Physician Assisted Suicide
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“A sick person needs . . . the absence of pain and the presence of family.” (Helen Hayes). I know if I found out that I had a terminal illness and it was coming to its stages of unbearable pain and suffering I would want to rid of that, especially since I know this illness will be taking my life soon anyways.
The question is if it is morally right for a physician to be able to aide in the death of a terminally ill patient. This seems pretty black and white; right or wrong; yes or no. Patients and just people who are not doctors are actually more for physician assisted suicide than the actual doctors are. There are of course many views and a few reasons as to why doctors would opt out; religion has a part to play in someones decision as well.
You will read a lot of information coming from mainly Oregon because physician assisted suicide (PAS) has been legalized in Oregon in 1997 making it the first state to legalize PAS. Washington was the second state to legalize PAS in 2008 and then Montana decided to legalize it in 2009. Those are the only three states where PAS is legal, and as you can see Washington and Montana just recently legalized PAS.
A few interesting facts regarding PAS: In 2008 in Oregon, 30,973 people died. Out of the nearly 31,000 deaths that year, only 60 of them died from PAS. Approximately 1 of 1,000 dying Oregonians obtain and use a lethal dose of medication; 17% personally considered it as an option. Lachman, V. (2010). There are of course strict “rules”-if you will-if PAS was ever an option in the back of a patients mind. In Australia, majority of nurses have aided in the assistance of medical suicide. PAS is not legal in Australia, but these nurses are believers of PAS or active euthanasia.
In case you were wondering, there is a difference in physician assisted suicide and euthanasia. Euthanasia is when a third party is involved that performs the last intentional act of ending the patients life. A physicians assisted suicide is when the patient who is choosing to die does the act themselves; the physician just provides the “ammo” to do so, such as a prescribed lethal injection of a drug.
It is usually asked if PAS or even euthanasia is just used so people do not have to bear pain and or suffer. Well, it is sometimes the case, yes, but this pain on my point of view has to be absolutely unbearable even with pain control and medicines and PAS is the very last resort. I do not think any human should suffer because it is just inhumane to me; we would not let our animals who we consider our best friends or even our kids suffer, why should we? T. Patrick Hill stated that “continuing to prohibit euthanasia would, in some circumstances, “abandon the patient to a horrifying death.”
I think it is weird to read or even hear someone say that people have “the right” to commit suicide. Yes, suicide is frowned upon when one takes their own life for what seems to be no reason at all, and it is asked that what is the difference when someone spontaneously takes their life as opposed to an assisted suicide or euthanasia? Why is it not against the law-for lack of better words? The government let loose on suicide or suicide attempt so people could seek help and not be punished if they were to tell that they have tried to commit suicide before. Committing suicide is a choice much like any other choice we freely have to make on a day to day basis, regardless if it be with assistance or not.
Utilitarianism I think would be my approach to this subject. I will probably touch a little on deontology and virtue ethics a little bit too, but utilitarianism I believe is a good way to go about this. It promotes happiness and good for the greater correct? My perspective is I know family and friends might be sad once their