Physician-assisted suicide in the United States and elsewhere remains a hotly debated and contentious bioethical issue. Supporters of physician-assisted suicide usually argue that respect for patient autonomy and individual self-determination trumps all other ethical principles. That is, when ethical doctrines come to clash, as with the principle of respect for patient autonomy coming into conflict with the sanctity of human life, it is argued that patient autonomy should triumph. Proponents of this position thus argue that it is an individual’s right as an autonomous being to choose when, where, and how to die, as long as he or she is a competent adult.
In contrast to supporters of physician-assisted suicide, euthanasia opponents often hold that human life is of supreme value in and of itself, and this principle trumps all other considerations and principles.
In this essay I attempt to make the case that physicians should stay away from assisting with suicide.
In contrast to supporters of physician-assisted suicide, euthanasia opponents often hold that human life is of supreme value in and of itself, and this principle trumps all other considerations and principles.
In this essay I attempt to make the case that physicians should stay away from assisting with suicide.