My thoughts on this video about doctors offering assisted suicide are complicated.

On one hand,
I understand the desire to provide a dignified death for those who are suffering from terminal
illnesses or chronic pain. I believe that everyone should have the right to choose how they want
to live and die, and that includes the right to end their own life if they so choose. On the other
hand, I worry that assisted suicide could be abused or used to avoid difficult conversations about
end-of-life care. I also worry that it could be used as a way to avoid providing adequate palliative
care for those who are suffering. Ultimately, I think that the decision to offer assisted suicide
should be made on a case-by-case basis and that doctors should be well-trained in end-of-life
care before they are allowed to offer assisted suicide. I also think that there should be strict
guidelines in place to ensure that the patient is making an informed decision and that the decision
is not being made from fear or desperation. There needs to be a fine line on who can actually go
through with this type of thing. Patients who are mentally having a rough time and going through
hard times should not be allowed to come in and ask for something like this. I think that it should
be offered to patients who are suffering severely, are not going to make it, and are already being
put on a timeline. An article I found says “competent terminal patients should be given the right
to assisted suicide in order to end their suffering, reduce the damaging financial effects of
hospital care on their families, and preserve the individual right of people to determine their own
fate. (Esther, 2021)” This is something that I agree with because patients who are going through
those types of things should have the right to decide what they want to do. I do also believe that
this should not be something that just happens overnight. The physicians and other health care
professionals should have to talk to the patient so they really understand what is going to happen,
and the patient can think about it for a few days, so they are not just making a rash decision.
I do not think that the twins should have the right to death. This is because although they were
already deaf and becoming blind, I think that they could have learned how to do daily life with
these things. They would not be considered terminally ill patients either. I know that it should be
up to the patient but not every patient should be offered this. People who are going through
mental health problems should not be offered this or people who are sick but are going to
recover. Patients who are terminally ill should be some of the only patients that are allowed to go
through with this.
The patient's medical history would be important to discuss in order to understand the patient's
current condition. The patient's wishes and preferences would also be important to discuss to
ensure that the patient's autonomy is respected and that the proposed treatment is in line with the
patient's wishes. The patient's family opinions would also be important to discuss in order to
ensure that the patient's best interests are taken into account. The opinions of the medical team
would be important to discuss as well to ensure that the proposed treatment is medically sound
and that the patient is receiving the best possible care. Finally, the ethical implications of the
proposed treatment would be important to discuss in order to ensure that the proposed treatment
is ethically sound and that the patient's rights are respected. According to the book, “an ethics
committee is not a decision maker but a resource that provides advice to help guide others in
making wiser decisions when there is no clear best choice. (Pozgar, 2016)” An ethics committee
is there to just be another source for people to talk to when they really do not know what
decision they should make or what they should do.
Works Cited
Esther, B. (2021, May 16). The Right to Assisted Suicide . Retrieved from Lone Star College:
https://www.lonestar.edu/rightto-assist-suicide.htm

Pozgar, G. D. (2016). Legal and Ethical Issues for Health Professionals: Fourth Edition. Jones and Bartlett
Learning.