Medical science, beginning in the last half of the twentieth century, began to achieve the extraordinary ability to prolong life. In most cases, this is beneficial; however, in regards to prolonging the dying process, sometimes indefinitely, this is often seen by patients and their families as cruel, rather than life-giving, and they ask the courts for the right to die. Despite the legitimacy of this position, a variety of forces have repeatedly attempted to limit the rights of individuals to shape the dying process for themselves and their loved ones. This is a particularly problematic area for healthcare professionals and the following examination of the issues involved demonstrates that the most ethical position for society is to respect the autonomy and decisions of individuals. Dying from cancer is often a long process. Terminally ill patients often suffer tremendous pain despite the use of opioids. It seems perfectly logical to many people that people who wish to forgo such torture, when they know it is unavoidable, should be allowed to end their lives painlessly rather than suffer a slow, painful death. Yet there are those who disagree. Stein (2004) reports that before resigning as the country's attorney general, John Ashcroft asked the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down the nation's only assisted suicide law. A previous ruling by a lower court held that the federal government did not have the power to punish Oregon doctors who legally prescribed lethal doses of federally approved drugs (Stein, 2004). Oregon's Death With Dignity Act allows patients diagnosed with less than six months to live to request a lethal dose if their diagnosis has been confirmed by two do... half of the document... out, this objection can be overcome through the establishment of rigorous guidelines, such as those established in Oregon in accordance with the physician-assisted euthanasia law. Works Cited Feinberg, B. "Court Upholds State Law Prohibiting Physician-Assisted Suicide." . Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology 88.3 (1998): 847-76. Network. .Harris, J. “Consent and End-of-Life Decisions.” Journal of Medical Ethics 29.1 (2003): 10. Web. .Singer, P. "Freedom and the Right to Die." Free Request 22.2 (2002). Network. .Stein, L. “Right to die”. US News & World Report 18137 (November 22, 2004) Print.Sunstein, Cass R. “The Right to Die.” Yale Law Review (1997): 1123-163. Net. .