Morals and Moralism in the Debate over Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide

Abstract

In this Sounding Board essay, Cassel and Meier criticize the reaction\nof the medical profession to a recent, highly-publicized case involving the\nphysician-assisted suicide of a patient said to be suffering from the early\nstages of Alzheimer's disease. While acknowledging the disturbing aspects of\nJanet Adkins' suicide with the help of Dr. Jack Kevorkian, Cassel and Meier\nmaintain that the uniform response by doctors condemning physician-assisted\nsuicide ignores the complexity of the issue. They argue that the medical\nprofession's strict prohibition against aiding death fails to take into\naccount the needs and values of patients or to acknowledge the limits of\nmedicine and the inevitability of death. They call for a broadening of the\ndebate over assisted suicide and euthanasia and a more thorough and thoughtful\nanalysis of the issues. (KIE abstract)