Euthanasia and medically assisted suicide--the case for legalizing physician assisted suicide

Ethical and legal debates over ending life are inescapably emotive, controversial and complex. It is, however, increasingly urgent to resolve the debate over the legalization or continued prohibition of physician assisted suicide for a number of reasons, not least of which is the changing public and professional opinion and the growing concern over what may be actually but quietly and surreptitiously occurring in medical practice. The paper assesses the arguments for and against the legalization of this special case of euthanasia and concludes that with appropriate and well-defined criteria, guidelines, review and reporting requirements, the legalization of physician assisted suicide is not only ethical defensible but practical.