Assisted Suicide: Ethics, Religion, and Legal Perspectives

Introduction

The ethical and moral issues surrounding assisted suicide are presented in this paper through interviews and research. Assisted suicide has always been a controversial subject, and it continues to be controversial although there are people who believe it is moral, ethical, and should be made legal.

Interview Perspectives: Multiple Viewpoints

Ms. Rogers is a 55-year-old Caucasian widow who lives in my neighborhood. She graciously agreed to answer questions about her views on assisted suicide.

When asked about her personal moral values and religious beliefs regarding voluntary assisted suicide, she stated that she is a devout Christian and therefore believes that only God can give life, and only God can take it away. Her views are shared by many Christians and people of other faiths, so it was no surprise to learn that she essentially opposes assisted suicide.

Ms. Rogers emphasized that no matter what the justification, healthcare professionals have no business interfering with one's life. Healthcare professionals are there to protect lives and promote good health, and if they participate in euthanasia, it should be considered murder, she insisted.

There is no doubt that Ms. Rogers has given considerable thought to this topic. She said she was wholly against making assisted suicide legal. However, she also acknowledged that although a patient near death has the right to autonomy and to determine that ending life would be preferable to continuing to suffer, a professional in the healthcare industry should not be part of the process of terminating that life.

Ms. Rogers went on to say that because nurses and physicians have taken an oath to do no harm, how could they morally and ethically go against that oath? Instead of having one's life ended by assisted suicide, she said that when there is a terminal illness, a patient should be receiving palliative care or hospice care, which includes measures such as morphine to reduce pain and suffering.

A nurse's job is to have compassion and to maintain professional boundaries, Ms. Rogers said; those boundaries include helping the person to live and die in dignity, but death should not be brought on by assisted suicide.

I interviewed a healthcare colleague who is also a friend and neighbor. She said she believes in the philosophy put forward by Wiccan Morality: "An it harm none, do what ye will." Basically, she adheres to the philosophy that relieving the suffering of a frail person who is terminally ill is a good thing. We put animals to sleep that are suffering and cannot recover, and while humans are a very different species, when it comes to our own mother or grandmother who is suffering, we should be able to help these sufferers to pass on peacefully, especially if they are diagnosed with a horrific and debilitating disease.

She also made a suggestion for people about to enter into the bonds of matrimony: as part of the papers that have to be filed to be married, why not make it a requirement (with a case worker's approval) that if the couple falls into a terrible medical situation or suffers from a terminal disease, then assisted suicide will be allowed?

She has been a registered nurse for seven years and recently graduated as a family nurse practitioner. She said that while she supports voluntary assisted suicide, it would be difficult for her to perform that task. Whether it was a family member or another unrelated patient, she said she wouldn't be able to carry out an assisted suicide. However, she did agree that hospice or another responsible healthcare service should be able to legally perform the task of assisted suicide.

This person recently graduated as a family nurse practitioner in December and believes that any person has the right to make the choice of euthanasia, but she would prefer not to be part of an assisted suicide. She feels that hospice or a palliative healthcare professional should conduct this procedure. When asked if she would support a law legalizing assisted suicide, she said yes, but there must be stipulations (such as stage 4 cancer). In her hospital, they use a fentanyl drip or morphine to keep the patient comfortable in a terminal situation. She doesn't agree that it's acceptable for any cancer patient to simply say, "I have cancer now; I want to die." There must be protocols that are followed.

The administrator of a hospital was asked his opinion on human euthanasia and the Schiavo and Dax cases in particular. He said he believes our society doesn't deal well with the issues of death and dying. If society had a better opportunity to more thoroughly review and discuss matters of death and dying, our culture would be more aware of all the facts and hence more comfortable with assisted suicide. In other words, he feels the issue should be more open and should be discussed and debated on the national stage.

The Schiavo case, in which there was a controversy over whether to allow a patient to die who was in a coma, is not unique, he said; in fact, his hospital deals with similar cases on a regular basis. If living wills were in place, many of these controversies could be avoided, he stated. A dying person's wishes, stated clearly in a legal, notarized document, should be granted, he asserted.

Father Frank Bussman was interviewed and posed a theological question: what if Jesus had asked to be euthanized rather than die on the Cross? Of course, that would have defeated the purpose of God sending his son to earth. Christ's suffering was intended to relieve humanity of its sins. The Catholic Church is very much against assisted suicide. Since God created humans and all living things, God therefore has the prerogative to decide whether someone should live or die. So, there is no justification for humans to take another human life, even though that person may be suffering from a terrible terminal disease, according to Father Bussman.

Religious and Worldview Considerations

At the same time, Bussman said it is morally unjustifiable for a person to take his or her own life due to a terrible disease accompanied with great pain and suffering. In other words, assisted suicide is not moral, is against the will of God, and therefore should not be legalized or allowed to be used in any circumstances, Bussman asserts.

The Roman Catholic viewpoint on assisted suicide is articulated by the United States Bishops Conference. Life is a very precious gift from God, and this fact alone has profound implications for the issue of the stewardship of humans. Because the Catholic faith believes that humans don't really own their lives—God owns lives—then humans have absolutely no right to decide what happens to human life.

In fact, God expects that one of the duties of humans is to preserve life and to use human life to further the glory of God. As to those technologies used in healthcare that keep people alive, they are not acceptable. Nor is any form of assisted suicide acceptable, the priest continued. Hospitals and healthcare professionals have to allow patients to share in discussions as to the use of technologies that might be used at end of life, according to the Catholic Church. Medicine should care even when there is no cure available; the dignity of human life should come first before the use of assisted suicide.

Conclusion: Individual Choice and Legal Planning

In conclusion, there are many opinions as to the morality and ethics regarding assisted suicide. In the end, people have to make up their own minds, and they should spell out what they want to happen when the end of their lives is at hand, and a living will is the most appropriate way to do that.