Physician Assisted Suicide

Lauren Brown, Megan Bailey, Kielee Sumners, Alexis Peterson

 What is Physician Assisted Suicide?
● (PAS) when a Doctor knowingly and intentionally provides the patient with the
knowledge or means or both with the requirements of committing suicide, both
counseling about the lethal doses of drugs and prescribing or supplying the drugs.
Death with Dignity Act
● States Participating: California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Montana, New
Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington

Requirements https://youtu.be/_F-525sCzhE

● 18+
● Resident of the state
● Must be terminally ill + 6 months or less to live
● Apply for application / Be approved
● Sound mind
● Two oral requests
Additional Legal Stipulations
● Physician must be the one to prescribe the medication
● However Montana has no legal stipulations on it
● Determine if patient is capable
● Written request must be signed and dated by patient and two witnesses
● One witness may not be a relative, married into or adopted
● In Oregon the physician must be doctor of medicine (M.D.) or doctor of
Osteopathy (D.O.)
How is it done?
Physically administering a fatal dose of a suitable drug to the patient on his or her oral
request.

Medications used:

● Secobarbital: capsule
● Pentobarbital: liquid
What happens when you administer the medication?
● Apnea
● Circulatory collapsation
● Respiratory arrest
● Death
How is it different from euthanasia
Euthanasia: Physician assisted suicide:

● Physician prescribes “treatment” ● Physician prescribes “treatment”

● Physician directly administers ● Patient administers
● Illegal in US ● Legal in several states
● In prison, this is a form of the “death
penalty”

Question: Euthanasia is not always 100 percent

successful and is still illegal. Why do you think the
government allows physician assisted suicide but
not euthanasia?
Statistics
● Passed in November 1994 with 51% in favor
● 7/10 Americans say doctors should be allowed to assist terminally ill patients in
commiting suicide
● 1,749 have obtained prescriptions under the act of whom 1,127 or 64.4 have died
from injecting the medications
● Currently 1 in 6 Americans live in a state where a doctor can prescribe a lethal
dose of drugs to a patient.
● Netherlands report failure rate of 25%, oregon has not had

Complications in the last 4 year period

Progress
● The Death With Dignity Movement
● So far progress has been made in Maryland and in Hawaii
● Efforts to repeal the law in California have been unsuccessful
● More states are passing DWDM
Pro
● Death brings him or her the end of pain and suffering
● Opportunity to die with dignity
● Can arrange final goodbyes with loved ones
● Organs can be harvested and donated
● Medical advances have enabled life beyond what nature might of allowed, but not
always best interest in suffering with no hope of recovery
● Document of patients healthcare wishes and can provide clear evidence of patient
wanting to end their life
● Being able to die painlessly
Brittany Maynard
● Diagnosed with terminal brain cancer
● Had 6 months to live
● Didn’t want to suffer in hospice for months
● Established residency in Oregon
● Didn’t want to die, but didn’t want her last days to be spent suffering
● Was married a year and a half beforehand
○ Wanted to start a family

https://youtu.be/_1Bu4A5mOfA
Cons
● Federal Government is against the right to die even with certain states approval
● Aid in dying (PAS) violates the Hippocratic Oath
● May get false information, patient can be helped with a second option
● Many religions prohibit taking one’s own life
● Slippery slope
● Taking one’s own life reduces the chance for miracles and possible recovery
● Unethical doctors will help patients die for the wrong reasons
● It is an act of murdering in all religious beliefs
Stephanie Packer
● Mother of four diagnosed with scleroderma
● Given a 3 year life expectancy
● Refused chemotherapy drugs that would prolong life
● Insurance said they’d cover life ending drugs with a $1.20 copay
Insurance
● PAS saves insurance companies millions every year
● Insurance has refused coverage of chemo and other treatments but covers PAS
● People aren’t being given options
● Costs the insurance company roughly $100
● Federal programs such as Medicaid won’t cover it
Hippocratic oath
● An oath historically taken by physicians
● Oath stating the obligations and proper conduct of doctors
● It is argued that the legality of PAS is doing harm to the patient
● Healing gods, to uphold specific ethical standards
Religion
● Goes against majority of religions doctrine
● Religions such as, Catholicism, Islam, and LDS believe life is a gift from god
● Most don’t oppose refusal of treatment to prolong life
● Some clinics refuse to prescribe based on affiliation i.e Providence

Do you believe a doctor should be able to choose whether they prescribe a medication
or not based on their religion? Why or why not