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Abstract
Assisted
dying is a conflict-ridden
and debatable subject, and
a broad range of interests
should inform any proposed
policy changes to promote
autonomy and end and mitigate
intense suffering by providing
a ‘safe and comfortable’
death to patients who believe
they would otherwise have
to endure unbearable suffering
at the end of life. Some could
argue that palliative care
can’t do it all, especially
with its inconstant availability.
The
British Medical Association
(BMA) and some Royal Colleges
have recently changed their
attitude on physician-assisted
suicide from ‘combated’
to forms of ‘impartial’.
For
the last few years, the toll
took the UK system to vote
for assisted dying and wanted
to legalize it. Some countries
have legalized it for some
time, and some British nationals
fly overseas to have it conducted.
The drugs that are being prescribed
and administered, are both
for physician-assisted suicide
(patient ingestion) and for
euthanasia (physician-administered).
Keywords: assisted
dying; assisted suicide;
physician-assisted suicide;
euthanasia;
medical ethics; non-maleficence;
law.
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