Gary Drake bid farewell to his loved ones through a heartfelt message on Facebook earlier this year. The terminally ill Florida businessman, whose cancer had spread to his lungs, bones, and kidneys, was in Oregon, the first state in the US to legalize physician-assisted suicide. His final words were, “I love you all, say a prayer for me and see you on the other side.”
Cases like Gary’s, where individuals travel to states like Oregon for medical assistance in dying, often make headlines in the US media. Since Oregon legalized physician-assisted suicide in 1997, thousands of terminally ill Americans have made the journey to seek this option.
The Oregon Death with Dignity Act allows terminally ill individuals with a life expectancy of less than six months to receive medication from their doctors to end their lives. This option is also available in other states like Washington. The number of people choosing physician-assisted suicide has been steadily increasing in these states, with around 367 deaths recorded in Oregon in 2023.
Critics argue against what they call “suicide tourism,” where individuals travel to states where physician-assisted suicide is legal to end their lives. Some terminally ill patients move to these states permanently, while others like Gary Drake choose to travel there in the final stages of their illness. However, the ethical, religious, and medical debates surrounding this issue continue to divide opinions.
While some believe that individuals should have the right to choose medical assistance in dying, others, including many Catholic doctors and bishops, oppose it on religious and ethical grounds. As the discussion on this topic continues, more states are considering legalizing physician-assisted suicide, while others are actively working to criminalize it. The debate between respecting individual choice and upholding the sanctity of life remains at the forefront of this controversial issue.