Stephanie Bautista

7/30/17
Chism
Pre-English

Inquiry Paper:

The Ethical Controversy Regarding Physician-Assisted Suicide In The United States

The medical field in the United States is constantly evolving due to medical advances and

new policies being implemented. Currently in the US, physician-assisted suicide is a

controversial topic which has created changes in medical standards within some states. My

intended career is to become a doctor in a hospital, which is why its important for me to stay

informed about medical standards. Physician-assisted suicide can impact my medical career as it

may cause me to question my morality in regards to the subject, and in certain states it could

cause me to lose my medical license. Physician-assisted suicide is illegal in most states in the

US, and if a doctor participates in the act they could face homicide charges.

Physician-assisted suicide is typically a patient's last resort after being diagnosed with a

terminal illness. According to Context and editor James H. Ondrey, physician-assisted suicide

is where a doctor provides a patient a lethal amount of drugs in order to kill the patient. The

procedure is called a suicide as the patient injects the drug them self instead of the physician,

which is also why there is also some legality issues of whether this should be allowed. Currently

in the United States, voluntary and involuntary euthanasia like physician-assisted suicide is

illegal, but passive euthanasia which is removing any life-prolonging technology is legal and

commonly used. There is also a possible societal demand for physician-assisted suicide as time

progresses cancer and other terminal illnesses may be more common, there should be a nation

wide protocol when it comes to dealing how to treat these patients. Most Americans are in favor

of physician-assisted suicide but yet it is still illegal in most of the US, which lead me to question

if it is still ethically right for physicians to allow assisted suicide to occur?

 A reason why some people are pushing for physician-assisted suicide is that they believe

that it will help better the death experience for patients and their family. In the article Medical

Aid in Dying: The Cornerstone of Patient-Centered Care by Barbara Coombs Lee and David

Grube, they argue that physician-assisted suicide helps better patient care and smooth the death

process. The article reveals a movement towards patient-centered or person-centered care

(Lee and Grube) which is to make medical decisions based on the patient's wants, needs, and

own values. An example of person-centered care was of Brittany Maynard, a terminal brain

cancer patient who suffered from constant headaches and seizures in California. Maynard

experienced many failed treatment options, so she moved to Oregon where physician-assisted

suicide was legal through the Death With Dignity Act. Maynard publicly explained her want to

medically die as it gave her control and time to say goodbye to her friends and family, this

demonstrated person-centered care where the Oregon medical system prioritized the patient's

values. Overall, Lee and Grube prove that physician-assisted suicide should be allowed as it

betters the medical care standards and takes into consideration the patients wants.

In continuation as to why physician-assisted suicide should be allowed, another argument

made is that it is ethically right to grant terminally ill patients their last death wish, or they will

find other ways to attempt the suicide. David Muller wrote a medical article, Physician-Assisted

Death Is Illegal In Most States, So My Patient Made Another Choice in which he explained the

importance of allowing physician-assisted suicide. Muller writes about an old patient, ninety one

year old Charlie, who was suffering long term pain which could not be relieved. Charlie came to

the decision that he accepted his death to end his pain, but in New York physician-assisted

suicide was not legal. To overcome the legal issues, Charlie instead stopped eating and drinking

as its legal for mentally competent patients with life-threatening or life-limiting illness to
voluntarily stop eating or drinking. (Muller) as a substitute for physician-assisted suicide.

Within a week after taking pain medications, Charlies wish was granted and he died at home.

Muller ended the article with how Charlies case made him wonder the ethicality if it is right to

not allow a terminally ill patient to die on their own accords.

