Implications of assisted suicide
Many people's lives have been extended by the miracles of modern medicine and technology. However, although the use of these new technologies and drugs may keep people alive longer, the question arises about the quality of that extended life. This paper reviews one physician's apparent preoccupation with assisted suicide in order to introduce the controversy regarding the ethical, moral and legal implications of physician-assisted suicide in the USA. We discuss the arguments in favour of and against assisted suicide in the context of quality of life, individual autonomy versus communal responsibility, and professional autonomy. Occupational therapy, in particular, may be ethically challenged since one can argue that its aim is to help people lead a meaningful and purposeful life despite severe performance deficits.
ASSIGNMENT DETAILS:
A physician’s group has asked you, a student of medical sociology, to give a talk on the implications of assisted suicide for society in general. What would be the three (3) most important points you want the group to understand at the end of your presentation?
