Many students are too busy worrying about this week's midterms to worry about dying. Unfortunately, the reality of life is that death is inevitable. However, death is sometimes a choice. The debate surrounding euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide is something most students don't ponder daily. In active euthanasia, a person is given something that will bring about death.
Passive euthanasia occurs when medical treatment is withheld per a patient's request.
Physician-assisted suicide is a practice in which a medical practitioner makes available the means whereby a patient can kill themselves. Physician-assisted suicide is only legal in Oregon under a statute called the Death with Dignity Act. It does have restrictions including patient competence, the condition of the patient and the number of requests by the patient to end his or her life. According to Miriam Piven Cotler, chair of the Health Sciences department and a bioethics consultant, the stance held by professionals in the medical field is as varied as it is in the general population. Legalization is characterized by the situation in Oregon while decriminalization would remove felony charges that could be placed on doctors who help patients die.