Legislative Regulation:
Legitimate legal concerns arise where the patient is not completely capable of expressing his or her wishes directly, because any situation where surrogates do so on behalf of patients raises the specter of ulterior motivation, abuse, and conflicts of interests. Therefore, strict legislative controls must ensure against such potential for misuse and abuse. Similarly, both legislative oversight and updated modern principles of medical ethics must establish criteria for distinguishing between the desire to end one's life that reflects only the genuine desire to avoid pain and discomfort from any such desire that is a function of transient perspectives. Both acute depressions (such as over the...
On the other hand, unregulated physician-assisted suicide is susceptible to unethical misuse. Ultimately, physician-assisted suicide should be available under appropriately regulated circumstances that include criteria for identifying potential misapplication at the patient's will or, especially, misuse and abuse by surrogates acting against the best interests of the patient.
