The Case for Legalizing Patient-Assisted Suicide in Terminal Illnesses Term Paper

Introduction

Chronic diseases such as cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and obesity are the leading causes of death in many developed countries like the US, the UK, China, and Germany. These conditions kill approximately 41 million people annually, equivalent to 74% of the population (World Health Organization, 2023). Moreover, they lead to 17 million mortalities annually before age 70, equal to 86% (World Health Organization, 2023).

Even though the introduction of technology in the medical field has helped extend these individuals’ lives, they end up dealing with a lot of pain. Ailment-associated aches, functional and cognitive decline, suffering, and related loss of dignity and autonomy have compelled most of these patients to wish for an option to end their lives. While some groups argue that patient-assisted suicide (PAS) undermines the physician’s role and the sanctity of life, this paper takes the stance that it is a humane and ethical alternative for practice.

Discussion

Patient-assisted suicide should be made legal because it displays respect for autonomy. Picón-Jaimes et al. (2022) highlight that patients have numerous rights while receiving care. They can be offered respectful care, know caregivers by their names, be informed of their treatment progress, refuse some medications, and be involved in making decisions (Sanford & Showalter, 2023). The same laws apply to terminally ill people who have the freedom to choose medical services and how they want them to be offered.

Lee (2023) notes that patients have varying values, beliefs, and priorities. These are always considered in the delivery of care and end-of-life decisions. As advocates, healthcare professionals must respect each person’s autonomy, and this includes their decision to die. Picón-Jaimes et al. (2022) highlight that PAS respects this principle by permitting people with chronic conditions to choose the timing and manner of their death. Therefore, since this concept in the medical system is the cornerstone of every activity, PAS must be made accessible to those who need it.

PAS helps mitigate pain, making it a humane and ethical practice in healthcare. Hagarty et al. (2020) note that many terminally ill individuals often experience severe aches, making it a primary source of fear for end-of-life care. The primary goal of palliative care has always been to relieve patients from these sufferings and other physical symptoms and support their loved ones. These distresses are a significant issue, and requests for pain management help are a common referral to clinical specialists and palliative care teams (Hagarty et al., 2020). In 2019, only one in ten people in the United States owned an emergency department and cited it as their top concern (Hagarty et al., 2020).

Additionally, more than 20% of those who also die in hospitals all over the globe experienced some degree of soreness (Picón-Jaimes et al., 2022). Therefore, when these people get the option of PAS, it serves as the only compassionate and humane way to end their agony. Those who are dealing with loss of bodily functions and are enduring invasive medical procedures can have a painless alternative to death.

Helping patients to kill themselves medically should be legalized because it allows them to die with dignity. While they continue to receive treatment, the terminally ill are often guaranteed prolonged lives with severe pain by technology and healthcare professionals. They are mostly over 60 years old and have accomplished to have children and maybe grandchildren. To most of their family members, they are respected, and their opinions matter. While their families have always seen them through their weak and intense moments, having them suffer in hospital beds, dealing with severe pains, their body functions impaired, and being entirely dependent is not ideal.

Therefore, for a person in this state, Wang et al. (2022) note that they should be given PAS as an option. This will allow them to use their last days to say goodbyes, settle their affairs, and prepare themselves mentally and emotionally to meet the end (Lee, 2023). Moreover, for those who deeply hold values, this process will allow them to reclaim a measure of control and nobility.

PAS must be made available for terminally ill patients because it would help implement rigorous safeguards and regulations. Even though PAS has been termed as a humane and ethical alternative for terminally ill patients experiencing severe pain, there is a possibility that people can abuse or misuse it. For instance, according to Sulmasy (2019), there are cases where healthcare workers might coerce or influence vulnerable individuals, such as those who cannot access adequate medical care or are depressed about choosing PAS. This can potentially affect the whole meaning behind this process and make it unethical.

However, Picón-Jaimes et al. (2022) suggest that making PAS legal will ensure that there are rules to guide it and make its application responsible and appropriate. Some of the laws that can be implemented revolve around multiple assessments of the mental state, consultations, mandatory waiting periods, and stringent record-keeping (Sulmasy, 2019). Therefore, making assisted suicide legal will help control its use and ensure the goal of eliminating pain is maintained.

Assisting terminally ill patients to end their lives is a perfect strategy for reducing medical costs. Maresova et al. (2019) note that due to technological development and its incorporation into the healthcare field, the elderly population has continued to grow significantly. However, as this number rises, many developed countries report that more than half of those over 65 years have at least one chronic condition(Maresova et al., 2019). A higher percentage of sick people suggests increased healthcare needs linked to increased per capita costs with age.

However, this is low compared to those these individuals incur in the 6 to 12 months before they die. Maresova et al. (2019) estimate that the cost elevates four times more during this period. For instance, making PAS legal in a country like Canada would result in 1164 deaths and $62 million in savings (Alliance Vita, 2023). Its extension “would achieve an economy of some 149 million dollars” (Alliance Vita, 2023, p. 3). Therefore, making it available for everyone would help save the burden different nations’ healthcare systems are experiencing.

