Assisted Suicide/Euthanasia
I still have some homework to do, but I suppose putting this entry up will help me with my homework.
Today in sociology class we are having one of those town meetings on debatable subjects that we've researched. This time the topic is "assisted suicide" and a little bit of "euthanasia" (or mercy killing). From my understanding of the topic that assisted suicide is the patient's decision to end their life or not. Also it is a thing that's the patient doing it on their own with supervision of a physician.
Here's what the presenters talked about. (They gave us a sheet of stuff, and I just typed them up, so I take no credit for it)
Physician assisted Suicide Arguments in Favor
Respect for autonomy: Decisions about time and circumstances death are very personal. Competent person shoul dhave the right to choose death.
Justice: Requires that we should treat every case a like. Competent, terminally ill patients are allow 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 allows assisted death for these patients.
Compassion: Suffering means more than pain; there are other physcial and psychological burdens. It is not always possible to relive suffering. Thus PAS (Phsyician Assisted Suicide) may be compassionate response to unbearable suffering.
Individual liberty vs. state interest: Though society has strong interesting preserving life, that interest lessens when person is terminally ill and has strong desire to end life. A complete prohibition on assisted death excessively limits personal liberty. Therefore PAS should be allowed in certain cases.
Openness of Discussion: Some would argue that assisted death already occurs, albeit in secret. For example, morphine drips ostensibly used for pain relief may be a covert form of assisted death or euthanasia. That PAS is illegal prevents open discussion, in which patients and physicians could engage. Legalization of PAS would promote open discussion.
Physician assisted Suicide Arguments Against
Sanctity of life: This argument points out strong religious and secular traditons against taking human life. It is argued that assisted suicide is morally wrong because it contradicts these beliefs.
Passive vs. Active distinction: The arguemnt here holds that there is an importatnt 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.
Potential for abuse: Here the argument is that certain groups of people, lacking access to care and support, may be pushed into assisted death. Furthermore, assisted death may become a cost-containment strategy. Burdened family members and health care provideers may encourage option of assisted death. To protect against these abuses, it is argued, PAS should remain illegal.
Professional integrity: Here opponents point to the historical ethical traditions of medicine, strongly opposed to taking life. For instance, 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 death. The overall concern is that linking PAS to the practice of medicine could harm the public's image of the profession.
Fallibility of the profession: The concern raised here is that physicians will make mistakes. For instance there may be uncertainty in diagnosis and prognosis. There may be errors in diagnosis and treatment of drpession, or inadequate treatment of pain. Thus the State has an obligation to protect lives from these ineviable mistakes.
Other Practices confused with PAS
- Terminal sedation: This refers to the practices of sedating a terminally ill competent patient to the point of unconsciousness, then allowing the patient to die of her diesease, starvation, or dehydration.
- Withholding/withdrawing life-sustaining treatments: When a competent patient makes an informed decision to refuse life-sustaining treatment, there is virtual unanimity in state law and in the medical profession that this wish should be respected.
- Pain medication that may hasten death: Often a terminally ill, suffering patient may require dosages of pain medication that impair respiration or have other effects that may hasten death. It is generally held by most professional societies, and supported in court decisions, that this is justifiable so long as the primary intent is to relieve suffering.
- Euthanaisa: Generally means that the physician would act directly, for instance by giving a lethal injection, to end the patient's life.
Interesting Fact
Surveys of physicians in practice show that about 1 in 5 will receive a request for PAS sometime in their career. Somewhere between 5-20% of those requests are eventually ignored.
Surveys of patients and members of the general public find that the vast majority think that PAS is ethically justifiable in certain cases, most often those cases involving unrelenting suffering.
Is PAS illegal?
In most states, including the state of Washingoton, aiding in a suicide is a crime, while suicide or attempted suicide itself is not illegal. The state of Oregon is the only state that currently has legalized PAS.
The reasonings in this is not very biblical, I know, but what can I say, I go to a public school! Anyway, I am not for assisted suicide. I do not like the whole idea of it. I believe God has already had a Plan and I doubt that killing yourself when you are going to die, is going to help one bit. Because I look at suffering a disease is really like going through the hard times of your life. If you don't kill yourself when you had a bad day, then why kill yourself now? We are all humans, we are all going to die eventually, why don't you just commit suicide when you have a bad day? That is just what I think, briefly.
An interesting point was brought up during the town meeting today:
If people are so against assisted suicide and euthanasia, then why are they for capital punishment? If you are saying that they deserve to die because they did something wrong, but we are sinners too. Also, we as Christians, aren't we suppose to show forgiveness towards the person who committed the crime?
