Read on the Google Doc:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eZsMQXI87cCsveo3QapPI_jHuK4hZWuHDOazKG3V8-I/edit?usp=sharing

Maxfield Chan, Erika Talero, Kaden Kwon

OR

English 137H

November – December 2023

Duties

Max: Main Scribe, maybe narrate, develop script, 

Erika: Park Ranger, supplementary scribe, develop script

Kaden: Goalkeeper,  supplementary scribe, develop script

Unassigned role: Video editor 

Timeline

Unfortunately due to a last minute topic change, we are running behind

• ASAP: Assign more concrete focuses for each member
• Nov 28: complete research, generate a library of images and clips
• Nov 30: Finish Script
• Dec 1-2: Recording done, begin editing
• Dec 3: Rough draft submitted, prioritize arguments pro/against and history, transitions may have to be messy for rough draft given time
• Dec 6: Final Draft, have each member review and/or express concerns
• Dec 8: Submit final draft

 

Day One + Two Topic Brainstorming

Max was sick day one, so some independent brainstorming; here’s a summary:

• History of the US-Mexico border and the transition from migrants crossing through cities to enduring harsh desert crossings.
• Book Banning – LGBTQ+ / Critical Race Theory
• Auto manufacturers lobby for the interstate system and its effects on public transportation
• Decline of U.S. based manufacturing examining the policies and environment in the 1970s and 80s.
• Mistreatment of indigenous peoples in the U.S.
• Human Trafficking
  • Sof
• Childhood Obesity
  • Bogalusa study
• Capital Punishment and Death Penalty
• Electoral College and Voting Infrastructure 
• Minimum wage and tipping

 

Day Two

On day two, we gathered our ideas and deliberated which one to pick.  Our top choices were childhood obesity, immigration, and human trafficking, where we ended up picking the rise in childhood obesity, specifically weight loss camps.  (Switched to immigration, specifically the “prevention through deterrence” policy, see below)

 

Day 3 (This is included just for record keeping purposes, but can be disregarded)

Firstly, we received guidance from Prof. Taheri to remember to include potential solutions to the problem, as those are the more controversial problems.

 

Then, we did research on each of our selected areas:

Max:

Dumitrescu, Claudia, et al. “Examining Consumers’ Responses to Corporate Social 

Responsibility Addressing Childhood Obesity: The Mediating Role of Attributional Judgments.” Journal of Business Research, vol. 88, Elsevier BV, July 2018, pp. 132–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.03.006. 

• Use this source to introduce corporate social responsibility
• Maybe start with the example of Jack in the Box removing toys from meals and providing the option of apples instead of french fries

Rhodan, Maya. “Burger King Quietly Drops Sugary Soft Drinks From Kids’ Menu.” Time, 10 

Mar. 2015, time.com/3738659/burger-king-soda-kids-menu.

• Burger King joins other restaurant chains in dropping soda from their kids menu (2015)

 

Reynolds, Sharon. “Highly Processed Foods Form Bulk of U.S. Youths’ Diets.” National 

Institutes of Health (NIH), 24 Aug. 2021, www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/highly-processed-foods-form-bulk-us-youths-diets.

• “Overall, the proportion of calories in youths’ diets that came from ultra-processed foods rose between 1999 to 2018, from about 61% to 67%. The proportion from whole, unprocessed foods dropped from almost 29% to 23.5% during the same time period.”
• “The biggest jump in ultra-processed food consumption came from ready-to-heat and -eat dishes, which accounted for about 11% of daily calories in 2018, compared with 2% in 1999. The percentage of calories that came from sweets and sweet snacks also rose during the time period studied, from about 10% to almost 13%.”

 

Maybe talk about sugar taxes as a controversial way to curb rates

 

Moss, Michael. “The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food.” The New York Times 

Magazine, The New York Times Company, 20 Feb. 2013, www.nytimes.com/2013/02/24/magazine/the-extraordinary-science-of-junk-food.html. 

