Physician-assisted death can be defined as a practice in which a physician provides a terminally ill patient with a means to end his/her life (Finlay & George, 2011). The physician only offers the lethal dose of medication upon the request of the patient. According to the Death with Dignity Act, physicians have the right to prescribe lethal medications to terminally ill patients (Finlay & George, 2011). The most significant legal concerns of assisted death include the following. First, it is recommended that the physician must provide the patient with a lucid explanation so that he/she could understand the decisions made. Besides, it is a must to document the request being offered. Second, Finlay and George (2011) assert that the physician will only administer the lethal dose of medication after explaining all other options to the patient. Lastly, the physician should wait for a certain period to make sure the patient has not changed their minds. If the patient changes their mind, the physician can withdraw the decision.

I think that these legal concerns are justified because legalizing physician-assisted suicide will help prevent possible abuses which might occur in situations when doctors secretly assist patients in committing suicide. For instance, involving a psychiatrist in evaluating the emotional state of the patient will help in determining the patient’s capability to make a decision regarding his/her life (Lagay, 2003). A standardized waiting period is significant since the patient will have sufficient opportunity to reconsider the decision. According to Finlay and George (2011), legalizing physician-assisted death will enable terminally ill patients to avoid unnecessary suffering and respect their rights to autonomy. It is a humane act to end the suffering of a person when all possible alternatives have been exhausted.

References

Finlay, I. G., & George, R. (2011). Legal physician-assisted suicide in Oregon and The Netherlands: evidence concerning the impact on patients in vulnerable groups—another perspective on Oregon’s data. Journal of Medical Ethics, 37(3), 171-174.

Lagay, F. (2003). Physician-Assisted Suicide: The Law and Professional Ethics. Virtual Mentor, 5(1). Retrieved on June 17, 2017 from http://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/2003/01/pfor1-0301.html

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