Euthanasia and assisted suicide There have been many debates on euthanasia and assisted suicide, with no agreement in sight. Currently, Oregon is the only state in the United States that allows euthanasia and assisted suicide. Like all questions involving the projection of personal beliefs onto the fate of an entire population, it is a question that may never be resolved. Euthanasia and assisted suicide are methods that people can use to end their lives either on their own with lethal prescriptions from doctors or under the supervision of a doctor. from a doctor or assistant with a variety of methods, lethal injection and “disconnecting” life support being the most common. An assisted suicide would only be granted to a person "who is terminally ill and who feels that their life is not worth living due to insurmountable pain and/or loss of dignity and/ or loss of capacity and who repeatedly and actively asks for help to commit an act. suicide and who is of sound mind and not suffering from depression." [Robinson] Conservative religious groups, as well as some medical associations and disability groups are the most common protesters against assisted suicide. Many fundamentalist religions believe that it violates the natural desire to live, that it harms others and, ultimately, that life is a gift from God and should only be taken by God [Robinson] Some disability groups fear suicide. assisted living may lead to more cases of people being killed against their will in order to meet society's desire for a population without disabilities. Medical associations often disagree because their goals are often to prolong life as long as possible. The...... middle of paper ......g. To eliminate this option altogether is to eliminate a personal human right. As with most ethical disputes, the debate over legal euthanasia is a personal one. There is a strong desire within government and religion to decide the fate of one's people based on their individual position. It seems that personal choice is the only solution to the euthanasia debate. Those who oppose assisted suicide would not choose to have one and would respect the choice of others to live or end their lives as they wish. Assisted dying is not something to be taken lightly or used often. Strict laws to govern use are necessary. In conclusion, a quote from Derek Humphrey, an advocate of euthanasia, describes the conditions necessary for euthanasia. He said: “Euthanasia should always be voluntary, justified, legal and rare. » [Gray]