the daily post topic #148

the daily post put up the following question for bloggers to answer today:

Do you think people should have the right to commit suicide? What about euthanasia?

i took a bioethics class last fall and we spent a good deal of time talking about physician-assisted suicide (PAS), informed consent, euthanasia, and removing life-sustaining support.  the hardest part, and the most divisive part, of the issue was how to determine whether or not someone was competent enough to make the decision for removal of treatment/PAS.  i would err on the side of keeping the person alive if there was any doubt in my mind regarding whether or not they meant what they were saying, or if it was just being said in the heat of the moment.  others in my class said that they would remove treatment whether or not they knew the patient seriously meant it.  my reasoning is that i would rather have someone alive and mad at me then dead and wondering forever if i did the right thing.  but at the same time i believe people have the right to make that decision.  in my religion, we always stress the importance of free will and how the whole reason we are on this earth is to make our own decisions.  i don't believe in impeding anyone's right to any decision, as long as that decision is not harmful to someone else, just as i wouldn't want someone of another religion restricting my decisions to their own moral viewpoint.  i would let my patients make the decision for or against PAS but i would never be the one to administer it.  it is also my right to choose whether or not i would do it.  but they should have access to a physician who will do it.  i am just too attached to many of my patients.  it would be like euthanizing one of my family members.  i can't even imagine being in the place of a doctor who sees them every day and is that much closer to them.
anyway, i have included the paper i wrote on the topic as it goes into greater detail and includes references.  i would love to hear others' opinions, whether you agree or disagree.  i love to hear other viewpoints as it helps me see things a different way and i believe it helps me make better, more informed decisions.