As a physician with a terminal cancer patient, I would administer the potent medication for constant pain and continuously monitor the victim for the associated side effect risks that could cut their lifespan. In my opinion, the application of the principle of double effects for pain treatment in terminally ill patients is ethical as it alleviates the person’s suffering improving their quality of life. I think administering the pain medication is not tantamount to assisted suicide as it is a treatment option, and though risky, is not necessarily meant to kill the patient but help them in pain management. The intended result is to help with the patient’s pain and not kill them so that they are no longer in pain (Lois Zoppi, 2020). In my view, keeping the patient comfortable outweighs the foreseen harm effects for a terminally ill case, as long as the effects are at a manageable level.
If upon giving the potent medication to the patient, the demand for the medication dosage unfortunately increases, I would continue administering the original amount since the higher the dosage, the greater the risk of the patient dying. The patient would be in pain, but not as severe as without the drug, which prioritizes their life while maintaining some level of well-being. For me, the patient’s life is still significant, and furthering their death by administering large doses would be an inappropriate intervention.
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Considering both scenarios, my reasoning remains the same. Pain intervention, while still regarding the patient’s life as meaningful, is important even when the case is fatal. I realize that administering medication to the patient with the intended effect to kill them thus alleviating their pain tantamount to physician-assisted suicide. Even if the patient was determined to die, I would still feel the same, and my intervention would not change for both cases. For a non-terminal patient, my reasoning on administering the medication would still apply as a last resort. However, incorporating other pain management methods would be better than long-term dependence on potent medication, and reduces the risk to the patient’s life.
References
Lois Zoppi, B. (2020). Doctrine of Double Effect: Applications and Misinterpretations . News-Medical.net. Retrieved 5 April 2021, from https://www.news-medical.net/health/Doctrine-of-Double-Effect-Applications-and-Misinterpretations.aspx.
