PHYSICIAN-ASSISTED SUICIDE Introduction Physi

Ethical & Legal Aspects; Rights & Duties

Studies show that patient requests for physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia are common. Back, Wallace, Starks, and Pearlman (1996) reported the results of their study regarding assisted suicide and euthanasia in Washington State. During the past year, 12 percent of responding physicians reported one or more requests for physician-assisted suicide and 4 percent received one or more request for euthanasia. Although these practices are currently illegal in Washington State, physicians occasionally comply. Of the 156 patients who requested physician-assisted suicide, 38 (24 percent) received prescriptions, and 21 died. Of the 58 patients requesting euthanasia, 14 (24 percent) received parenteral medication and died. In a study of a group of physicians caring for HIV patients, acceptance of assisted suicide was found to increase between 1990 and 1995 (Slome, Mitchell, Charlebois, Benevedes,

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ent (Fry, 1989; Thompson & Thompson, 1990). Conflicting Principles The withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment is considered a passive role, the cause of death is the underlying disease. However, this act is also considered active by others, since the patient is dependent on the treatment and to end treatment without the consent of the patient or a proxy, would be considered homicide. Euthanasia is considered active, directly causing the patient's death. Physician-assisted suicide, by supplying necessary drugs, is viewed as in between active and passive; it is more active than switching off a machine and less active than injecting drugs (Angell, 1997). Some argue that assisted suicide would not be necessary if care givers were sufficiently skillful and compassionate; others state that good care is not relevant and does not exclude assisted suicide. It is feared that permitting assisted suicide would lead to immoral decisions to legalize euthanasia or assisted suicide for patients who are not terminally ill. Others believe that although the future holds unknown possibilities, this fear does not make the proposed decisions inevitable and should not be a determining factor. Furthermore, reports from the Netherlands, wher
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Thompson Thompson, Code Nurses, Hendin Klerman, Conflicting Principles, Benevedes Abrams, Concepts Bioethical, Starks Pearlman, Conclusions Studies, Courts Appeals, Cassel Meier, physician-assisted suicide, assisted suicide, angell 1997, suicide euthanasia, terminally ill, comfort care, physician-assisted suicide euthanasia, active euthanasia, england journal, ethical legal, thompson 1990, england journal medicine, thompson thompson 1990, requests physician-assisted suicide, journal medicine 336,
Approximate Word count = 3100
Approximate Pages = 12 (250 words per page)