• TOP SOURCE!!!!
• Mudd, vice president for Kraft at a convention for food companies repeated a quote, “As a culture, we’ve become upset by the tobacco companies advertising to children, but we sit idly by while the food companies do the very same thing. And we could make a claim that the toll taken on the public health by a poor diet rivals that taken by tobacco.”
• Sanger, CEO of General Mills responded, “Don’t talk to me about nutrition,” he reportedly said, taking on the voice of the typical consumer. “Talk to me about taste, and if this stuff tastes better, don’t run around trying to sell stuff that doesn’t taste good.”
• The Story of Lunchables: A balance between production cost and consumer liking:
  • Solving the problem of mothers not having enough time to make food for their children 
  • Created a plate with processed meats, crackers, suspect cheeses…
  • Weren’t making enough money, so “When in doubt, add sugar. “Lunchables With Dessert is a logical extension,” an Oscar Mayer official reported to Philip Morris executives in early 1991.”
  • “‘People could point to these things and say, ‘They’ve got too much sugar, they’ve got too much salt,’ ” Bible said. “Well, that’s what the consumer wants, and we’re not putting a gun to their head to eat it. That’s what they want. If we give them less, they’ll buy less, and the competitor will get our market. So you’re sort of trapped.” (Bible would later press Kraft to reconsider its reliance on salt, sugar and fat.)”

 

Day 3: Unfortunately due to lack of clarity and size of conflict regarding weight loss camps after beginning research, we have decided to switch topics to immigration along the U.S. Mexico border, narrowing down on the concept of “prevention through deterrence,” and its horrific effects on those attempting to cross the Sonoran desert balanced with the concerns of Americans on border security.

 

Immigration is a big topic in any developed country, as a stable society necessitates a balance between resources and a population for them to be spread across.  This creates cases where those seeking immigration are turned away, leaving them in a situation lacking security, money, and a clear future.  Sometimes, this leads to illegal border crossings, especially concerning the US-Mexico border.  However, the US-Mexico Border has changed significantly since the late eighties to now, with benefits and drawbacks for both migrants and U.S. citizens.  As the history of the controversy outlines in more detail below, the US government has shifted approaches from a relatively relaxed border to one that, although not heavily monitored, forces migrants through unimaginable conditions through the Sonoran desert, but may technically have lowered illegal immigration figures because of death in the desert.  The controversy around this approach, dubbed “prevention through deterrence,” has two sides where some see illegal immigration as harmful to the country, and that the measures taken, although scary, are acceptable, while others note the deaths of desperate and underprivileged people, and believe their humanity should be placed above border concerns.

Focusing on the project more specifically, we plan to answer the following questions concerning the rise of the topic and different groups’ responses.  

1. What is the role of immigration, especially in a country as diverse as the United States?
2. How has policy affected the number of deaths resulting from illegal immigration attempts?
3. How should we prioritize the distresses of local communities on the U.S side of the border?
   1. Provide an example of a person who expresses these concerns
4. How should we prioritize the distresses of migrants, not only in their home countries, but the potentially illegal journey to the U.S? Should we concern ourselves with the safety of migrants?
   1. Provide an example of a person who knows the concerns of immigrants 
5. Examine the events following the implementation of policy, like the formation of smuggling groups.  Should we continue to use prevention through deterrence and potentially create an “arms-race” with these groups, or do we allow migration more liberally, either legally or illegally? 

 

Here’s a history of the controversy we’re trying to illustrate: 

• Illegal immigration prior to prevention through deterrence generally consisted of groups of migrants attempting to outrun border patrol agents near cities.  If one didn’t make it through or got caught, they would be “sent back”. 
  • However, nothing stopped them from just trying again. 
  • Border patrol was overwhelmed, once attempts were exceeding 10,000 per day

 

• In an attempt to combat this, some border patrol agents infringed on the rights of American citizens and harassed school children by asking for proof of citizenship/immigration status based on the color of their skin.
  • A lawsuit against this practice was successful, so a different strategy was adopted

 

• Operation Blockade, in 1993 consisted of a ton of border patrol agents led by Reyes, forming a human wall where fence hopping was popular, which led to outcry from human rights groups, but was supported by Americans living along the border. 
  • (We could focus a bit on opinions here, some of which want to stop illegal immigration, while others see the humanitarian problems arising from preventing immigrants from working.)
  • This could be the earliest version of prevention through deterrence in our project.

