Monday, July 21, 2008
An International Review of Hastened Death
(Hopefully not a recurring feature)
*Please read disclaimer at the end of post*
The New York Times #6 most emailed article today is about the underground practice of hastened death via the procurement of barbiturates in Tijuana, where the medications are intended for euthanizing animals, not humans. It is interesting this practice fits under neither commonly used terms for hastened death by medical means:*Please read disclaimer at the end of post*
"euthanasia" - the administration by a medical professional (or other person) of a prescribed medication with the intent of causing a hastened death
"physician-assisted suicide" - the self-administration of a medication prescribed by a physician with the intent of causing a hastened death
This article describes people obtaining the medication without a doctor's prescription, therefore 'physician-assisted' is a disqualified descriptive. They merely need to show a picture of the medication they want at the Mexican veterinary stores. So I guess this is simply 'suicide?' Although I think 'suicide' is too broad to define the particulars about a situation where someone is in the terminal phase of a condition versus someone suffering from a severe depression but no terminal illness. But to label this 'terminal suicide', 'hastened death in the terminal phase' or some other contortion feels clumsy and is bound to cause even more confusion.
Regardless of the term used, the issue has been made more relevant with a couple high profile cases of medicine and hastened death.
So why is this all important to palliative care?
Because guess who thinks about these things:
Because guess who thinks about these things:
- your patients
- their families
- medical professionals who consult you
- the public
Good hospice and palliative care practices can help people discover hastened death does not have to be the easy way out. If the lines are too blurred between the legal and illegal our field has significant trust to lose with the public and our peers. Being educated and aware of the public debate over hastened death is a responsibility for palliative medicine to ensure the safe, ethical, and legal care of the patients and families entrusted to us.
(My Standard Disclaimer: Pallimed, Dr. Sinclair and his current and former employers and states do not endorse or practice euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide, but do encourage the open, non-judgmental discussion of these topics for educational and ethical discourse about this controversial area of medicine. Links do not represent endorsement.)