Physicians' Perspectives on Legalizing Assisted Suicide

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Recommended: Debates over physician assisted suicide

Physicians’ Point of View In order to appropriately comprehend the argument between these benefits and disadvantages of legalizing PAS it is essential to explore the opinions of those who would be administering and counseling patients. More recently physicians are releasing their point of view on the debate as they are increasingly pressured by society to defend a side. In 2006, a study was conducted by the University of Vermont medical students in association with university-affiliated physicians as well as other professors and staff members. The survey was designed to “assess whether clearly defined variables – gender, specialty, location of practice, whether the physician is currently practicing, whether the patients are cared for through the end of life and whether the physician has experience with patient requests of PAS – were predictive of physician support of the proposed PAS legislation…” (Craig et al. 400). The results of this study concluded that of the 1052 participants (with a 48% response rate), 15.7% were undecided, 16.0% believed it should be prohibited, 26.0% believed it should not be legislated and 38.2% believed PAS should be legislated. Furthermore, 50.1% responses back said they would participate in PAS under a law (Craig et al. …show more content…

To federally allow PAS in every state, would increase rate of participation of physicians. Granted, research of the opinions of physicians should increasingly take place annually to validate the previous results as well as gauge the future perspectives. Ultimately, the physicians’ point of view is imperative in the implementation of federally legalizing PAS in the United States and should be considered because they are the ones prescribing such doses and without their support the bill would never be

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