Physician-Assisted Suicide---Homicide or Death with Dignity?

A Policy Mapping Analysis of the U.S. Congressional Approach to Medical Aid-in-Dying

“…In the United States, MAID has been debated in court through similar trials and others that have challenged both individuals and the laws themselves. This controversy has also remained in the court of public opinion for many years due to perceptions that MAID could be a form of suicide, or from physician’s point-of-view, due to concerns about the risks to their professional practice as well as the patient-physician relationship (Hanson, Mautz, & Betts, 2018; Simmons, 2018). Specifically, there are outstanding questions to whether such laws devalue a physician’s ethical responsibility to their patient or contradict the societal role of physicians such as the obligation to first do no harm (Hedberg & New, 2017), because of differing beliefs about whether MAID prevents harm by relieving suffering, or causes harm by facilitating death.…”

“…It may be voluntary (the patient requests it) or involuntary" (Dugdale, Lerner, & Callahan, 2019, p. 1). Euthanasia is illegal in the United States under our homicide laws (Hanson, Mautz, & Betts, 2018). Euthanasia is different than MAID, as MAID laws do not allow a physician to administer the drug to the patient; the patient must be able to self-administer the drug (Hedberg & New, 2017).…”