 

• Upon seeing the support, Attn Gen. Janet Reno allowed the blockade to continue, despite skepticism at first. 
  • In 1994, Operation Gatekeeper cemented this practice (probably our main focus)

 

• As a result of these blockades around relatively geographically safe regions, many were pushed into the Sonoran Desert, leading to hundreds of migrant deaths per year.  This number is probably an underestimate, since it was discovered through experimentation that bodies decay rapidly in the conditions of the desert, often due to vultures.
• Another unintended consequence of this was the formation of the human smuggling sector across the border, which often strips migrants of everything they own and sometimes results in successful passage, while sometimes it leads to death.  
• The main controversy of this is the balance of border security and immigrant humanity.  In fact, the way that the US government could detect the effectiveness of prevention through deterrence was how many deaths were present.
• How Deterrence Policies Create Border Chaos – The Atlantic
• How U.S. Policy Turned the Sonoran Desert Into a Graveyard for Migrants – The New York Times (nytimes.com)

 

Media Usage:

• We plan to use a variety of images, but will also include video snippets of immigration, other new coverage, and video editing techniques to highlight certain aspects of images/headlines.  
• Undoubtedly, there will be some stock photo usage, mostly from unsplash
• We hope to match the photos with the emotion that each side of the argument feels by picking/adjusting color and brightness, as well as the duration of playtime.
• Depending on the time available, simple self-created graphics or diagrams will be included to illustrate overviews of concerns and any data points included. 
• Humanity and treatment of those in unfortunate situations is a big highlight of our controversy.  If we can source these, we would like to include close up images of thought evoking, yet tasteful images.

 

Topic: Value of Life and Right-to-Die

Purpose: To compare and contrast the defining principles of life based on classical and modern thoughts, and when the benefits of life seem insignificant during end-of-life.

Thesis: Modern society embraces a meaning of life that emphasizes quality of life and enjoyment, rather than the biological processes as reflected by greater patient autonomy, diminished religious influence, and technological advances.

Introduction: (20s-30s)

• List off the rights of proud, liberated, and independent Americans in your mind. Maybe free speech, the right to assemble, bear arms, Miranda rights, or it could be an overlooked one, like the right to education.  But did the right-to-die appear on your list?  Should it be on this list, especially for people facing a terminal illness.
• If you find the right-to-die as fitting, you are in the majority of the American public as according to a Pew Research Study, but not with the legal opinion. For the last two decades, around 7 out of 10 Americans approve of this right in the case of a terminal illness, yet only 10 states and D.C. fulfill this right.
• (Why does this matter): Not only does this practice relieve certain patients’ burdens, but it also comments on the way we value living.

Body:

1.    Main Idea 1 (30s – minute)

• Some brief definitions:
  • Assisted Suicide & Euthanasia
• Consider the public opinion during the 1960s à 70s
  • Approval ratings of euthanasia
  • Jean Humphry Case

2.    Main Idea II (Longest) (1:30 min – 2:30 min)

• Driving Forces
  • SUPPORT Paper
    • Patient Autonomy is the solution!
  • Religious Views
• Let’s Talk 1990s
  • The rates at which people accepted euthanasia increased.
  • Biggest drop in Christian popularity (pew)
  • Planned Parenthood v. Casey (?)

3.    Main Idea III (~1:30)

• What does the euthanasia scene look like today?
  • Celebration of lives
    • Poppin the Dom!
  • Sarco pod
• Concerns:
  • Suicide Contagion
  • Role of Doctors
    • Hippocratic Oath
  • What is dignity and dying?

Conclusion:

• Comment on how personal this topic can be.
• Restate current trend in the United States.
• Remind audience to, especially in November!, value what they have and what they don’t!

Slides:

Intro

1. Images representing rights that people could have thought of
2. Slide representing right to die
3. Pew Research Study graph

Body 1:

4. Difference between Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide – Basic Venn Diagram w/ pictures
5. Pew Research Graph
6. Picture of the Humphrys

Body II:

7. Support paper Headline
8. Religion stock photo?
9. Pew Research Graph
10. Christianity rate graph/plot (Pew)

Body III:

11. The Dom & Louis Theroux screenshot
12. Sarcopod & Headline
13. Something Spreading
14. Doctors

References:

“Assisted suicide” Legal Information Institute. Cornell Law School,

https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/assisted_suicide. Accessed 19 October 2023.

“Euthanasia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/euthanasia. Accessed 22 Oct. 2023.

