Medical Ethics

The suicide tourist is a documentary about people going to Switzerland to try and get help in attempting to take their own lives. These people use an organization called Dignitas to help them in taking their last breaths. The first man in the story is Craig Ewert who is terminally ill and will soon become fully paralyzed by his progressing disease. He wants to end his life before it becomes too painful and he becomes an invalid, and burden to his family. Craig contacts Dignitas in an effort to see if they can help him in taking his own life. Dignitas reviews Craig’s case and says that he is a candidate and they will help him in assisted suicide. They set Craig up in a small apartment where he is to die while listening to one of his favorite Beethoven symphonies. When Craig is drinking the drug that would bring him to the afterworld, he is video taped to show that no one is forcing him to drink it and that it was his own choice.

The second story in the documentary is about a husband and wife who want to share their last moments together. The couple is George and Betty from Vancouver, Canada who contact Dignitas to see if their last wishes could be possible. George has a terminally ill heart disease while Betty is perfectly healthy. When they speak to Dignitas they don’t receive the answer they hoped for. Dignitas tells them that George fits the position because he is terminally ill but Betty can’t be helped since she is perfectly healthy. The doctor say that he can prescribe the medication to anyone but the police and the medical boards check who he’s prescribing to and that puts his medical license in liberty.

The suicide tourist displays that active euthanasia isn’t killing and can be morally preferable. Euthanasia literally means good death, but also it can be actively or passive. Active euthanasia is what is displayed in the documentary where the doctor directly causes the patient’s death. Passive euthanasia is when the doctor refrains from treatment or...