Physician-Assisted Suicide [Self-Reflection]
The discussion about Physician-Assisted Suicide is a sensitive one since it involves taking life. Notably, it doesn’t matter that it is the ailing person who requests to have the procedure done on him. The debate is ever-relevant due to the ethical issues that it raises. People who find pas unethical argue that physicians must preserve human life at all means. On the other hand, the supporters of the practice say that the method should be allowed since it is the patient’s choice. I believe that both the supporters and the critics of PAS present strong arguments on how to approach the issue. However, there is a need to balance between the wishes of the patient and the ethical implications.
No matter how strong the ethical convictions are, the patient should be allowed the final say on his life. We all agree that it is the terminally ill patient who is undergoing the pain. Even if we tried, we could not understand the pain the patient goes through to the point of request for a PAS procedure. Therefore, if a patient requests for the process, it should be granted without questions. After all, a considerable chunk of patients that request for the procedure has a condition that cannot get cured. Suffice to say that it is immoral to keep an individual in pain for a long time only for them to die. You see if we were following the patient alive as we look for a possible cure that could be a different story. Unfortunately, by the time a patient requests a PAS, he knows very well that he will get cured.
Additionally, I think it is wrong for bystanders who do not know the pain a terminally ill patient experiences to decide on the merits or demerits of applying the procedure. Further, I find the perceived fear by physicians that they might lose credibility if they assist with PAS unfounded. In my opinion, a physician can only lose credibility for the act of commission or omission committed during the reasonable conduct of their practice. However, PAS is a procedure that pegs on the terminally ill patient and has nothing to do with the physician. I end by stating that PAS should be allowed at the option of the terminally ill patient.
Lastly, relating to workplace capability, we must leave the decisions concerning PAS to qualified physicians. The political class and the court system should not make laws that force physicians to act in a specific manner. Notably, it is the physician who knows what is right and harmful for their patients. Where outside forces interfere with the working of the physicians, the physician’s work becomes challenging. On the other hand, physicians should honor the wishes of their terminally ill patients. As much as the doctors may not want to participate in the PAS, they have an obligation towards the patient. If the patient feels that they have suffered enough, and they would like to discontinue the treatment, the doctors should adhere to the request. However, outside forces should stay out of the business of the physician since they are qualified professionals.