Doctor-Assisted Suicide is recognized as a topic in the medical field that creates dilemmas among various medical personnel with some intellectual personnel advocating for it while others oppose it as unethical. Nevertheless, the aspiration that each patient suffering from a terminating illness comes to the end of life is at the center of the public and professional discussion concerning physician-assisted suicide (Sulmasy et al., 2018). Proponents and supporters share a core commitment to principles of respect, care, dignity, and compassion, nevertheless, they disagree on moral judgments drawn from those underpinning principles in good faith. When a doctor aids a patient’s death by giving the necessary requirement to enable or lead to a life-ending act, this is known as Doctor-Assisted Suicide. In my opinion, it is reasonable though unethical, that some people in dire situations like those with severe, terminal, and debilitating illnesses might come to the conclusion that death is better than life. Even though Doctor-Assisted Suicide is considered a form of mercy killing, the act is not a solution for terminally ill individuals because it tends to be against medical ethics such as autonomy.
As a physician who abides by the ethical obligations and principles within the medical field, conducting physician-assisted suicide on a patient is primarily incompatible with the principle of non-maleficence. Assisted suicide is an unethical act that does not respect the patient, especially if the decision is made by the caregiver for an incompetent or a patient in a coma. The patient’s autonomy should always be respected as per the ethical principles, the decision of ending a patient’s life without personal consent is against the principle of autonomy. When a caregiver or the patient is convinced that assisted suicide can be conducted, the act still shows a lack of respect for human dignity. Allowing the act to be carried out depicts how useless the sick individual was to the caregiver, this is contrary to the ethical recommendations that encourage proper care and love for the patients.
Physician-assisted suicide act should not be seen as a form of mercy since people who are involved are vulnerable. These individuals are usually disabled, old, in pain, and suffering from a terminal illness, they usually see themselves as a burden to others, especially their caregivers. That is usually why they decide to consider physician-assisted suicide, a decision that can usually be overturned by helping these patients. These patients can be helped by assisting them in managing pain, showing love, care, and provision of end-of-life palliative care it is through these acts, that they would know that life is still worth living. Therefore, conducting patient-assisted suicide is not a solution for helping terminally ill patients, instead, these individuals should be provided with end-of-life palliative care.
Safeguards of Doctor-Assisted Suicide
When Doctor-Assisted Suicide is legalized, most vulnerable patients suffering from terminally ill diseases may be subjected to this procedure against their consent. Some of the safeguards that physicians should abide by are, autonomy, human dignity, and pain control as an act of principle of beneficence. Firstly, respect for the autonomy of the patients, in this act the physician should only consider conducting the act only as per the consent of the patient. Protecting and respecting the consent of patients shows that the physicians obey and abide by the principle of autonomy.
Secondly, as a form of human dignity, physicians should consider that the patient is still an important figure in society and should not be abandoned even when terminally ill. When the physicians value the patient’s life, the rates or misuse of Doctor-Assisted Suicide will be lowered as there exists the principle of non-maleficence that is against the conduct (Sulmasy et al., 2018). Lastly, the physicians should consider providing appropriate comfort care and the proper ways of minimizing and controlling the pain of the patient, this is an act that depicts the principle of beneficence.
Personal or Religious Views Conflicting with the Idea of Doctor-Assisted Suicide
When a caregiver agrees to or signs physician-assisted suicide, it shows that the sick individual is a burden and of no help. Sick and terminally ill patients should be comforted and loved for them to feel valued in society. As per my religious teachings killing in any form is against the will of God, no individual is allowed to take another’s life as only God takes and gives life. The vulnerable individuals should not be treated unfairly as this sparks depression among the patients. When depressed the patient will consent to the fact that they are valueless in society. Doctors are gifted by God to take care of patients by helping in relieving pain and administering other forms of treatment, it is not advisable for them to end a patient’s life.
Personally, doctors should adhere to the medical ethics when taking care of the patients, some of the valuable principles that are to be considered include principles of autonomy, beneficence, and the principle of non-maleficence. When the three ethical principles are considered, physicians will always care for terminally ill patients while ensuring that they are given the best treatment or palliative care. Physicians should not rely on the consent provided by the caregivers at the expense of that of the patient. The terminally ill patients should be made aware of the medical procedures that are conducted on them while at the hospital, they should weigh the risks and decide on what choice to make.
Reference
Sulmasy, D. P., Finlay, I., Fitzgerald, F., Foley, K., Payne, R., & Siegler, M. (2018). Physician-assisted suicide: why neutrality by organized medicine is neither neutral nor appropriate. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 33(8).