Physician Assisted Suicide: Exploring Concepts and Implications

This report provides a review of the concept of physician-assisted suicide, examining its implications from ethical and medical perspectives. The author explores the arguments for and against physician-assisted suicide, highlighting the importance of considering the patient's perspective and the potential impact on individuals' mental health, especially for the uninsured and disabled. The report references key sources, including studies by de Beaufort and van de Vathorst (2016) and Emanuel (2017), to support its analysis. The author emphasizes the need to consider the patient's preferences and the potential impact on medical progress. The report also considers how the legalization of assisted suicide could influence the approach of doctors and the development of new medical treatments. Overall, the report offers a comprehensive review of the complexities surrounding physician-assisted suicide, emphasizing the importance of considering all viewpoints and potential consequences.

Running head: REVIEW OF CONCEPT
Review of Concept
Name of Student:
Name of the University:
Author note:

1REVIEW OF CONCEPT
Physician assisted suicide is suicide that takes place with the help of another
individual who is a physician or a healthcare provider (Emanuel 2017). I think it is important
for individuals to reflect on their own life and ask themselves what they want the final years
of old age to look like. The advance in medical science has made it possible for every
individual to be able to live healthier and longer lives, however there are still many people
living in nursing homes only because the doctors have the ability to extend their lives, but not
enrich them. I think physician assisted suicide can be a good option for the terminally ill, only
when those individuals do not want to live longer in that manner and have made a clear-
headed decision. Many people who are against the concept look at assisted suicide as ending
the life of a living person when really; it is ending the suffering of a dying person.
We then have to deal with the horrifying impact on individuals’ mental health, as
death becomes an acceptable response to suffering. I feel that the legalization of assisted
suicide will make situations much worse for the uninsured and the disabled. One of the
strongest arguments for legalization is that it makes doctors focus more on ensuring that the
patients are comfortable when dealing with a terminal disease, because if suicide is an option
then the doctors will do what they can to initiate it (de Beaufort and van de Vathorst 2016).
However, this would badly stunt the growth of medical progress as trying new methods and
medicines will not be as desirable if the outcome has not much chances of changing for an
individual.

2REVIEW OF CONCEPT
References:
de Beaufort, I.D. and van de Vathorst, S., 2016. Dementia and assisted suicide and
euthanasia. Journal of neurology, 263(7), pp.1463-1467.
Emanuel, E., 2017. Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide: focus on the data. The Medical
Journal of Australia, 206(8), pp.1-2e1.