Grove, G., Lovell, M. & Best, M. Perspectives of Major World Religions regarding Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide: A Comparative Analysis. J Relig Health 61, 4758–4782 (2022). https://doi-org.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/10.1007/s10943-022-01498-5

Hauser, Christine. “A 3-D Printed Pod Inflames the Assisted Suicide Debate.” The New York Times, Dec. 2021, www.nytimes.com/2021/12/16/world/europe/suicide-pods-switzerland.html.

“In U.S., Decline of Christianity Continues at Rapid Pace.” Pew Research Center, 7 Oct. 2019, www.pewresearch.org/religion/2019/10/17/in-u-s-decline-of-christianity-continues-at-rapid-pace.

Paul, VI. “Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern Word-Gaudium Et Spes.” Vatican Archive, 7 Dec. 1965, www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_cons_19651207_gaudium-et-spes_en.html.

Sinnett, E. R., Rodney K. Goodyear, and Valarie Hannemann. “Voluntary Euthanasia and theRight to Die: A Dialogue with Derek Humphry.” Journal of Counseling and Development : JCD, vol. 67, no. 10, 1989, pp. 568. ProQuest, doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6676.1989.tb01331.x.

Wood, Jade, and Justin McCarthy. “Majority of Americans Remain Supportive of Euthanasia.” Gallup, Gallup, Inc, 12 June 2017, news.gallup.com/poll/211928/majority-americans-remain-supportive-euthanasia.aspx.

 

 

• What was the most helpful feedback you received in the peer review workshops?

Receiving feedback you know is coming but refuse to self-acknowledge pushes writers to face the problems they despise.  In my case, excess summary with minimal analysis plagued the first half of my paper, which I knew writers frowned upon, but I found the stories I summarized fascinating, so I wrote on and on.  Remembering that an audience’s interests do not perfectly align with yours is tricky; although details can absorb a writer, they can fatigue readers and obscure messages.

• What were the most interesting discoveries you made as you researched your topic?

One of the most stimulating studies incorporated in my research pointed out the word selection in surveys for comparable questions yield stark differences.  In the case of my topic, assisted suicide and euthanasia, framing the question to include “suicide” disturbed the participants, who viewed assisted suicide less favorably.  Conversely, phrasing the question as a doctor ending someone’s life by “some painless means,” yielded higher approval ratings.  However, only assisted suicide, where a doctor gives the means, but does not directly cause the death of the patient, is legal in some states whereas euthanasia, where a doctor directly ends the patient’s life, is not legal anywhere in the United States.

• What is the significance of the paradigm shift you explored? In other words, what do you feel is most important point for your reader to take away from your paper?

I hope as readers take in my paper, they appreciate their life in the moment, but also reflect on what living means with respect to pain and purpose.  As explored in the second half of my paper, views of assisted suicide and euthanasia draw on personal values and experiences.  If readers compare their view on the value of creating and ending life with that of the 20^th century and before, I am satisfied.

• How has this project helped you develop as a writer?

Writing my essay on assisted suicide and euthanasia developed my skills in audience awareness, concise writing, and phrasing for sensitive topics.  When writing my paper, I tried my best to think of how my paper reads for someone who lacks background information in the topic; I tried to avoid complicating and distracting terms to enhance readability.  Furthermore, I focused on linking verbs and weak verb usage to clarify my intentions.  Finally, discussing alarming and sensitive topics demands attention to cultural insensitivity, something I scrutinized my sentences for.

Introduction:

• Hook: Everyone hopes for a peaceful end of life—but suffering through painful final moments proves inescapable for some, pushing them to consider a medically assisted quicker end.
• Define assisted suicide (“Assisted suicide”)
  • Other names, “Right to Die” and PAS.
  • 1 sentence differentiation between euthanasia
• Brief review of statistics: majority of people support it
  • Support rates increased linearly from late 1940s to 1990s. (Saad)
  • Approval rates move from overwhelmingly opposed to acceptance.
• Express major time points in shift (1970s), even though assisted suicide has always existed.
  • Focus on years and events between 1970s to present.
• Thesis: In Western culture, assisted suicide overcame public disapproval and entered into public acceptance because of an increase in patient autonomy, a fade in religious influence, and development of medical technology.

