Assisted Suicide

University Degree Subjects allied to Medicine

What do you call an assisted suicide? Derek Humphry of Euthanasia Research Guidance Organization (ERGO) spells out the nuances involved between assisted suicide and euthanasia, and some other terms related to assisted suicide and euthanasia. Euthanasia is defined as help with a good death, which Humphry describes as legally vague but useful as a broad, descriptive term. On the other hand, assisted suicide is defined as providing the means (drugs or other agents) by which a person can take his or her own life.

Moreover, Humphry explains that there are terms like passive euthanasia and active euthanasia. Passive euthanasia is the deliberate disconnection of life support equipment, or cessation of any life-sustaining medical procedure, permitting the natural death of the patient while active euthanasia is the deliberate action to end the life of a dying patient to avoid further suffering.

Likewise, with regard to assisted suicide there exist terms like physician-assisted suicide and physician aid-in-dying. It is physician-assisted suicide when a doctor provides the lethal drugs with which a dying person may end their life. Physician aid-in-dying is the euphemistic term for medical doctor assisting the suicide of a dying patient.

Assisted suicide laws around world

Laws on assisted suicide differ around and it should be noted not every country in the world has an assisted suicide law. The website provided several assisted suicide laws in various countries. In countries like Sweden, Norway, Ireland and Italy assisted suicide is forbidden. Canada, England and Wales are places where there is a case of a crime assisting a non-crime. This is because assisting suicide in these countries is a crime but suicide is not.

Germany has no penalty for either suicide or assisted suicide while Denmark has no specific law banning assisted suicide nor does Luxemborg. But in Luxemborg, under 410-1 of its Penal Code, a person could be penalized for failing to assist a person in danger. A law on euthanasia was proposed in March 2003 only to be lost in by a single vote. France has no specific law on assisted suicide either but such act could be prosecuted under 223-6 of the Penal Code. But the subject of assisted suicide has been a national debate since 1995.

To date, there are only four places where assisted suicide is permitted openly and legally. These are (1) Oregon (since l997, physician-assisted suicide only); (2) Switzerland (1941, physician and non-physician assisted suicide only); (3)Belgium (2002, permits 'euthanasia' but does not define the method); and (4) Netherlands (voluntary euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide lawful since April 2002 but permitted by the courts since l984).

Pro life vs. Right to Assisted Suicide

Amid the existence or non existence of laws on assisted suicide; and the debates on the nuances of the terms assisted suicide and euthanasia, there lies the multifaceted issues on the matter of assisted suicide. Living one’s life is not easy but given the debates hounding assisted suicide, ending’s one life is not easy, either.

This is a preview of the whole essay

Pro life vs. Right to Assisted Suicide

In the US, there are the controversial cases of Karen Quinlan, Nancy Cruzan and the most recent of which is that of Terri Schiavo’s. These three women went in to comatose state for different medical reasons. But the bottom line of these cases is the petition to the court by the families/guardians of these women --- they want to disconnect their loved ones from the life support machine. However, removing a feeding tube from the person’s body has not been that easy, at least legally, because the petition to have it removed was one big legal battle. In the case of Terri Schiavo who went into a comatose state after collapsing in her Florida home in 1990, her husband Michael petitioned the Pinellas Court in 1998 to have her feeding tube removed citing casual conversations he, and his brother and his brother’s wife had with Terri on not wanting to be kept alive via artificial means. Michael Schiavo won the case but not after seven years of legal battle against Terri’s family.

The University of Washington School of Medicine came up with a primer on physician-assisted suicide (PAS) while the arguments are pro and against basically about PAS such arguments are also valid when it comes to debate about pro life and right to assisted death issues barring the nuances in the use of terms.

Pro life

The University of Washington cited the following as pro life arguments: (1) Respect for autonomy: Decisions about time and circumstances suicide are very personal. Competent person should have the right to choose death; (2) Justice: Justice requires that we "treat like cases alike." Competent, terminally ill patients are allowed to hasten death by treatment refusal. For some patients, treatment refusal will not suffice to hasten death; only option is suicide. Justice requires that we should allow assisted suicide for these patients; (3) Compassion: Suffering means more than pain; there are other physical and psychological burdens. It is not always possible to relieve suffering; (4) Individual liberty vs. state interest: Though society has strong interest in preserving life, that interest lessens when person is terminally ill and has strong desire to end life. A complete prohibition on assisted suicide excessively limits personal liberty; and (5) Openness of discussion: Some would argue that assisted suicide already occurs, albeit in secret. For example, morphine drips ostensibly used for pain relief may be a covert form of assisted suicide or euthanasia.

