Hophead preferences and characteristics

Topic: Is physician assisted suicide morally acceptable when a person is suffering from a painful, incurable, terminal condition?

Physician-assisted dying has become a contentious issue that pits the rights of the patient for autonomy and self-determination against the principles surrounding the practice of medical care. Seven states have passed laws that allow physicians to help terminally ill patients by offering medications that hasten death (Whitcomb, 2018). However, the American Medical Association and other organizations disapprove of physician-assisted dying. This paper will outline the arguments on both sides, focusing on two online articles.

Article Against

The first article is an opinion piece published by the American Medical Association. While this article is not scholarly and does not even provide a binding or governing tenet for the medical profession, it is nevertheless authored by a credible source. The authors argue that the goal of medical care is to preserve or extend life, not to terminate it.

Premise 1: Physician-assisted dying “would cause more harm than good,” (American Medical Association, 2018, p. 1).

Premise 2: Physician-assisted dying is “fundamentally incompatible with the physician’s role as healer, would be difficult or impossible to control, and would pose serious societal risks,” (American Medical Association, 2018, p. 1).

Conclusion: Physician-assisted suicide is not morally acceptable, even when a person is suffering.

Evaluation of Article: This article fails to substantiate the primary premises, and offers no evidence or even logical reasoning to support the claims. It is highly likely that the American Medical Association is biased against physician-assisted death because of fears of legal liability and not because of the desire to actually help patients. The American Medical Association counts on its own brand and perceived credibility, but fails to provide adequate evidence or reasoning in favor of their position. For example, the article mentions the need for respecting patient autonomy but does not indicate how patient autonomy can be respected in cases where a person is suffering from an incurable terminal condition.

Article in Favor

An article published by the organization Death with Dignity outlines the terminology used in physician-assisted dying. The purpose of the article is to better inform the public about what is meant by physician-assisted suicide, but ultimately the authors are in favor of legalized physician-assisted dying.

Premise 1: There are abundant safeguards in place to prevent the abuse of physician-assisted dying laws.

Premise 2: The disease is what is killing the patient, and the process of physician-assisted death allows individuals to “find dignity” in hastening the inevitable, and to experience the least painful death possible.

Conclusion: Physician-assisted death is a better term than physician-assisted suicide because it more correctly captures the inevitability of death in terminal illness cases, and showcases the empowerment of the patient.

Evaluation of Article: This article does cite from relevant sources when needed, even though it is not a scholarly article. There are many out-links to different websites to help substantiate claims. The article also differentiates between different methods of physician-assisted death to dispel myths. For example, the article shows why physician-assisted dying is actually not suicide, given the fact that the patient is suffering from an incurable disease. This fact will not necessarily change people’s minds, but it does help to conceptualize the issue differently. While the organization Death with Dignity is clearly in favor of physician-assisted death, the article is sensitive to opposing points of view. Although the focus is on terminology, the authors do a good job demonstrating the need to change public perceptions of physician-assisted dying.

References

American Medical Association (2018). Physician-assisted suicide. https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/physician-assisted-suicide
Death with Dignity (n.d.). Terminology of assisted dying. https://www.deathwithdignity.org/terminology/
Whitcomb, D. (2018). California judge tosses state’s physician-assisted suicide law. Reuters. May 15, 2018. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-california-assistedsuicide/california-judge-tosses-states-physician-assisted-suicide-law-idUSKCN1IH00B