Should doctors be able to assist terminally ill patients to end their lives? Doctor-assisted suicide is a very controversial topic. In today's society, people who commit suicide are known as "crazy", a person who takes prescription pills is known as a "drug addict" or "criminal". However, when a doctor honors a patient's request for a lethal dose of medicine (which the patient will inject himself) to end his life peacefully he is considered a murderer. However, when a doctor disconnects a terminally ill patient who is on life support at the patient's request, he is simply doing his job. However, a person whose quality of life is non-existent and who is facing a terminal illness should have the right to decide to seek medical care. Physician-assisted suicide is defined as the voluntary termination of one's life by administration of a lethal substance with the direct or indirect assistance of a physician (Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2011). The provision of equipment, medications, or information to a patient by a physician for the purpose of assisting the patient in ending his or her life (WebMD, 2009, p. 333). A terminal illness is an infection or disease that is considered ultimately fatal or incurable. A patient is usually considered to have a terminal illness if they appear likely to die despite diagnosis and treatment, although it is possible for people with a terminal illness to live for years before succumbing to the medical condition. A patient is considered terminally ill when a doctor tells him or her that he or she has six months or less left in life (Smith, 2011). Should terminally ill patients have the right to choose how they would like to die? There are... half of the card... excessively high. Which leads to the question of who will foot the bill for all the thousands of people who are in a persistent vegetative state (Newman, 1996).3. People are already doing it. It's reality! Works Cited Clarence, HBI, MD. (2010, October 25). Medical aid in dying. .Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (2011). Doctor-assisted suicide. (n.d.). Retrieved October 5, 2011, from www.merriam-webster.com.Naik, A. (2011, March 7). Mercy kills the pros and cons. Newman, E. (1996). Making the final choice: Should physician-assisted suicide be legalized? San Diego, CA: Truth Seeker Co., Inc. Smith, L. (2011). Mercy killing. Smith, S. E. (2011, September 12). What is terminal illness.WebMD. (2009). . In Webster's New World (3rd edition). Retrieved October 5, 2011, from http://site.ebrary.com/lib/ashford/Doc?id=10296815&ppg=3452009