By: Dianna Termin
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What is Physician-Assisted Suicide?

Occurs when a physician provides the
means, medical advice, and assurance
that death results.
 The
person, not the physician performs the
act that causes death.
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Is it Euthanasia?
No, euthanasia doesn't give the patient the
choice of dying. They physician or
surrogate directs the treatment.
Example: bringing death by increasing
painkiller beyond what is needed to kill the
pain
(illegal in almost most states)
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There is more than 1 type
There are four types:
Voluntary active
Voluntary passive
Involuntary active
Involuntary passive
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Physician-Assisted Suicide
Often called “aid in dying”
 Similar to voluntary, active euthanasia
 Mental aspect of patient must be ensured

 If
they are not mentally stable they will not
receive physician-assisted suicide
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Janet Adkins
Assisted in her suicide in 1990 by Jack
Kevorkian.
 Questioned if Adkins was competent
because of Alzheimer's disease.

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Jack Kevorkian
Known as “Dr Death”
 Kevorkian created a device that enabled
people wishing to commit suicide to
administer chemicals to themselves after
assistance form a physician
 a retired Michigan pathologist
 Assisted in more than 100 suicides.

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Jack Kevorkian
1999 convicted in second-degree murder
in criminal trial in Michigan where assisted
suicide is illegal.
 Criticized because he “didn’t know his
patients” because he was unqualified to
diagnose or understand illness because he
was a pathologist.
 Also conflict of interest because of
publicity of “death machine”

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In states that its illegal
“comfort always”
 Sometimes administering too much
morpheme never raised an unethical
issue.
 Laws didn’t consider a patients wishes and
reflected the laws against homicide and
laws making it illegal to assist in
committing suicide.

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Death with Dignity Act
Est in Oregon 1994 (52% to 48%)
 Permits physicians to prescribe, but not
administer fatal doses of oral drugs to
competent adults with less than 6 months to
live.


Must have



oral or written request from patient and consultations with
other physician.
15-day waiting period
Notification by physician of pharmacists and state health
authorities
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Death with Dignity Act
First suicide under Oregon law March 1998
 Medicaid added physician-assisted suicide
to end-of life comfort care services
 No movement or trend of similar laws
since Oregon

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Who
Statues in 38 states criminalize assisted
suicide.
 Common law in 6 states criminalize
assisted suicide.
 In 5 states assisted Suicide is unclear.

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What does the U.S. Supreme Court
Say?
1997 it unanimously ruled that states may
ban physician-assisted suicide without
violating either the due process or equal
protection clauses of the 14th Amendment
to the Constitution
 They did no decide whether states could
pass laws such as Oregon giving people
the choice.

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Netherlands
Supported Euthanasia by 92% of population
 First country to legalize practice in 1999




It must be Voluntary
The patients must be competent and terminal
Reported


2% of death caused by euthanasia
Proof of no consent from majority of patients
U.S.

31% of physicians couldn’t do this on moral grounds.

Those who guard life now turn to dying as means of medicine.
Majority of physicians in Michigan and Oregon favored legalizing assisted
suicide.
 6% of physicians who regularly care for dying have prescribed injections so
patients could kill themselves (when it was legal).
 By 1999 30 people have been assisted in their suicides in Oregon.

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References

Longest, Beaufort, Jonathon S. Rakich and Kurt Darr. Managing Health
Services Organizations and Systems. Baltimore: Health Professions Press,
2005.

Department of Human Services Record: Death With Dignity Act.
Oregon.gov March 2006. 21 November 2007
<http://egov.oregon.gov/DHS/ph/pas/>

UB Center for Clinical Ethics and Humanities in Health Care: U.S. Supreme
Court Rules on Physician Assisted Suicide Cases. UB Center April 2000. 21
November 2007
<http://wings.buffalo.edu/faculty/research/bioethics/court.html>
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