Euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide (PAS), non-voluntary euthanasia, and involuntary euthanasia all hold different meanings, but are usually lumped together in the same arguments for or against helping others to end their lives when they have a terminal disease. Since there is some confusion about the differences of these terms, I want to state ethics advisor Chris Chaloner’s and senior lecturer Karen Sanders’ definition of physician-assisted suicide. It is when “the doctor provides the means and/or guidance, such as a prescription for a lethal dose of medicine, and counseling on doses and methods. He or she does not perform the final act: the patient does” (41). Throughout the next few pages I will touch on the history of physician-assisted suicide and talk about some of its pros and cons.
One of the first and most famous people that are often referred to is Dr. Jack Kevorkian. Later know as “Dr. Death”, Kevorkian offered assisted suicide to patients by starting a saline IV and letting the patient initiate the flow of barbiturates and potassium chloride (Darr 31). After his medical license was taken away for PAS, he began using carbon monoxide, which was breathed through a mask. Although Michigan, the place where these assisted suicides took place, had no law banning assisted suicide, he eventually was prosecuted for second-degree murder. He helped to complete 130 suicides before being sentenced to 10-25 years in prison (Darr 32).
There are many cases of patients wanting help to end their lives and the state or a hospital refusing them that right. In the United States only one state has passed the law for PAS, which is Oregon. This has been a debate and put to trial on multiple occasions, the most famous being the State of Oregon v. Ashcroft. Professor Kurt Darr noted that Justice Anthony Kennedy and five of his colleagues “determined that the CSA does not allow the attorney general to prohibit doctors from prescribing regulated drugs for use in PAS” (34). Oregon has set policies and procedures for PAS, which seem to be working well. Could this be a model for other states and countries?
The list of pros and cons when discussing PAS is endless, but I want to touch base on a few. One argument for PAS is autonomy (self-determination) and human rights. This means that patients have a right to choose to live or die, and those that need assistance in dying have the right to receive it (Chaloner and Sanders 43). If one can write in their living will that they do not want to be kept on life support for weeks, then how does this differ from someone who knows that they are going to die within six months and is in pain, but is refused the assistance to end their life? The British Medical Association declares that doctors have a duty to relieve pain and suffering for patients, and for some, euthanasia or PAS is the only way to achieve this (388-409).
An argument against PAS is that by permitting this, patient’s ability to trust their doctor as a healer will decline. The ‘slippery slope’ argument suggests that euthanasia and PAS could come to be seen as desirable for those who choose it, but also for others who cannot make the decision (BMA 388-409). The last argument that I will mention is that PAS may put a task on a doctor or nurse who does not feel comfortable with administering this decision (Rodrigo 24).
This is just the tip of the iceberg of discussions on physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia. From Kevorkian, “Dr. Death”, to the State of Oregon to individual cases, the results have not been finalized. There are many doctors, patients, lawyers, and families that have arguments for or against PAS. We will keep the debates and discussions flowing, and hopefully come to a reasonable resolution that will meet as many needs and wants as possible. Then, we will look to the future to see what it brings.

British Medical Association. “Euthanasia and physician assisted suicide.” Medical Ethics Today: The BMA’s Handbook of Ethics and Law. 2nd ed. London: BMJ Publishing, 2004.
Chaloner, Chris. Sanders, Karen. “Voluntary euthanasia: ethical concepts and definitions.” Nursing Standard 21.35 (2007): 41-44.
Darr, Kurt. “Assistance in Dying: Part II. Assisted Suicide in the United States.” Nexus 85.2 (2007): 31-36.
Rodgrigo, Ana. “Patients’ Moral Choices Must Be Understood and Respected.” Nursing Standard 21.23 (2007): 24.