Physician-Assisted Suicide Right or Wrong?

[@carrietaylor6658]

Should be every humans right

[@ambermaas3971]

I appreciate how you represent both sides. It’s an ugly topic with so many emotions. My opinion as an ICU nurse is that physician-assisted-suicide should be legal in every state. The decision is between the patient and their doctor. No one else. We don’t get to chose if it’s right or wrong unless we are dying or are the prescribing physician.

[@TryingtoTellYou]

I disagree entirely. I don't at all believe in "prescribing death". The mere presence of the option will encourage patients to pursue suicide which is regretful.

[@goldilocks_locsdreadlocks739]

I strongly support it. Were all gonna die someday.

[@mtcondie]

Dr. Jim, we are using this video in my university ethics class for writing an essay on the morals of death and dying in the 21st Century.

[@Shechef5]

Same

[@readbackcorrect]

Embry Riddle? @@Shechef5

[@TryingtoTellYou]

Do me proud and argue against it Kermit!!

[@mtcondie]

@@TryingtoTellYou I did! 🫡

[@TryingtoTellYou]

Relieving someone of suffering is morally virtuous. It is not my moral obligation. We don't arrest bystanders simply because they were near an injured person and chose not to help.

[@aiahzohar5636]

This seems to me the most critical observation on PAS: "people have strong thoughts and opinions." If people are opposed to PAS, they should never elect it. But others' "thoughts and opinions" on the matter shouldn't determine the freedom others have to choose when and how to leave a life that's become too painful for them. It's frightening to me that this debate is still so volatile. Who owns me? If I'm painfully ill and prefer not to continue suffering, but someone else can impede my departure, then I can't be said to own myself.

[@joan5734]

Damn👏👏👏👏

[@mac8179]

You have freedom to do what you want so that would entail suicide. With PAS, a physician is being asked to assist. This opens up a whole new host of issues both for the doctor (and her Hippocratic oath) and also healthcare in general. If PAS becomes endemic within a society, it is a slippery slope to euthanasia and also might place a burden upon a patient to undergo PAS because they may be burdening their family psychologically and financially. I’d encourage you to listen to this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qHbMlmNjatZ7otk

[@theevilem]

@@mac8179 That’s not a whole other problem. If someone is suffering and chooses to die with dignity and end their suffering they need to have the right to do so, if a physician is willing somewhere in their location or country. Obviously you don’t force a physician to go through with it, however, there should be no debate otherwise. If a person wants to end their suffering with the agreeance of a physician, end of story, they should be able to, no matter what anyone else thinks - it’s not up to other people how they chose their care or end of care because it affects no one else. Just some food for thought.

[@mac8179]

@@theevilem You noted "there should be no debate otherwise...end of story" - why not? This doesn't really seem like an argument. The issue is not only that human value isn't what it used to be but also the issues that PAS creates within a society as whole. "Human trafficking, infanticide, physician-assisted suicide, embryonic stem cell research and many other social injustices all have something in common: They treat human beings as having instrumental value. And when humans are treated this way, the strong prevail and the weak get discarded." The elderly are sometimes encouraged to kill themselves because they’ve lost their ability to drive, walk, and work. Many times they’re considered a “drain on society.” If the only value they had was instrumental and they’ve lost it, then they can be thrown away. I'd be interested to know your thoughts on this short excerpt: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qHbMlmNjatZ7otk

[@MissMoIIy]

Very bizarre how they make THiS illegal in the United States, yet there's still the "death penalty" in different states? Hmm, i just don't see how that is any different then this, can someone explain that?

[@Mr_Uni]

Good point. I agree completely.

[@conceptdesigns4100]

Isn't there like 7 states in the US where it's legal?

[@Mr_Uni]

@@conceptdesigns4100 not even

[@conceptdesigns4100]

@@Mr_Uni yes there is. California, Oregon, ect. Look them up. Under the MAID act

[@lukemarshall118]

It’s only legal in the United States for terminally ill patients. They don’t allow physician assisted suicide for mentally and or physically ill people. In my opinion, I definitely think they should allow it for those people as well. Because if somebody wants to and their own life, they’re gonna end up doing it themselves anyway. They should at least be allowed to die with dignity and not in a violent way.