Medically administered death (MAD) is a humane and ethical option for terminally ill patients because it helps reduce the financial burden on loved ones. In the US, people experience personal implications of medical costs in the form of out-of-pocket expenses, which their insurance cannot cater to (Hagarty et al., 2020). Wang et al. (2022) note that additional healthcare needs are linked to loss of secondary income, loss of productivity and future earnings, and inability to maintain employment. When family members have to pay more for urgent and crucial services for their sick loved ones, they develop stressors and increase the chances of lifetime poverty (Wang et al., 2022).

Therefore, legalizing PAS would help patients and their families save money that they could have spent on hospital stays, medications, surgery, allocation to better facilities, prolonged hospice care, and more. These expenditures can leave them with financial issues that can adversely change their lives. Hence, giving PAS as an option allows them to use their resources for other needs like bereavement support.

PAS should be made legal and accessible to everyone in the US because other countries and states that implement it have shown that it is an ethical practice in the healthcare system. Many nations, including the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, and Luxembourg, have legalized PAS, and from their reports, it can be incorporated within the well-regulated framework (Mroz et al., 2021).

For instance, the Netherlands is one of the first ones to legalize this practice, which allows patients to request medical assistance to commit suicide under strict rules. In Belgium, it was allowed in 2002 and can be controlled conditions to address conditions beyond mental illnesses like severe pain (Mroz et al., 2021). They have all then offered terminally ill patients this option and ensured that laws are used to make it respect the principle of autonomy, safeguard ethics, and be compassionate. This implies that the US can benchmark from them and introduce it in their healthcare sector.

While many countries have implemented PAS and others are in progress, many critics say it undermines the sanctity of life and the role of doctors. Healthcare professionals, including doctors and nurses, address and care for patients’ needs (Warraich et al., 2019). These individuals always make a traditional oath: “Do not harm”(Sanford & Showalter, 2023). When they take part in assisting patients to kill themselves, opponents observe that they are going against their role.

Moreover, they attack this practice by indicating that life should not be intentional because it makes it look less valuable. However, proponents view these perspectives as vague and suggest that PAS is ethically correct and consistent with the broader understanding of the role of medical workers, which is often patient-centered (Lee, 2023). Additionally, while inducing death on purpose is wrong, the quality of life is equally essential (Sanford & Showalter, 2023). Terminally ill patients often start seeing life as an unbearable burden, and removing them from their mystery remains the only option.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the familiar debate about the legalization of PAS is significantly complicated and rooted in moral, ethical, and practical considerations. While many argue that this practice is morally and ethically wrong because it undermines the role of physicians and the sanctity of life, this essay sees it as a humane alternative to providing care. Patients with terminal illnesses frequently endure intense pain, impaired functioning of some of the body parts, deteriorate life, and begin to be more dependent. For most of them, this is not ideal, and they would prefer to choose PAS by practicing their right to autonomy. They want to have painless deaths, have a say in their health decisions, unload financial burdens on their loved ones, maintain their dignity, and reduce additional healthcare costs. Therefore, the US should legalize PAS in all states to rescue these individuals and ensure it is practiced in a well-regulated system.

References

Alliance Vita. (2023). Cost analysis of medical assistance in dying (MAD) in Canada. Web.

Hagarty, A. M., Bush, S. H., Talarico, R., Lapenskie, J., & Tanuseputro, P. (2020). Severe pain at the end of life: Apopulation-level observational study. BMC Palliative Care, 19(1), 1-13. Web.

Lee, M. A. (2023). Ethical issue of physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia. The Korean Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care, 26(2), 95-100. Web.

Maresova, P., Javanmardi, E., Barakovic, S., Husic, J. B., Tomsone, S., Krejcar, O., & Kuca, K. (2019). Consequences of chronic diseases and other limitations associated with old age–a scoping review. BMC Public Health, 19(1431), 1-17. Web.

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Sanford, S. T., & Showalter, J. (2023). The law of healthcare administration. Health Administration Press.

Sulmasy, D. P. (2019). Physician-Assisted suicide and the perils of empirical ethical research. JAMA Network Open, 2(8), e198628-e198628. Web.

Wang, S. E., Haupt, E. C., Nau, C., Werch, H., McMullen, C., Lynn, J., Shen, E., Mularski, A. R., Nguyen, Q. H., &Group, H. (2022). Association between financial distress with patient and caregiver outcomes in home-based palliative care: A secondary analysis of a clinical trial. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 37(12), 3029-3037. Web.

Warraich, H. J., Sewell, R. W., & Sade, R. (2019). Biting the dust with medical help: Should state law legitimize physician-assisted suicide?The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, 157(3), 1302-1307. Web.

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