The legislation, passed by a vote of 28-7, seeks to make assisted suicide a specifically defined crime. Currently, a person helping another person to die may face prosecution under murder laws. But because of the current law's ambiguity, prosecutors have been unable to get a conviction in an assisted suicide case. Clearly, the Senate would like to change the current situation to make prosecuting these cases more feasible.
The House brings a different perspective to the bill, and to the handling of the issue. If a major House Judiciary Committee revision passes the legislature, the assisted suicide bill will become a 1998 ballot proposal. Though this plan puts more choice into the hands of Michigan residents, it still fails to effectively address the topic.
The problem lies in the fact that there are so many diverse opinions regarding assisted suicide. People's morals differ in respect to whether or not suicide is a proper course of action when death looms on the horizon. Furthermore, many different cultural views of suicide come into play. Quite simply, no legislation could possibly address the issue to the majority of the citizenry's satisfaction.
The medical establishment offers the best hope for an acceptable resolution to this conflict. After all, doctors play a vital role in the lives of most individuals, especially in their later years. If a suffering person makes up his or her mind to die, a doctor wishing to help make this death as peaceful as possible should have the opportunity to do so without prosecution.
Ideally, members of the nation's medical community would find ways to train doctors in dealing with patients considering suicide, and preparing these patients for their death. Doctors must evaluate each assisted suicide case carefully; there is a very real threat of cases where patients feel pressured to die or are not in the proper mental state to make such decisions. Also, doctors should make patients aware of all their options; for example, people may be unaware of pain-relieving treatments or hospices. Finally, patients should have access to counseling, as should their families. The family left behind feels the pain of a loved one's death long after he or she passes. They also require preparation to ease this traumatic time.
The medical profession, renowned for its concern with ethics, exists to help people in their most painful hours. People will continue to kill themselves to avoid unbearable pain, and doctors will continue to help them from the shadows if legislation like this bill becomes law. The issue simply is too complex for government regulation. An individual, guided by his or her religious, cultural and moral beliefs, along with the input of family and doctors, must ultimately decide what is right.