Introduction
Physician assisted suicide, which is otherwise referred to as euthanasia, refers to an instance where a physician facilitates the death of a patient by providing means and information to aid in the death. When evaluating this type of death, one of the key aspects to note is that although it is viewed as being a key medical approach towards alleviating suffering, it has received condemnation from different parts of the world. The demand for physician assisted suicide has been on a steady increase in recent years as different cultures around the world accept this approach to enabling patients perform a life-ending act (Callinan, 2018). However, it is equally important to take note of the fact that some cultures view the idea of assisting patients to commit suicide as being unacceptable, as this amounts to murder.
Cultural Beliefs About Physician Assisted Suicide
Physicians have a key role to play in seeking to ensure that they protect the life of their patients at all costs, as this reflects on their role in providing health care services. However, it is equally important to take note of the fact that some of the countries have provided patients with the right to die, especially in cases where these patients are suffering as a result of life threatening conditions. From a cultural point of view, it is clear that the idea of suicide is often condemned regardless of the extent to which the patient is suffering (Gibbs, n.d.). The differentiation in the viewpoints on the context of physician assisted suicide has been driven by the fact that although it ought to be seen as a way of alleviating pain and suffering, the results go against what is expected of physicians in providing quality care.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
An evaluation of views presented within different cultures shows that although some of the cultures and societies have accepted this as a way of protecting patients from pain and suffering, others believe that it would be important to focus on other ways to protecting the patient. The right to die has created a sharp divide with regard to the positions that people take considering that it is viewed from both a negative and positive points of view. The difference arises from the fact that some cultures hold the view that every patient has the right to life, which is a contradicting viewpoint from what has been presented. Believing that patients have the right to life means that physicians should always be on the forefront towards trying new approaches towards ensuring that they are able to alleviate pain and suffering for patients with life threatening medical conditions (Perkins, Cortez, & Hazuda, 2009).
Religion has also been considered as a key factor towards determining how cultures accept the idea of physician assisted death. From religious point of view, the idea of suicide is often shunned as a sin taking into account that it results in taking a life, which goes against the teachings and ideologies associated with religious beliefs. However, this is a position that has been disputed by the Baptist, who hold the view that medical professionals should minimize the suffering of the individual and should always respect one’s personal choice for end of life care (Death with Dignity, n.d.). The Catholic Church believes that the freedom to kill is not true freedom; thus, cannot be accepted in any way (Death with Dignity, n.d.). Taking physician assisted suicide in the context of religion brings about a platform for debate resulting in sharp differences in how people view this issue. However, the proponents of physician assisted suicide argue that the only reason for having to consider this approach is because of the extent to which patients are likely to be suffering. From this point of view, it is clear that there exists a clear differentiation in how the communities and societies are likely to view the idea of patients using physicians in their bid to committing suicides.
References
Callinan, K. (2018). The Growing Acceptance of Medical Aid in Dying . Retrieved from https://www.governing.com/gov-institute/voices/col-growing-acceptance-medical-aid-dying.html
Death with Dignity. (n.d.). Religion and Spirituality . Retrieved from https://www.deathwithdignity.org/learn/religion-spirituality/
Gibbs, N. (n.d.). Background about Euthanasia in The Netherlands . Retrieved from http://www.patientsrightscouncil.org/site/holland-background/
Perkins, H. S., Cortez, J. D., & Hazuda, H. P. (2009). Cultural Beliefs About a Patient’s Right Time to Die: An Exploratory Study. J Gen Intern Med, 24 (11), 1240-1247.