Review of Shift:

• Summarize the stories of a few people:
  • Derek and Jean Humphry (1975)
    • Cite from (Sinnet)
    • Hemlock Society
  • Timothy Quill gives Patricia Diane Trumbull a lethal dose of medicine
    • Cite from (Waldron)
    • Cite from his own book (Quill)
    • Heavy backlash received 2000+ letters of concern after.
  • Charlie and Francie Emerick
    • Cite from (Aleccia)
    • They both died together
    • Celebration aspect of dying.
  • These cases represent different levels of acceptance, reflected by statistics and legal cases.
    • Time line of cases (Childress)
      • Failure to pass in California 1992
      • Michigan explicitly bans it in 1993
      • Oregon is the first to legalize it in 1994
      • Washington State legalizes in 2008
      • Latest State is New Mexico in 2021 (Attanasio)

Analysis of Driving Forces:

• Doctor’s duties and patient autonomy
  • The SUPPORT paper (Connors)
    • Revealed an alarming disconnect between many doctors behavior and patients desires
    • Only 47% of doctors were aware of when their patient wanted to avoid CPR
• Religious Perspective (Grove)
  • Christianity:
    • Summarize the biblical passages that comment on the value and harm of life
    • Clarification by the Second Vatican Council’s Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes
    • Explicit denouncement via Declaration on Euthanasia
  • Summary of other religions (Maybe 2-3 sentences): Islam, Buddhism, and commonalities concerning end of life treatment.
• Technological Medical Advancement
  • The Sarco suicide Pod goes viral (Hauser)
  • The Covid -19 pandemic reignited thoughts about the counterproductive pain that life-sustaining treatments, like ventilators provide.
    • Might delete this because it is more speculation.
    • Cite (Dreger)

Critique of Shift:

• Legal aspects
  • Due Process Clause:
    • Some argue that banning this process violate the due process clause because bans may rely on religious principles, something Justices Blackmun, Souter, O’Connor, and Stevens agree with
    • However, the Supreme Court case Washington v Gluckberg goes against this.
    • Cite (Rubin)
  • Suicide Contagion:
    • Concept based on David Phillips, who showed that high profile suicides are followed by higher rates of suicides in the public.
    • Is the increase of lethal prescriptions bad?
    • Cite (Dugdale)
  • Role of Doctors:
    • “Euthanasia is fundamentally incompatible with the physician’s role as healer, would be difficult or impossible to control, and would pose serious societal risks. Euthanasia could readily be extended to incompetent patients and other vulnerable populations.”
      • American Medical Association
    • Hippocratic oath implications
    • Cite: (“Should Euthanasia”)

Conclusion of Shift:

• Restate thesis.
• Current States legalization
• Outlook on life
• Meaning of medical care and doing good

Works Cited

Aleccia, Jonel. “This Couple Died by Assisted Suicide Together. Here’s Their Story.” Time, 6 Mar. 2018, time.com/5179977/assisted-suicide-couple-death.

“Assisted suicide” Legal Information Institute. Cornell Law School,  https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/assisted_suicide. Accessed 19 October 2023.

Attanasio, Cedar. “New Mexico Latest State to Adopt Medically Assisted Suicide | AP News.”

AP News, Apr. 2021, apnews.com/article/legislature-michelle-lujan-grisham-legislation-assisted-suicide-new-mexico-62bfb8e52a96ba46c23f6ae35cabdb5a.

Childress, Sarah. “The Evolution of America’s Right-to-Die Movement.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 13 Nov. 2012, www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/the-evolution-of-americas-right-to-die-movement/

Connors AF, Dawson NV, Desbiens NA, et al. A Controlled Trial to Improve Care for Seriously III Hospitalized Patients: The Study to Understand Prognoses and Preferences for Outcomes and Risks of Treatments (SUPPORT). JAMA. 1995;274(20):1591–1598. doi:10.1001/jama.1995.03530200027032

Dreger, Kathryn. “What You Should Know Before You Need a Ventilator.” The New York Times, The New York Times Company, 4 Apr. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/04/04/opinion/coronavirus-ventilators.html.

Dugdale LS, Lerner BH, Callahan D. “Pros and Cons of Physician Aid in Dying.” Yale J Biol Med. 2019 Dec 20;92(4):747-750. PMID: 31866790; PMCID: PMC6913818.

Grove, G., Lovell, M. & Best, M. Perspectives of Major World Religions regarding Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide: A Comparative Analysis. J Relig Health 61, 4758–4782 (2022). https://doi-org.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/10.1007/s10943-022-01498-5

Hauser, Christine. “A 3-D Printed Pod Inflames the Assisted Suicide Debate.” The New York Times, Dec. 2021, www.nytimes.com/2021/12/16/world/europe/suicide-pods-switzerland.html.