Right to Assisted Suicide Right to die

As for the right to assisted death, the following are the arguments presented by the University of Washington: (1) Sanctity of life: This argument points out strong religious and secular traditions against taking human life. It is argued that assisted suicide is morally wrong because it contradicts these beliefs; (2) Passive vs. Active distinction: There is an important difference between passively "letting die" and actively "killing." It is argued that treatment refusal or withholding treatment equates to letting die (passive) and is justifiable, whereas PAS equates to killing (active) and is not justifiable; (3) Potential for abuse: Here the argument is that certain groups of people, lacking access to care and support, may be pushed into assisted suicide. Furthermore, assisted suicide may become a cost-containment strategy. Burdened family members and health care providers may encourage option of assisted suicide. To protect against these abuses, it is argued, PAS should remain illegal (4) Professional integrity: Take note of the Hippocratic oath states, "I will not administer poison to anyone where asked," and "Be of benefit, or at least do no harm." Furthermore, major professional groups (AMA, AGS) oppose assisted suicide. The overall concern is that linking PAS to the practice of medicine could harm the public's image of the profession; and (5) Fallibility of the profession: The concern raised here is that physicians will make mistakes. There may be errors in diagnosis and treatment of depression, or inadequate treatment of pain. Thus the State has an obligation to protect lives from these inevitable mistakes.

Conclusion

Based on the readings, it could be inferred that assisted suicide is an issue that touches on moral, ethical, emotional, and economic standpoints. Having said that, the decision to be subject to assisted suicide or not should be on the person himself or herself.

The website cited that the US Supreme Court decided in 1990 that “every individual has the constitutional right to control his or her own medical treatment. The Court further held that medical personnel must follow 'clear and convincing evidence' of a person's medical treatment wishes, even if the medical personnel or the patient's family do not share those wishes.”

To avoid the case of Schiavo or even the controversial cases of Quinlan and Cruzan, it is but practical for the individual to issue a living will. As Legal.com said, “Living Will allows you to make the decision of whether life-prolonging medical or surgical procedures are to be continued, withheld, or withdrawn, as well as when artificial feeding and fluids are to be used or withheld. It allows you to express your wishes prior to being incapacitated. Your physicians or health care providers are directed by the Living Will to follow your instructions. You may revoke the Living Will prior to becoming incapacitated...”

It is not only practical; having a living will spares family and friends from further emotional worries. If and when an individual chooses not to live on artificial means, an assisted suicide would only cost the state 40 bucks. That was according to Wesley J. Smith, an attorney for the . In his article entitled Doctors of Death on National Review Online, Smith made the connection between money matter and assisted suicide. He said "HMOs make money by cutting costs, and it could cost $40,000 (or more) to provide suicidal patients with proper care…” But that argument on saving money is another subject of debate.

As for the progress of instituting assisted suicide in the US, the issue is still on a stalemate. Both pro life and right to assisted death groups are active in their causes.#

World Wide Web Sources

is a link that provides information on the definition of suicide, what an assisted suicide is (assisteddeath.html), and laws around the world (). This link has been useful as it also gives a background on the other facets of assisted suicide.

is not cited anywhere in the paper but this has been helpful in understanding assisted suicide and its impact on people with disability. The author would has included a discussion on the matter on its earlier version of the paper but since the six-page requirement is not enough to cover the matter the person deemed it necessary to exclude the part.

, as for this website, this has been one useful website as it has pages on opinions, living wills and a discussion on Terri Schiavo and her euthanasia case. The opinions expressed on the site affirm the claims made by the University of Washington School of Medicine (/pas.htm). This site is understandingly partial to pro life stance.

is one of the more useful sites as the arguments pro and against assisted suicide in the paper are taken from this site. While there have been other sites where pro life and right to assisted death arguments are presented, the site provided a very good summary of the issues of the day.

is also one interesting site but the author has found the conclusion part very useful.

References:

About Living Wills. (2005, March 21). Retrieved March 30, 2008.

Bristo, Marca. (March 24, 1997). Assisted Suicide: A Disability Perspective. Retrieved

March 30, 2008.

suicide.htm#exec.

, R., Nagel, T. Nozick, R., Rawls, J., Sacnlon, T.M., & Thomson, J.J

(1997, March 27). Assisted Suicide: The Philosophers' Brief. New York

Review of Books, Volume 44, Number 5. Retrieved March 30, 2008.

Humphry, Derek. (2006, January 21) Definitions of Euthanasia. Retrieved March 29,

2008.

____________. (2005, March 1). 2006, January 21) Tread Carefully When You Help to

Die Assisted Suicide Laws Around the World. Retrieved March 29, 2008.

http://www.assistedsuicide.org/suicide_laws.html

____________. (2006, November 9). What do you call an assisted death? Retrieved

March 29, 2008.

assisteddeath.html.

Terri Schiavo and Euthanasia. (2005, March 21). Retrieved March 30, 2008.

University of Washington School of Medicine. (Oct 2001). Physician-Assisted Suicide. Retrieved March 30, 2008. http://depts.washington.edu/bioethx/topics/pas.html

Wesley J. Smith (2002, Aug. 19) Doctors of Death: Kaiser solicits its doctors to kill.

Retrieved March 30, 2008.

smith081902.asp