Medical Arguments Against Assisted Suicide

Medical arguments against assisted dying include the possibility of misdiagnosis, the potential availability of new treatments, and conflict with the physician’s role as a healer. Farr Curlin’s study shows 69 percent of U.S. physicians are against physician assisted suicide (Curlin). In an article “Why Physicians Should Oppose Assisted Suicide” Tony Yang says “…with physician-assisted-suicide, the physician is to disregard what is perhaps the most universal moral injunction – do not kill…” Yang uses Brittany Maynard’s case to highlight his opinion that she ended her life prematurely based on her fear of physical pain, self-determination and her wish to avoid dependency. With respect to assisted-suicide, he views “the right to die” as irony for the alleged “right to have a physician help me kill myself” (Yang).
The clergy are probably the most adamant in opposing assisted …show more content…
But for terminally ill patients, medical advancements only prolong an inevitable and often painful death. California resident Brittany Maynard was 29 years old when she was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer and given only six months to live. She did not want to face the inevitable suffering her doctors said she was likely to endure and decided she wanted to end her life on her own terms. Since California had not yet legislated Death with Dignity laws, Brittany moved to Oregon so she could end her life with dignity on Nov 1, 2014. As Barbara Coombs’ article, “Medical Aid in Dying: The Cornerstone of Patient-Centered Care” points out, “…adopting policies that support giving terminally ill patients the option of medical aid in dying is a hallmark of person-centered care.” Even though one-third of the patients receiving the lethal medication never take the drugs, Coombs says having them on hand brings a patient comfort knowing they can end their suffering if it becomes intolerable