Blog 3: The Dr. Death Debate

Picture yourself as a terminally ill person or someone living with a chronic and painful disease. Perhaps the disease is so debilitating that you are not able to perform every day functions such as taking a shower or making your bed. Maybe you are constantly feeling nauseated from weekly chemotherapy treatments and are so fatigued that even brushing your teeth becomes a chore. Even worse, your psychological condition is going down hill with each passing day. The thought of slowly dying and living with excruciating pain severely affects your mental state and you slip even deeper into depression. Perhaps you have no support during this difficult time. Maybe there is no one in your life to help you function and you ultimately find yourself going through each day alone and afraid. However, what if there was a way to escape the pain and psychological torment for good? What if you could choose to end your life in a less painful process than what your disease had in store for you? Would the idea of a medical professional assisting you with such a procedure seem appealing when faced with dying a slow and painful death? Is it your right as a human being to choose whether or not you want to live or die? Would the idea of “assisted suicide” even be ethical in the field of healthcare? There are thousands of people each day that are diagnosed with and/or are living with terminal and debilitating diseases. How many of these individuals have contemplated “assisted suicide?” According to Dr. Jack Kevorkian, more people than what one might think may want such assistance when it comes to ending their life.

As many of you know, Dr. Jack Kevorkian was released from prison a few days ago after serving an eight year sentence for helping end the life of a man with Lou Gehrig's disease. Kevorkian had also assisted with ending the lives of 130 people throughout the 90s (Hoffman, 2007). During this time, Kevorkian often challenged prosecutors (and the law) to charge him with a crime or make assisted suicide legal. Finally, he was convicted with second degree murder for helping end the life of Thomas Youk, a 52 year old man suffering from Lou Gehrig’s disease. When released from prison, Kevorkian was embraced by many supporters including his legal assistant, Ruth Holmes. According to Ms. Holmes in regard to Jack Kevorkian’s history of assisted suicides, “This should be a matter that is handled as a fundamental human right that is between the patient, the doctor, his family and his God” (Hoffman, 2007). Dr. Kevorkian has two years of parole to complete and during this time he is forbidden to assist anyone with dying. However, news reports claim that Dr. Kevorkian still believes that people have the right to die. Reports also suggest that the doctor will in fact continue to assist with ending the lives of ill patients after his parole is over in 2009.

The result of the above news has stirred up more controversy on whether or not human beings have the right to end their life if ill and/or in pain. Now, if a patient is residing in an actual hospital while suffering, the patient and his/her caregivers/family have the right to make a life-ending decision. If a patient’s treatment is found not to work, treatment may be withdrawn in an effort to stop the patient from suffering. Why is this not the case when an individual is suffering in the privacy of his/her own home and not in a hospital? How can members of a hospital staff legally withdrawal treatment from a patient (and thus resulting in a patient’s death) but individuals in their homes cannot legally end their lives if severely ill? Is not withdrawing treatment from a patient essentially helping them end their lives? Would this not be considered “assisted suicide” in some sense? Was Dr. Jack Kevorkian acting like other medical professionals when asked by a patient to “withdrawal” their treatment and help end their suffering? Was Kevorkian really acting that much different than medical professionals dealing with an ill patient within a hospital? Was Kevorkian really just acting in the best interest of the patient? Do not medical professionals at hospitals do the same?

According to Hofmann and Nelson (2001), “answering specific questions will help to determine when a treatment may be withheld or withdrawn [from a patient]: 1) Is it too painful? 2) Is it too physically damaging? 3) Is it psychologically repugnant to the patient? 4) Does it suppress too greatly the patient’s mental capacity? 5) Is the expense prohibitive?” Cannot these questions be applied to patients suffering at home? If so, why is it illegal for patients to end their lives if assisted by a medical professional? Is this act not the same situation that occurs within hospitals everyday with terminally ill patients? If assisted suicide was deemed legal in the U.S., how would such a law affect healthcare organizations? How would it affect the mindset of the general population? Would assisted suicide ever be tolerated in this country or is such an act just too unethical?

An ethical debate of this magnitude will most likely continue to be ongoing for many years to come. Perhaps human beings will never reach a decision and will continue to “agree to disagree.” In any event, it is my opinion that a human being should have control over his/her life under any circumstance. I do in fact see the similarities between what Dr. Jack Kevorkian did and what trained medical staff practice everyday. What distinguishes these two entities? Are clearer laws and/or regulations needed to define the two practices? Who is able to evaluate such ethical dilemmas and make a change if needed? The above questions may never be answered and for the purpose of today’s discussion serve as just “food for thought.” How do you all feel about the issue over whether or not to end a person’s life due to extreme suffering? Is it right or wrong? Feel free to leave me comments!

References

Hofmann, P. & Nelson, W. (2001). Managing Ethically: An Executive’s Guide. Chicago:

Health Administration Press.

Hofmann, K. (2007, June 1). Kevorkian Leaves Prison After 8 Years. Retrived June 1, 2007,

from http://abcnews.go.com/US/WireStory?id=3233593&page=1