In 1997, the Death and Dignity Act was implemented in the state of Oregon. This piece of legislation enables a competent adult who desires to end their life access to a lethal dose of medication. In order for a person to qualify for assisted suicide under this act, they must be 18 years of age or older, a resident of Oregon, able to verbalize and understand the consequences of their decision, have a prognosis of six months or less to live due to terminal illness, and convince a physician of their desire to end their life. .

             Although the Death with Dignity Act empowers individuals to control the timing of their death, physician assisted suicide still remains a controversial topic on today's society that raises many ethical questions. These questions include: who is the true owner of our lives? Should relieving suffering always be the highest priority or does suffering occur for a reason, or is suicide purely just an individual choice? The purpose of this paper is to describe the benefits and disadvantages of assisted suicide and to discuss the ethical reasoning and behind both of the opposing viewpoints.

             Throughout this, there are many arguments that support the prohibition of physician assisted suicide. One of the most obvious arguments is that health care providers are supposed to save lives-not take them. This principle of non-maleficence can be traced back in time to the Hippocrates, a Greek physician, who states this duty as "I will use treatment to help the sick according to my ability and judgment, but I will never use it to injure or wrong them. In other words, it can be interpreted as "do no harm. "In response, proponents for assisted suicide argue that it is well within the patient's right to decide whether he or she lives or dies. Emphasizing the importance of the principle of autonomy, they feel the quality of life is a very personal opinion. By preventing clients from taking their life, they feel healthcare providers are being paternalistic and imposing their views onto their patients.