Faye Girsh

In 1997 Oregon became the first state in the United States to legalize physician-assisted suicide. In the following viewpoint, Faye Girsh argues that other states should follow Oregon’s example and permit terminally ill patients to receive the assistance of a doctor in hastening their death. Fears that such legislation would create a “culture of death” are belied by Oregon’s experience and the safeguards contained in Oregon’s assisted suicide law, she contends. Legalizing assisted suicide would enable patients to take greater control over their own lives and to manage the circumstances of their dying. Girsh is executive director of the Hemlock Society, an organization that supports the legalization of physician-assisted suicide for the terminally ill.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What levels of public support exist for assisted suicide...