(I added the very last two sentences to the question. It is just something to think about.)
Today in sociology class we are having one of those town meetings on debatable subjects that we've researched. This time the topic is "assisted suicide" and a little bit of "euthanasia" (or mercy killing). From my understanding of the topic that assisted suicide is the patient's decision to end their life or not. Also it is a thing that's the patient doing it on their own with supervision of a physician.
Here's what the presenters talked about. (They gave us a sheet of stuff, and I just typed them up, so I take no credit for it)
Physician assisted Suicide Arguments in Favor
Respect for autonomy: Decisions about time and circumstances death are very personal. Competent person shoul dhave the right to choose death.
Justice: Requires that we should treat every case a like. Competent, terminally ill patients are allow 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 allows assisted death for these patients.
Compassion: Suffering means more than pain; there are other physcial and psychological burdens. It is not always possible to relive suffering. Thus PAS (Phsyician Assisted Suicide) may be compassionate response to unbearable suffering.
Individual liberty vs. state interest: Though society has strong interesting preserving life, that interest lessens when person is terminally ill and has strong desire to end life. A complete prohibition on assisted death excessively limits personal liberty. Therefore PAS should be allowed in certain cases.
Openness of Discussion: Some would argue that assisted death already occurs, albeit in secret. For example, morphine drips ostensibly used for pain relief may be a covert form of assisted death or euthanasia. That PAS is illegal prevents open discussion, in which patients and physicians could engage. Legalization of PAS would promote open discussion.
Physician assisted Suicide Arguments Against
Sanctity of life: This argument points out strong religious and secular traditons against taking human life. It is argued that assisted suicide is morally wrong because it contradicts these beliefs.
Passive vs. Active distinction: The arguemnt here holds that there is an importatnt 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.
Potential for abuse: Here the argument is that certain groups of people, lacking access to care and support, may be pushed into assisted death. Furthermore, assisted death may become a cost-containment strategy. Burdened family members and health care provideers may encourage option of assisted death. To protect against these abuses, it is argued, PAS should remain illegal.
Professional integrity: Here opponents point to the historical ethical traditions of medicine, strongly opposed to taking life. For instance, 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 death. The overall concern is that linking PAS to the practice of medicine could harm the public's image of the profession.
Fallibility of the profession: The concern raised here is that physicians will make mistakes. For instance there may be uncertainty in diagnosis and prognosis. There may be errors in diagnosis and treatment of drpession, or inadequate treatment of pain. Thus the State has an obligation to protect lives from these ineviable mistakes.
Other Practices confused with PAS
- Terminal sedation: This refers to the practices of sedating a terminally ill competent patient to the point of unconsciousness, then allowing the patient to die of her diesease, starvation, or dehydration.
- Withholding/withdrawing life-sustaining treatments: When a competent patient makes an informed decision to refuse life-sustaining treatment, there is virtual unanimity in state law and in the medical profession that this wish should be respected.
- Pain medication that may hasten death: Often a terminally ill, suffering patient may require dosages of pain medication that impair respiration or have other effects that may hasten death. It is generally held by most professional societies, and supported in court decisions, that this is justifiable so long as the primary intent is to relieve suffering.
- Euthanaisa: Generally means that the physician would act directly, for instance by giving a lethal injection, to end the patient's life.
Interesting Fact
Surveys of physicians in practice show that about 1 in 5 will receive a request for PAS sometime in their career. Somewhere between 5-20% of those requests are eventually ignored.
Surveys of patients and members of the general public find that the vast majority think that PAS is ethically justifiable in certain cases, most often those cases involving unrelenting suffering.
Is PAS illegal?
In most states, including the state of Washingoton, aiding in a suicide is a crime, while suicide or attempted suicide itself is not illegal. The state of Oregon is the only state that currently has legalized PAS.
The reasonings in this is not very biblical, I know, but what can I say, I go to a public school! Anyway, I am not for assisted suicide. I do not like the whole idea of it. I believe God has already had a Plan and I doubt that killing yourself when you are going to die, is going to help one bit. Because I look at suffering a disease is really like going through the hard times of your life. If you don't kill yourself when you had a bad day, then why kill yourself now? We are all humans, we are all going to die eventually, why don't you just commit suicide when you have a bad day? That is just what I think, briefly.
An interesting point was brought up during the town meeting today:
If people are so against assisted suicide and euthanasia, then why are they for capital punishment? If you are saying that they deserve to die because they did something wrong, but we are sinners too. Also, we as Christians, aren't we suppose to show forgiveness towards the person who committed the crime?
(I added the very last two sentences to the question. It is just something to think about.)