Once a state legalizes the law, physicians either refuse aid to patients who are set on killing themselves, or violate their professions code of ethics. A physician has a role of being a healer and choosing to participate in PAS would go against 2,000 years of medical ethics, making it hard to control and pose risks to the profession (Lagay, 2003). Risks such as having federal narcotic licenses suspended or revoked; therefore creating problems for physicians who prescribe narcotics for management of end of life pain (Lagay, 2003). However, physicians that do participate claim their participation comes from “helping a patient who is determined to end his or her life prevents a greater harm than it causes,” (Lagay, 2003). And some believe that the physical and mental anguish that a patient would not recover from does not violate the spirit or goals of medical ethics when a patient requests the service (Lagay,
Once a state legalizes the law, physicians either refuse aid to patients who are set on killing themselves, or violate their professions code of ethics. A physician has a role of being a healer and choosing to participate in PAS would go against 2,000 years of medical ethics, making it hard to control and pose risks to the profession (Lagay, 2003). Risks such as having federal narcotic licenses suspended or revoked; therefore creating problems for physicians who prescribe narcotics for management of end of life pain (Lagay, 2003). However, physicians that do participate claim their participation comes from “helping a patient who is determined to end his or her life prevents a greater harm than it causes,” (Lagay, 2003). And some believe that the physical and mental anguish that a patient would not recover from does not violate the spirit or goals of medical ethics when a patient requests the service (Lagay,