To begin an educated discussion on the issue of Physician-Assisted suicide, one needs to understand what is it. PAS is described as the voluntary termination of one’s own life by the administration of a lethal substance with the direct or indirect aid of a physician. In the United States, and in most jurisdictions PAD is prohibited with specific statutory provisions or judicial application of more general statutes (Quill & Sussman, 2017). Pain and suffering though complex problems are prima facie treatable. Because of the advancement in technology and the understanding of pain control a movement has begun to push, state-of-the-art palliative care as the standard of care for any end of life suffering. One must ask, however, to what extent does palliative and hospice care give relief
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Proponents would and could argue for the permissibility of PAS, citing the Principle of Double Effect or passive euthanasia. Which places a great deal of respect for individual autonomy, and a patient’s right to refuse life-saving equipment, or if already connected to such machines having them withdrawn. It is important to mention, the PDE does not allow a physician to give a person a medication that would directly and knowingly cause their death. For example, a patient who wants to die may be given an injection of morphine to alleviate pain with the foreseeable result that they will die. The key, to PDE in this example is that the physician does not intend to cause the death of the patient. This may be counter balanced with active euthanasia, which describes a person whom wishes to end their life, and who is given a medication to alleviate pain with the intended result that they will die. In this example, it is both immoral and illegal because it is considered direct Physician-Assisted Death. Supporters of the
Proponents would and could argue for the permissibility of PAS, citing the Principle of Double Effect or passive euthanasia. Which places a great deal of respect for individual autonomy, and a patient’s right to refuse life-saving equipment, or if already connected to such machines having them withdrawn. It is important to mention, the PDE does not allow a physician to give a person a medication that would directly and knowingly cause their death. For example, a patient who wants to die may be given an injection of morphine to alleviate pain with the foreseeable result that they will die. The key, to PDE in this example is that the physician does not intend to cause the death of the patient. This may be counter balanced with active euthanasia, which describes a person whom wishes to end their life, and who is given a medication to alleviate pain with the intended result that they will die. In this example, it is both immoral and illegal because it is considered direct Physician-Assisted Death. Supporters of the