Assisted Sucide

Introduction

Assisted suicidemaking means of suicide (eg. providing pills) available to a patient with the knowledge of the patient's intention to kill himself or herself. Physician-assisted suicide (PAS)2an act of self-destruction committed by a patient with the assistance of a physician. A common example is that of a physician giving a patient a prescription for a lethal amount of medication that the patient later ingests to bring about death. PAS is called suicide because the patient deliberately ends his or her own life.

Assisted Sucide

It is physician-assisted because the physician not only agrees to participate in the patient's plan, but also assists by prescribing a lethal amount of medication. PAS and voluntary euthanasia are similar in that both involve patient choice. However, in voluntary euthanasia, the physician alone is the cause of the patient's death, whereas in PAS, the patient and the physician work together to bring about death, with the patient taking the final action to end life. (Nagel, 128)

The doctor does nothing, and the patient dies of whatever ills already afflict him. In active euthanasia, however, the doctor does something to bring about the patient's death: he kills him. The doctor who gives the patient with cancer a lethal injection has himself caused his patient's death; whereas if he merely ceases treatment, the cancer is the cause of the death.” However, while the difference between passive euthanasia and active euthanasia exists, Rachel's argued that if passive euthanasia is allowed, active euthanasia should also be allowed as active euthanasia is more humane than passive euthanasia and killing versus letting die makes no moral difference in itself. As such, Rachel disagreed with the American Medical Association or AMA's stand against assisted suicide. (Frey, 46)

Assisted suicide is as ancient as Greece. World history gave us a glimpse on how the Roman government gave hemlock to those who wanted it. At that, time physicians who were faithful to Hippocratic Oath condemned the practice. Today, there are laws that govern assisted suicide but they differ around and it ought to be noted not every country in the world has an assisted suicide law. In countries like Sweden, Norway, Ireland and Italy assisted suicide is forbidden. Canada, England and Wales are places where there is a case of a crime assisting a non-crime. This is because assisting suicide in these countries is a crime but suicide is not. (Mary, 13)

Germany has no penalty for either suicide or assisted suicide while Denmark has no specific law banning assisted suicide nor does Luxemborg. Nevertheless, in Luxemborg, under 410-1 of its Penal Code, a person could be penalized for failing to assist a person in danger. France has no specific law on assisted suicide either but such act could be prosecuted under 223-6 of the Penal Code. However, the subject of assisted suicide has been a national debate since 1995.

Assisted suicide is still not a widespread practice in the US. The US Supreme Court ruled in 1997 that the Constitution does not does not protect the right of ...