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The choice to end suffering: The real reasons why patients seek medically assisted suicide.
Around the world, many are debating the legality and ethics of medically assisted suicide, a way for patients facing serious and incurable illnesses to find an end to their suffering. Medically assisted suicide, also known as physician-assisted suicide (PAS), usually refers to the process in which a patient uses medication to end his or her life with the assistance of a medical professional.
The practice is designed to offer an alternative to terminally ill patients suffering from pain, and some say it symbolizes dignity and the right to choose.
Medically assisted suicide is legal in some countries, such as Belgium, Canada and Switzerland, although each region has its own specific legal regulations and conditions. Through these laws, patients must meet a stringent set of qualifications, including that they must suffer from a terminal or incurable illness, be mentally competent, and voluntarily and clearly express a desire to end their lives.
Reasons why patients seek assisted suicide
According to a 2022 survey, the main reasons patients expressed for wanting medically assisted suicide included loss of autonomy, inability to participate in activities that made life pleasurable, and feeling like a burden to their families. These factors illustrate the psychological and emotional challenges patients face when pursuing death options.
The inability to enjoy life (89%), loss of autonomy (86%), and loss of dignity (62%) are the main reasons why patients consider suicide.
There are also significant differences in the perceptions of medically assisted suicide in different social backgrounds and cultural environments. Many patients choose medically assisted suicide during the painful process, hoping to say goodbye to the unbearable pain.
Voices of support and opposition
Among those who voice support for medically assisted suicide, people emphasize reasons such as reducing human suffering, respecting the patient's autonomy, and compassion for the patient. Many people believe that this is a way for them to choose to end a life they no longer enjoy, and they have the right to choose.
Supporters say medically assisted suicide should be seen as respectful of the patient and a humane choice.
Opponents, on the other hand, expressed concern that this approach might lead to more social problems, especially potential harm to particularly vulnerable groups. They stressed that these choices should be based on the patient's true wishes rather than other external pressures.
The perspective of medical ethics
In the medical community, doctors' stance has a profound impact on this issue. Some scholars and doctors have pointed out that assisted suicide may conflict with doctors' professional ethics, such as certain prohibitions in the Hippocratic Oath. However, this oath has been interpreted differently in today's medical context, complicating discussions of medical ethics.
Some people point out that although the Hippocratic Oath prohibits doctors from providing lethal drugs, modern medical practitioners have different attitudes towards this oath.
The medical community and the general public also seem to have different reactions to the various parties' positions on this issue. A survey of medical professionals showed that most doctors do not support medically assisted suicide, but as social concepts gradually change, discussion on this topic continues.
Future Exploration
The laws and application of medically assisted suicide remain a hotly debated topic in today's society, and the legal systems of various countries and the right to free choice are still in constant tug-of-war. In this controversial context, choosing when and how to end one's life has become a major ethical and emotional challenge for patients, and has also aroused people's thinking about the deeper value of life. After all, can such a choice truly bring a dignified outcome to patients?
