate of euthanasia has
intensified these days. On the one hand, some argue that people with a terminal illness
have the right to use euthanasia to end their life if they choose. However, others believe
that euthanasia is a crime of murder. Still others contend that if euthanasia is legalized,
the criteria for the terminally ill may not be justification enough for them to end their own
life. Even so, these various perspectives show us that this issue is based on the value of a
human life, our beliefs and judgments.
In my experience with working with individuals who are forsaken to battle a
terminal illness without any medications that can slow down the process of its depilating
effects or altogether stop the terminal illness. It can be a miserable experience for the
family and friends to watch their loved one suffer knowing they will die from their
terminal illness. It can be an equally frustrating experience for the physicians, and medial
team involved in the care of the patient, because they have no answers as to how to cure
the terminally ill person. Therefore, not knowing how to cure the person inflicted with the
terminal illness, is more detrimental than, having the answers that will provide a cure.
Euthanasia is the practice of intentionally and directly ending the life of a person
who has a severe and incurable disease or medical condition.

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Euthanasia is the practice of intentionally and directly ending the life of a person who has a
severe and incurable disease or medical condition. Euthanasia most commonly occurs when a
person with a terminal (fatal) illness asks a doctor for a lethal injection. The practice is
sometimes called mercy killing. Euthanasia. Funk &Wagnalls New World Encyclopidia
(2016): 1p. 1. Funk &Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia. Web. 12 September 2016.

Fig. 1 A screen shot of a automatic medical pump that will initually deliever the letal dose of barbituests that
will end the terminlly ill persons life, within a matter of seconds. Therfore causing them a quick and painless
death.
Source: http://thedailyblog.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/EuthanasiaTouchscreenW_rdax_384x216.jpg. Nd Web; Dec. 6 2016.

In the acclaimed documentary How to die in Oregon. The Director Peter Richardson
gently examines all the lives that are touch with a terminally ill person and their dilemma of
death. I recommend anyone that has a terminal illness or anyone that just wants to better
understand what Oregons Death with Dignity Act is. Will ultimately benefit from watching this
film because it takes a real gentle approach on Oregons Death with Dignity Act. It answers any
questions and concerns anyone with a terminal illness or anyone who wants to know more about
the Act. By actually allowing the person with a terminal illness the choice to use euthanasia to

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end their life or continue living their life until the illness takes it. About all the safe guards that
must be meet in order for a terminally ill person must meet before they have a prescription for
the lethal dose of barbiturates that will ultimately take their life allowing them to have a good
death.
In fact one such Oregonian that choose to end her own life under the Death with dignity
Act. Is Cody Curtis a 54 year old who was a terminally ill with stomach cancer, who was
featured in the documentary film How to Die in Oregon Cody longtime resident of Portland,
Oregon. Was Raised in Idaho and attended the University of Idaho. Graduate of the Harvard
School of Business. Administrator at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge
and the Bio-Informatics Center, Portland. Her community interests included restoring her
historic home, gardening. While after fighting stomach cancer twice decides the best choice for
her is to take her own life and chooses when and how to end her life. Of course she has her
doctor, husband and son and daughter at her side as she says her heartfelt goodbyes before she
resumes to take her own life by the lethal dose of barbituests.

Fig. 2: A picture showing Cody Curtis immobile in a hospital bed after being told that her stomach cancer is back for
the second time.
Source: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1715802/mediaviewer/rm108758272., Web Nd; December 6, 2016

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I'd just as soon not die. But we're all going to die. Nobody knows what's going to
happen. Any of us could be hit by a bus tomorrow, but everyone hopes for something clean and
painless, so this is as close as I'm going to come. Cody Curtis.
To find out more about the Death with Dignity Act check out the Documentary How to
Die in Oregon and voice your own opinion as to if you agree or oppose with the act to legalize
euthanasia in Utah for the terminally ill. Giving Utahs terminally ill a choice in how they can
choose to end their debilitating pain and loss of autonomy. After all would you want the right to
choose how and when you are allowed to leave this world if you are ever diagnosed with a
terminal illness and only given six months or less to live?

Want to legalize euthanasia in Utah or opposes it? Voice your opinion today

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Created: December 6, 2016

By: Alicia Lovato
Last Modified: December 6, 2016 @ 10:42 pm
Filed Under: Most Recent Blogs, the Right to Die, Alicia Lovato

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Works Cited
How to Die in Oregon a documentary Directed, produced and photographed by Peter P
Richards. Richards, Peter. 2012. HBO Documentary Films.
Euthanasia. Funk &Wagnalls New World Encyclopidia (2016): 1p. 1. Funk &Wagnalls New
World Encyclopedia. Web. 12 September 2016.

Images Cited
Image #1 Richards, Ricard Peter. The Daily Blog. June 2013. Euthanasia, Retrieved from Web 6
December 2016.http://thedailyblog.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/EuthanasiaTouchscreenW_rdax_384x216.jpg
the most historically significant documentaries of this still-young decade.

Image #Photo of Cody Curtis, Hospital Room, Oregon. Personal photograph by author; June
2013. Date accessed 12/06/2016.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1715802/mediaviewer/rm108758272