Here we are 10 years later and the issue of doctor assisted suicide had come back up in the news. Since 1998 when Kevorkian was convicted, doctor assisted suicide has exploded from less than roughly 5 cases per year to nearly 200 cases per year!
These numbers are staggering! As you can see from the chart above, most of the countries are even in their numbers but Germany is "leading the way" and I use that term loosely because this may not be the best topic to lead the way in.
I am usually a person who can take one side or the other on an argument and have a fairly good reason for taking that side. However this is an issue where I am not too sure either way. I can take the side of the patient where they may have a life that is less than favorable to them and they simply can't take it anymore and want to die. But I don't think that it is morally right for a doctor to be the one who administers the "final blow". I feel that there could be personal bonds with the patient that may sway an opinion in certain directions to allow the suicide or to deny it. Personally I am just not sure about this one.
So tell me, do you think it should be legal for a doctor to assist and allow a terminally ill patient who cannot physically end their own life to do so or is there more to the issue?
A very difficult topic to consider. It also makes me think of the more recent issues with Dr. Tiller the known late term abortionist. The debate between medicine and ethics has always been serious and heated. Hope you get some opinions from your readers.
ReplyDeleteI was going to talk about Dr. Tiller but I came to the conclusion that the topic of abortion and especially late term abortion was a bit too controvercial.
ReplyDeleteI have completely given up on following the Michael Jackson story, but would you consider his situation a doctor assisted suicide (disregarding the lastest court-decided ruling)? He obviously was aware that the drugs he was putting into his body could kill him (as well as the fact that he was starving himself), but he insisted on being placed under anethesia every night to escape the pain. The doctor should have had enough sense to tell him "no", but isnt it possible that he explained all the risks to MJ? ...In which case his death could have been pre-meditated or at the very least, expected sooner rather than later. (I dont think the doctor should be allowed to practice anymore, but perhaps this wasnt a homicide...?)
ReplyDeleteEither way, I am against doctor assisted suicide. Even if they believe the person is at peace, the blood is forever on their hands.
I'm not really sure if I would consider what Jackson's doctor was doing to be a doctor assisted suicide because that's not exactly what Jackson wanted. Jackson was trying to escape the pain but still live at the same time. I still don't really believe what the doctor was doing was morally right but as with any doctor I think he would explain the risks to Jackson so that he knew what he was getting in to.
ReplyDeleteInteresting article I just found that ties in with this one. Doctors in the UK were 'forced' to allow a patient to commit suicide. Apparently this lady drank antifreeze in an attempt to kill herself but when she got to the hospital doctors found out that she had a living will done up days before stating that if she tried to kill herself she did not want an attempt to revive her should she die. Real crazy stuff. Here's the link...
ReplyDeletehttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/norfolk/8284728.stm