Murder is possibly the worst offense one can be convicted with, and to many, appears to be a black and white issue. However, physician-assisted suicide has generated much debate in recent years as to whether “mercy killing” is really murder, or an act of kindness.

The Supreme Court ruled in 1997 that state governments have the right to outlaw doctor-assisted suicide.

Michigan was one of the states that outlawed physician-assisted suicide, but that didn’t stop Jack Kevorkian.

In 1990, Kevorkian constructed a machine he called the “Thanatron” (death machine) that delivered euthanizing drugs to its patients.

One year after Michigan outlawed doctor-assisted suicide, Kevorkian was charged with first degree murder for the death of the man named Thomas Youk.

Because of this Kevorkian was sent to 10 to 25 years in prison for second degree murder. He had successfully assisted to over 45 patients to committing suicide.

Now many would say that what Kevorkian is doing is wrong, that you shouldn’t try and help people kill themselves, but try and talk them out of it or try and get medicine to help stop the pain. Yet, what if that pain doesn’t go away?

People who are terminally ill or in a great deal of agony with little to no hope of reversing this effect should have the right to ask a doctor to help them end their lives. We are human beings so we should have the right to do what we want with our bodies.

Now I don’t mean that a teenager with depression problems should have the right to go up to a doctor and request assistance for a suicide. A person who is basically a vegetable and is on his/her death bed should have the right ask the doctor to go ahead and “pull the plug.”