People with terminal diagnoses have the knowledge that they are going to die but don’t know when. They have pain, they lose function, they become confused, and they lose their dignity. These patients enroll in palliative or hospice care, where they and their families are made as comfortable and supported as possible. Although palliative and hospice care are options, some may wonder about other options for people with terminally ill diagnoses? In the states of Oregon, Washington, Vermont, California, Colorado, and most recently Washington D.C., there is another option, physician’s-assisted suicide. Physicians Assisted Suicide (PAS) is an end-of-life option that allows certain terminally ill patients to voluntarily choose to end their life with dignity (Death with Dignity, 2016).
Critics claim that PAS could become a cause for abuse on elderly and mental disabled persons. The fear is that family members or loved ones, will take advantage of the vulnerable person, such as: the elderly, the disabled, and the depressed; and convince them to die sooner via PAS (Saunders, 2014). Regarding the law, Jennifer Popik (2016) writes, that based on experiences from Oregon residents’, government and insurance companies won’t do the right thing, meaning they would rather pay for lethal doses of medication than for treatment that may cost thousands of dollars. Legalizing assisted suicide is a recipe for elder abuse and abuse of persons with disabilities, as critics of PAS have noted (Popik, 2016). However, there are safeguards in place to prevent abuse and advantage of other persons.
Myth: Physician’s Assisted Suicide is going to lead to abuse of elders, disabled persons, and depressed persons.
Fact: Patient’s who choose PAS as an option have criteria that need to be met. This criteria includes: being a mentally competent adult resident of one of the five states with a law, having a terminal diagnosis which leads to death within six months, and be able to administer and ingest the medication on their own (Death with Dignity, 2016). The patient must also have two doctors determine if the criteria above are met, and must orally request this option twice and written once with waiting periods in-between (Death with Dignity, 2016).
Myth: Besides the fives states and the District of Columbia, there are no other means of assisted suicide.
Fact: Kathryn Tucker (2015), Executive Director of Disability Rights Legal Center, points out that there are other means of assisting in a persons’ death that are already legal such as: removing a ventilator or feeding tube, deactivating a cardiac device, and palliative sedation. With these means of death the person doesn’t have to be mentally competent and their family members can choose this for them. Other means of precipitating death include: doctors suggesting to the patient to voluntarily stop eating and drinking, stop treatment or not start treatment, or use of palliative sedation, which can take several days to weeks to months to take effect (Death with Dignity, 2016).
In conclusion, physician’s assisted suicide may be a cause of concern for some, but for others it is a way to find peace and dignity in a horrible situation. In patients who are already facing death, a sense of comfort and control is what they want and what they deserve. Physician’s assisted suicide is becoming a more prominent option for patients with a terminal illness.
References:
Death with Dignity., (2016)., FAQs., Death with Dignity National Center and Death with Dignity Political Fund., Portland, OR.
Jimenez, C., (2017). What is the right to die movement? The Washington Post. Retrieved on August 13, 2017 from https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/politics/what-is-the-right-to-die-movement/2017/07/18/fd8b4ff6-6be5-11e7-abbc-a53480672286_video.html?utm_term=.7333f6f2a240
Popik, J. (2016)., Assisted suicide measures imminent in three states, more states to be targeted in 2017. National Right to Life News. Pp. 20 & 43. National Right to Life
Saunders, P. (2014). Doctors strike back at BMJ editors over assisted suicide stance. National Right to Life News. P.28. National Right to Life.
SodaHead., (2015). Death with dignity approved in California. Citizens Report. Retrieved on August 13, 2017 from http://www.citizensreport.org/2015/09/21/california-approves-right-to-die/
The Editorial Board, (2015). Physician-assisted suicide laws grant dignity: Our view. USA Today. Retrieved on August 13, 2017 from https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2015/10/20/our-view-physician-assisted-suicide-california-oregon-editorials-debates/74282866/
Tucker, K.L. (2015)., Normalizing aid-in-dying within the practice of medicine., Hastings Center Report., p.3., Los Angeles, CA: Wiley-Blackwell.