Quill, Timothy. “Death and Dignity: Making Choices and Taking Charge.” New York, W. W. Norton & Company, 1993. https://archive.org/details/deathdignitymaki0000quil/page/n5/mode/2up

Rubin, Edward. “Assisted Suicide, Morality, and Law: Why Prohibiting Assisted Suicide Violates the Establishment Clause.” Vanderbilt Law Review, vol. 63, no. 3, 2010, pp. 761-811. ProQuest, https://ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/assisted-suicide-morality-law-why-prohibiting/docview/346157917/se-2.

Saad, By Lydia. “U.S. Support for Euthanasia Hinges on How It’s Described.” Gallup.com, 29

May 2013, news.gallup.com/poll/162815/support-euthanasia-hinges-described.aspx.

“Should Euthanasia or Physician-assisted Suicide Be Legal?” ProCon, 19 Oct. 2018, euthanasia.procon.org/top-10-pro-con-arguments. 

Sinnett, E. R., Rodney K. Goodyear, and Valarie Hannemann. “Voluntary Euthanasia and the Right to Die: A Dialogue with Derek Humphry.” Journal of Counseling and Development : JCD, vol. 67, no. 10, 1989, pp. 568. ProQuest, doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6676.1989.tb01331.x.

Terry, Peter. “Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide: Ethics and Politics.” Chest, Volume 103, Issue 4, 1993, Pages 1259-1263, https://doi.org/10.1378/chest.103.4.1259.

Waldron, Ann. “MAKING a GOOD END, SAYING GOODBYE.” Washington Post, 13 July 1993, www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/wellness/1993/07/13/making-a-good-end-saying-goodbye/eb4ae19f-fe52-497d-a707-a342baeea8be.

Preface: My topic is heavy and emotionally stirring, but I assure you that I am happy living my life and envision a fulfilling road ahead.  That said, if you are struggling or in crisis, do not hesitate to reach out to your primary care doctor, therapist, medical professional, or call 998 from a US network cell phone or landline to be put in touch with a mental health professional.

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Your patient’s suffering grows minute by minute until they feel they want to take their illness down with them.  Will you help them? What does it mean for your Hippocratic oath? Dying with dignity, although it sounds like a war campaign slogan, saturates the minds of patients who face terminal illnesses and their trusted physicians who consider assisted suicide a viable option.  Popularized at the turn of the twenty-first century, more and more states are legalizing (currently 10 states and D.C.) assisted suicide and recognizing the right to die.  The first state to legalize this practice, Oregon, happened in 1997—but the real story starts in the 1970s and continues to present day.

Strong Public Support for Right to Die | Pew Research Center

Gravitation towards the right to die involves many factors, with some of the most prominent being healthcare and patient autonomy, and a realization that deciding on dying with dignity a few months before dying while suffering respects human life.  This shift in thinking, possibly related to a less religious America, reflects on the values and outlooks on life of the American population, especially younger members.  Furthermore, investigating this movement provides insight into the evolution of the modern healthcare industry and its benefits and detractors.

The origin of the movement starts with two cases: the case of Karen Quinlan and the case of Derek and Jean Humphry.  Through a combination of factors like consuming Valium and alcohol, Karen Quinlan fell into a coma and worsened into a vegetative state on a ventilator.  Quinlan’s parents requested that the ventilator be disconnected to prevent further suffering, to which the hospital claimed would be inexcusable homicide.  Derek Humphry, on the other hand, assisted his wife, Jean, in dying after a diagnosis of agonizing breast cancer.  He further created the Hemlock Society, which supported the right-to-die movement.  These cases bring up the dilemma between ending, yet relieving, a life of pain between the fact that a doctor—someone sworn to heal—is playing a role in the death of a patient.

In 2023, some states, like New York, prohibit this practice under NYS Penal Law S125.15(3), while Oregon upholds the “Death with Dignity Act”.  In the supreme court landmark case, Washington vs. Gluckberg, assisted suicide was found to be a non-essential right, not protected under the due process clause, which makes the dilemma more complicated.  Seeking medical attention is both a serious issue and involves policies of multiple groups which comment on society’s value of life and the dialogue between doctors, religious thinkers, and those who are suffering.