Physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia all have a common goal of voluntarily terminating one’s life by administering a lethal substance directly or indirectly assisted by a physician. In physician-assisted suicide, the physician provides the necessary information, and the patient performs the act while in euthanasia the physician performs the act that finally ends life. The practices have their proponents and opponents. Physicians who oppose the acts believe that they violate fundamental function of medicine and believe that doctors are supposed to be healers and not killers.
Before her father’s death, for over two decades Wolf totally opposed the legalization of physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia. She believed that with modern medicine advancements, patients with life-threatening illnesses should have access to supportive care and control of symptoms to reduce their suffering hence sufficiently reduce their desire for hastened death. She wanted a situation where she would take care of her father, keep vigil and fight to secure a comfortable death. This to her was a terrific show of love and trust to her father. Her school of thought changed in June of 2007 when her father with a five year history of diagnosed metastatic thyroid cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was admitted in a nearby hospital.
Losing a loved one especially a family member is a tragic situation and one takes time to recover from the loss. Physician assisted-suicide would be the best response to Wolf’s father illness. Having been a smart, savvy lawyer and the family patriarch, Wolf’s father felt it was justifiable to have an accelerated death. After being hospitalized, he was becoming increasingly weak, it was difficult for him to ‘focus’, read, do the New York Times crossword puzzles or even watch television though he could talk. He was always confined in bed and did little when he was alone. He once told Susan that he feared becoming a terrible burden to them.
It is rare to get a patient with life threatening illness who does not think about suicide or passing away naturally. Several factors will force a patient to request for physician-assisted suicide which includes physical suffering, psychological or mental suffering, loss of control and being a burden to others. Though each patient has a unique set of reasons why he or she would like to hasten death. Physical suffering including pain is less of a motivator unless it is excessive. Susan’s father could not stand, walk and eat. He had bed sores and transferring him from bed to a chair was not possible. There was no treatment to slow down the growth of his newly discovered lung cancer. He later developed massive bleeding and the gastroenterologists could not find the source. This led to him being transferred to the intensive care unit and according to him it was not the best idea. He was definitely dying of physical causes.
Unrelieved mental and psychological sufferings are the most common factors that stimulate patients to enquire about euthanasia. This is a strong point to advocate for physician- assisted suicide for Susan’s father. He was depressed by his illness. Susan’s father was upset that the nurse on duty was not answering his calls and his inability to move made him to be at the mercy of the nurse. This is understandable because Susan’s father was forceful and intimidating at times and could not understand why he was being treated as a beggar. He felt he was totally out of control of his own life. The transition from an independent to a totally dependent person is traumatizing if one is not psychologically prepared. Wolf’s father never thought one day he would be in this situation. This prompted him to demand for an instant solution to his suffering. He was clear that he wanted no more of tube feeding and IV hydration. One thing that came clear in his mind was suicide. Assisted suicide was the only option left that could end his problems. All he wanted was a consensus from everyone especially Susan.
With life being infinite in value, I agree with Susan that assisted suicide and euthanasia should not be legalized. Killing or taking one’s life is never acceptable under any conditions. It is even prohibited under the Ten Commandments in the bible and doing is committing murder. According to the Hippocratic Oath doctors take, assisting a patient commit suicide is termed as breaking the professional rule of ethics. Doctors should help heal a patient and not to kill. The society respects the right to life and so should the physicians.
In disagreeing with Susan, it is also the right of a terminally ill patient to avoid intolerable suffering and have a timely and dignified death. They are at liberty to choose when to bring about their death as long as they are mentally stable.
In conclusion, it is justifiable to recommend assisted suicide for Susan’s father, though it narrows down to patient’s decision on whether or not to go for it. Consensus must be reached upon by each party.
Bibliography
Carr, M. F. (2010). Physician-Assisted Suicide: Religious Perspectives on Death with Dignity. Tucson,AZ: Wheatmark, Inc.