[@amysantiago481]

Those who make the argument that physician-assisted suicide is wrong have the common theme that this act is too close to suicide in the general population. Especially because in the English language, we do not say that someone “died by” suicide, we instead say “committed” suicide as if to imply the person did a crime. I have started saying died by suicide when speaking about the subject as it is a very complex issue in society and I do not want to shame anyone. The worry of “suicide contagion” comes from a good place as people who make this argument care about the lives of those who experience suicidal thoughts and want to prevent people from getting to that point. This demonstrates the ethical principle of beneficence. However, this argument violates the right of autonomy, especially in cases where patients are given a very poor prognosis with not much longer to live. The choice to decide when and how we die respects autonomous decision making. The physician performing this is honoring the duty to practice competently, dodge hurting patients excessively as well as medical fraud, and gain patients’ trust (Miller & Brody, 1995). Having a long discussion with the patient where informed consent is obtained is vital in the decision to go through with physician-assisted suicide or not.

[@KlearlyPumb]

I don't understand if they don't want anybody the rights for everyone...atleast give one for me

[@liyang6645]

Thank you Doctor!

[@huck9293]

My body my choice

[@nfvjgrofgjvoldlkgvlo]

if u dont like PAS then dont get it for yourself. simple.

[@Louis_Roper]

Agreed. I don’t see why everyone is making such a fus

[@TryingtoTellYou]

@@Louis_Roper Because we aren't narcissists. Well maybe the religious are. Atheist opposition to euthanasia such as myself see the overwhelming risk of exploitation and the assurance that coercion will take place. Imagine booking your own death and then thinking the person who you booked it with is not going to convince you to go through with it. Time is money and the euthanist wants their paycheck.

[@terricabradley8229]

It's all okay to decide PAS until they meet their maker. Heaven is real and so is hell. I have actually been declared as medically deceased for 2 minutes. So no you don't die from this side of life and that's it. Make your choice, Heaven or Hell. Life on earth is temporary compared to eternal life.

[@terricabradley8229]

Continue and carry on.

[@jonahjohnsen6519]

Wrong it's a voilation of a Dr.s oath.

[@nfvjgrofgjvoldlkgvlo]

letting someone suffer against their will is doing them harm.

[@TryingtoTellYou]

@@nfvjgrofgjvoldlkgvlo You're missing a key word. "Causing" someone harm is wrong. The mere presence of harm is amoral.

[@onlinetruth9979]

How so? Not all Drs take the hypocratic oath so what about them? What if the oath said something you strongly disagree with? Then should they be allowed to go against it if they change their mind?

[@TryingtoTellYou]

@@onlinetruth9979 That is not comforting at all. "Hi Doctor." "Hi patient, I cannot at all assure you that I won't kill you in your most vulnerable moments." "Oh... well here's a billion dollars anyways."

[@onlinetruth9979]

@@TryingtoTellYou the patient has to SELF ADMINISTER the substance for assisted dying. The doctor cannot administer themselves. Also what do you mean by “vulnerable”? Can you objectively say how? The patient can also go through VSED and go through palliative care that can shorten life done by the doctors anyways. Why can’t they go through a more safeguarded alternative?

[@murphypaschal]

A friend of mine lived in excruciating pain for over a year and eventually couldn't take it anymore. He tried, unsuccessfully, to kill himself. He's now in a vegetative state kept on life support. His doctors, at least the ones I met before his suicide attempt, were mostly useless with little or no empathy. There is no moral dilemma whatsoever in assisted suicide: each individual should have the right to end unbearable sufffering. One day, one of the anti PAS people may find themselves in horrendous pain, with no way out, and think back on the agony they put someone else through by continually upholding the against lobby. It will be a very different story when the shoe is on the other foot: trust me on that one. Btw, not all pain can be controlled. My wife is a nurse and has witnessed many, many people die in pain where palliative care did not work. People are mislead by the medical profession regarding their ability to control pain. It begs the question why.

[@TryingtoTellYou]

You describe this "friend" as a vegetable. I take it you mean he could not sustain his own life without support? Sounds like his suicide attempt was quite successful then. The only person who stopped him was you.