(No) Right to Die

/ jordan jeffers / Leave a comment

I am glad my uncle is dead. Before you label me a sociopath, let me explain.

A few years ago, my uncle died of Parkinson’s Disease. The quality of life in his last days was terrible; he could barely walk, and could not complete day-to-day tasks like brushing his teeth. As awful as it sounds, a weight was lifted off our shoulders when he died. We knew he was not suffering anymore.

So it frustrated me when I found out about aid in dying (more commonly known by the phrases “physician assisted suicide”, “euthanasia”, etc.—none of which are endorsed by its advocates) about a year ago. You’re telling me that my family sat there and watched our loved one suffer when we could have done something to ease his pain?

Well, no. It’s way more complicated than that, unfortunately. As Angela Chen points out, only four states and the District of Columbia have a “right-to-die” law, legislation that allows terminally ill people to request assistance in dying (in the form of a prescription of lethal drugs), so long as they are of sound mind. Pennsylvania, where my uncle lived, is not a state on that list.

The fact that most states are not on that list is troubling to me. Yes, death is a scary concept, but that does not mean that we should prohibit other people from choosing what they judge to be best for themselves. Physician aid in dying is not something to be afraid of. It is something this country needs as a legal right.

Consider this: according to the American Medical Association’s Code of Ethics, doctors are obligated to respect patient autonomy, and if a patient (in their right mind) requests withdrawal of lifesaving treatment, their doctor is required to comply. Why then, is it outrageous for a terminally ill patient to request a prescription of lethal drugs? Especially when you consider the fact that death from withdrawal of treatment can take weeks, and still leaves the patient in a state of terrible discomfort.

“But wait!,” you cry. “Using lethal drugs is not a foolproof way to kill someone, and a lot of the times it only makes people suffer more!” Where did you hear that? There has been no evidence to support that claim. In fact, according to the Oregon Department of Human Services, in 2005 there was only one instance of a patient regaining consciousness after ingesting lethal medication. The reality is that half of the patients who ingest lethal doses of medicine become unconscious within five minutes and “the same percentage are dead within 26 minutes”. Physician aid in dying is a way to ensure that terminally ill patients have the least amount of suffering possible, giving them the “good death” they deserve.

But the biggest thing that opponents of physician aid in dying still do not understand is this simple fact: no one is obligated to request it. Like same-sex marriage or abortion, if someone doesn’t think it’s right for them, they don’t have to do it. And even if a terminally ill patient requests a prescription, they’re still under no obligation to actually ingest the medicine. Already only a small number of patients request aid in dying; as of January 2016, 2,294 patients had requested a prescription, and only 1,703 patients had died, CNN reported. Taking into consideration that most of those deaths come from Oregon, where aid in dying has been legal for 20 years (meaning the deaths are spread out over a longer period of time), few patients utilize aid in dying. Living wills ensure that people who want aid in dying will get it and that those who don’t will not. The bottom line? No doctor will force you to request aid in dying.

Which brings me to what is one of the biggest arguments against physician aid in dying—the “slippery slope” idea that if we start letting terminally ill patients choose when they wish to die, unethical doctors will start forcing the option on especially vulnerable patients like the elderly or people of color. That’s a valid concern: the history of medical abuse towards people of color and those in poverty in America is long. Since aid in dying has only been legal in Oregon (where the majority of residents are white) for 20 years, and other states less than that, there isn’t a lot of long-term research into the demographics of who’s receiving aid in dying and if the victimization of vulnerable groups is on the rise, according to David Leven. Until we know more, stronger ethics education and training for medical professionals could help assuage fears.

What all this comes down to is this: aid in dying is not about letting people end their lives carelessly and without a second thought. It’s about lending your hand to someone who’s in the worst pain of their life, in their greatest time of need, and saying “I see your struggle, and I want to make it better.”

 

 

Works Cited

Chen, Angela. “Assisted suicide is now legal in Colorado.” The Verge. Vox Media, 8 Nov. 2016. Web. 22 Feb. 2017.

Code of Medical Ethics. Chicago, IL: American Medical Association, 2007. American Medical Association. American Medical Association. Web. 22 Feb. 2017.

Leven, David. Personal interview. 3 Mar. 2017.

Niemeyer, Darcy. Eighth Annual Report on Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act. Rep. Ed. Richard Leman. Oregon Department of Human Services, 9 Mar. 2006. Web. 22 Feb. 2017.

“Physician-Assisted Suicide Fast Facts.” CNN. Cable News Network, 7 June 2016. Web. 22 Feb. 2017.