On the other hand some individuals are against physician-assisted suicide as they believe

that individuals may use the procedure to end any financial problems they may experience from

medical bills. The article, Life Insurance, Living Benefits, and Physician-Assisted Death

evaluates how the health insurance world may be negatively impacted by physician-assisted

suicide. The first argument made is that the health insurance industry may lose money from

clients if they decide to end their life early. The second argument is that if physician-assisted

suicide is legal then there would be a great increase of people who would opt that treatment

option. The article continues with how it could become a bigger problem if physician-assisted

suicide becomes legal for not only individuals with a terminal illness. The author demonstrates a

worry that individuals may take advantage of physician-assisted suicide through a financial

incentive (F.R. Parker Jr. et al) but also that individuals may go against their own values and

pick death instead of putting their family through a medical debt. In conclusion the article ends

with the belief that some individuals may use physician-assisted suicide as a way to relieve

himself from financial problems, but also that if it becomes legal there may be drastic changes

implemented in health companies policies.

In continuation to as why some individuals believe physician-assisted suicide should not

be allowed is that there is currently no set boundaries for it and it may be difficult for doctors to

determine if it is a suicide or a way of relief. In the article, Assisted Suicide Compared with

Refusal Treatment: A Valid Distinction? by Franklin G. Miller and Joseph J. Fins explore the
ethical problems that may be present with assisted-suicide. Miller and Fins provide real life

examples like the BB or David Eddys mother case to demonstrate the controversy of physician-

assisted suicide, with the example of the extent in which the clinicians participated in the suicide.

Different ways clinicians could participate is giving the deadly medicine dosage, giving pain

meds, or even being a supportive figure. This leads Miller and Fin to the decision that, The

conceptual boundaries of assisted suicide are unclear, and the roles of clinicians in cases in

which the patient seek death are subject to varying interpretations. (Miller and Fin) which is

why physician-assisted suicide should not be legal for society yet. In conclusion, it will be

difficult to determine the regulations for physician-assisted suicide, if these are not established

then it can cause legal misunderstanding.

Overall, there are multiple viewpoints for whether physician-assisted suicide should

become legal in the United States. The strongest argument for why physician-assisted suicide

should be allowed is that if doctors will not do the procedure, then terminally ill patients who are

in excruciating pain will find their own way to do it. Yet, a strong argument for why assisted

suicide should not be allowed is that there is still a lot of misunderstanding with the procedure,

there are different ways that can be interpreted what is legal and what is not. In terms of

jurisdiction in regards to the procedure, the US government holds the power to decide whether

assisted suicide can become legal in the US. Instead of allowing state-by-state decisions on its

legality, there should be one national decision which also takes into consideration the public and

professional medical organizations opinion on physician-assisted suicide.

 Work Cited

Coombs Lee, Barbara. "Medical Aid in Dying: The Cornerstone of Patient-Centered Care."

Generations 41.1 (2017): 39-41. Academic Search Complete. Web. 28 July 2017.

"Introduction to Physician-Assisted Suicide: At Issue." Physician-Assisted Suicide, edited by

James H. Ondrey, Greenhaven Press, 2006. At Issue. Opposing Viewpoints in Context,

link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ3010020118/OVIC?u=umd_um&xid=fff36c1b.

Accessed 28 July 2017.

Miller, Franklin G., and Joseph J. Fins. "Assisted Suicide Compared with Refusal Treatment: A

Valid Distinction?" Annals of Internal Medicine 132.6 (2000): 470-75. Academic Search

Complete. Web. 28 July 2017.

Muller, David. "Physician-Assisted Death Is Illegal In Most States, So My Patient Made Another

Choice." Health Affairs 31.10 (2012): 2343-346. Academic Search Complete. Web. 28

July 2017.

Parker Jr., Frederick R., Harvey W. Rubin, and William J. Winslade. "Life Insurance, Living

Benefits, and Physician-assisted Death." Behavioral Sciences & the Law 22.5 (2004):

615-26. Academic Search Complete. Web. 28 July 2017.

"Physician-Assisted Suicide Fast Facts." CNN Wire, 10 June 2017. Opposing Viewpoints in

Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A495072766/OVIC?u=umd_um&xid=dd1d2564.

Accessed 30 July 2017.

Karaim, Reed. "Assisted Suicide." 23.19 (2013): 449-72. CQ Researcher. Web. 28 July 2017.

<http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre2013051700>.