Physician-Assisted Suicide: Legalization, Limitations and Implications

Running head: PHYSICIAN-ASSISTED SUICIDE
PHYSICIAN-ASSISTED SUICIDE

PHYSICIAN-ASSISTED SUICIDE 2
Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Summary..........................................................................................................................................3
Analysis...........................................................................................................................................5
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................7
References........................................................................................................................................8

PHYSICIAN-ASSISTED SUICIDE 3
Introduction
Assisted suicide generally refers to dying with the aid of another person. In this context,
the assisted suicide is performed with the aid of a practicing physician. The nature of the action
and the ethics behind it is often questioned. The objective of this study is to focus on the various
works related to the subject. Furthermore, this study aims at identifying and discussing the
relevance of the practices regarding PAS. It may be mentioned in this context that PAD or
‘Physician-Assisted Death’ and PAS or ‘Physician-Assisted suicide’ are terms which are often
used interchangeably. Since, it is generally considered aiding and abetting an individual in
committing suicide to be a heinous criminal offense. However, the circumstance to be considered
for the death of the patient is taken into account in this regards. The aim of the study is to
primarily analyse and discuss the aspects to be considered for PAS.
Summary
There are several sources of information analysed in order to gain information and a
concrete perspective regarding PAS. It may be stated in this regards that assisted suicide has
been legalized in certain countries, namely Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Switzerland and many
more, taking the circumstances for annihilation of the patient into consideration (Radbruch et al.
2016). However, in general, the assistance of an individual for committing suicide is considered
not only a criminal offense, but also an unethical practice. It is to be noted that the patients
considering PAS often suffer from mental illnesses, such as depression. Considering certain
cases, such as the case of Brittany Maynard, who have been reported to be suffering from a