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Related Experiment Videos

A problem for the idea of voluntary euthanasia.

N Campbell1

  • 1University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Journal of Medical Ethics
|July 3, 1999
PubMed
Summary
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Physician-assisted suicide to relieve suffering may not be voluntary. Pain can compel a patient's decision to die, making it involuntary euthanasia, potentially against their true wishes.

Area of Science:

  • Medical Ethics
  • End-of-Life Care
  • Philosophy of Medicine

Background:

  • Physician-assisted suicide (PAS) is a contentious issue, often framed as a patient's autonomous choice.
  • The ethical permissibility of PAS hinges on the voluntariness of the patient's request.
  • Unbearable pain and suffering are frequently cited as reasons for requesting PAS.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To critically examine the concept of voluntary euthanasia in the context of severe pain and suffering.
  • To question whether a patient's request for assisted death under duress of pain can be considered truly voluntary.
  • To explore the ethical implications for physicians if a request is not freely chosen.

Main Methods:

  • Philosophical analysis of the concept of voluntariness in medical decision-making.
Keywords:
Death and Euthanasia

Related Experiment Videos

  • Ethical reasoning applied to scenarios of physician-assisted suicide.
  • Conceptual distinction between voluntary and involuntary euthanasia.

    • Main Results:

    • Requests for PAS driven by extreme pain may be compelled rather than freely chosen.
    • The presence of unbearable suffering can undermine the autonomy of the patient's decision.
    • This challenges the assumption of voluntariness in many cases of physician-assisted suicide.

    Conclusions:

    • What appears to be voluntary euthanasia may, in fact, be involuntary euthanasia due to pain-induced compulsion.
    • Physicians should exercise caution when acting on requests for assisted death under conditions of severe suffering.
    • The ethical distinction between voluntary and involuntary euthanasia is crucial in end-of-life care discussions.