Ethical Dilemma of Physician Assisted Suicide

The Ethical Dilemma of Physician Assisted Suicide

There is great debate in this country and worldwide over whether or not terminally ill patients who are experiencing great suffering should have the right to choose death. A deep divide amongst the American public exists on the issue. It is extremely important to reach an ethical decision on whether or not terminally ill patients have this right to choose death, since many may be needlessly suffering, if an ethical solution exists.

Clarify Concepts

Physician assisted suicide - the ending of a terminally ill patient’s life with the assistance of a physician who will normally supply a drug for the patient to take.

Euthanasia – the ending of a terminally ill patient’s life by a third party, normally a physician, to end the pain and suffering of the patient.

Palliative care - treatment that helps to comfort patients, while slowing the progress of a disease.

Identify Possible Solutions to the Problem

There exists two possible solutions to the ethical dilemma of a terminally ill patient’s right to die: they are the legalization of physician assisted suicide and the banning of it. This paper will explore whether the legalization of PAS should be the recommended course of action or whether there are sufficient negative issues surrounding it to make the banning of it, the correct ethical choice.

Assumptions and Points of View

Legalize physician assisted suicide - Those that believe that physician assisted suicide should be legal primarily argue on the basis of patient autonomy and family considerations. The first argument, patient autonomy, states that terminally ill patients should have the right to control the circumstances of their death and to determine when they have suffered enough. The second argument takes into account the family members of terminally ill patients who often feel a sense of powerlessness and despair being forced to watch their loved ones suffer in agony. The legalization of PAS would...