Dying is, intrinsically, a forfeit of control, a final chapter of one’s life that cannot be orchestrated. No one ever promised that dying will be painless, and in fact, I hope it does come with a degree of pain, as a reminder of how to feel for one last time.

And yet, with the aid of modern medicine, a life may now be either ended through physician-assisted suicide (PAS) or prolonged indefinitely on life support. As medicine becomes more powerful, the end-of-life debate becomes more complicated and poignant.

Now, one of Washington state’s most beloved political figures has entered into the fray. Former Gov. Booth Gardner, now 70 years old, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1995. He recently vowed to use the time before his death to ensure that PAS becomes legal in Washington. Gardner’s move is extremely controversial, as many feel he should not be using his political popularity to push for such an issue.

PAS is legal in Oregon through the Death With Dignity Act, which was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court. It is also legal in Switzerland and Holland.

In Oregon, very few patients are eligible for PAS, and very few choose it as their final option. Patients must receive a terminally ill diagnosis from two physicians, undergo a psychiatric exam to rule out thoughts of depression and suicide and must administer the lethal dose of barbiturate to themselves. Only 292 patients have gone through with PAS in 10 years.

Gardner hopes to go one step further than Oregon, where PAS is not offered to a person with Parkinson’s because it is a debilitating, but not fatal, disease. He intends to start gathering signatures to get a PAS initiative on the ballot in 2008.

The time seems ripe for Gardner’s attempt, what with baby boomers starting to reach retirement age and make their final plans.

Also, fortuitous for Gardner, the original Doctor Death himself, Jack Kevorkian, is scheduled to be released from prison June 1, after serving eight years behind bars. His release is already looking like a media circus, with an exclusive Kevorkian interview planned for June 3. Kevorkian has already told members of the press he plans to continue fighting for PAS upon his release.

Kevorkian helped 130 people die through PAS, but was ultimately put in jail because he administered the fatal injection to a patient, Thomas Youk, himself. Youk was suffering through final stages of Lou Gehrig’s disease and came to Kevorkian for help, agreeing that the doctor should be the one to give the injection.

So, as the summer heats up, so too will the debate over PAS and patient rights.

What is there to consider about the issue? People and politicians will make it about all sorts of things: religion, rights of the elderly and disabled, abortion, the death penalty, etc. What it really boils down to, though, is only one issue that should be considered above all else: individual preference.

Our country was founded upon the belief of free expression, and especially free religious expression. Our lives are precious precisely because we are individuals who make our own choices, and we have the right to do so to the very end. An individual has the right to live as he or she chooses, and it is only just to extend this right to the ultimate decision.

Death, for many, is a spiritual or religious process, but not for everybody. It is not right for the Christian right to force dying patients to live and die under a value code that does not belong to everyone.

In the end, the ability to control the circumstances of one’s death is a privilege not everyone recieves. If a terminally ill patient wants the chance to say goodbye to loved ones and end life on his or her terms, PAS is always the better option than spending an indefinite amount of time hooked up to machines in the ICU of a hospital.

If PAS isn’t for you, then you can die on your own terms. Just don’t stop the rest of the world from doing so, too.

Reach columnist Amy Korst at opinion@thedaily.washington.edu.