-
Brochure of the Month: June 2021
Top Reasons to Oppose Assisted Suicide
Assisted suicide proponents are aggressively seeking to advance their agenda in the United States. Many in the general public are receptive to the idea, but change their minds when they learn of the dangers of such laws, especially for the poor, elderly, disabled, and those without access to good medical care. The dangers are outlined below.
- A profit-driven health care system prefers suicide to expensive treatments. Some patients have been told that their insurance will pay for assisted suicide, but not for treatment that would extend their lives.
- Vulnerable persons are at risk for abuse and coercion. Pressure can be applied to request the drugs. Once the drugs leave the pharmacy, there is no tracking of the drugs, no requirements to verify the patient’s consent or competency to consent, and no witnesses required at the time of death.
- Dangerously broad definition of terminal illness. Laws typically state that the patient must be terminally ill, expected to die within six months. But there is no distinction made between those who will die within six months with treatment and those who would die in six months without treatment.
- Pain is NOT the primary issue. The vast majority of patients seeking lethal drugs have cited reasons such as “less able to engage in activities making life enjoyable” and that they were “losing autonomy.” About half have cited being a “burden” on family, friends or caregivers. Pain is only a minority concern.
- No psychiatric evaluation or treatment required. Nearly 95% of those who commit suicide had a diagnosable mental illness, usually treatable depression, in the months preceding suicide. There is no requirement to diagnose or try to treat the depression of patients requesting lethal drugs.
- Threatens improvement of palliative care. There is compelling evidence that legalizing assisted suicide undermines efforts to maintain and improve palliative care for patients nearing the end of life.
- Fosters discrimination. Assisted suicide creates two classes of people: those we spend great effort trying to prevent their suicides, and those whose suicides we assist.
To see more reasons to oppose assisted suicide visit https://www.usccb.org/prolife/assisted-suicide#tab--latest-resources and www.patientsrights.org.
The full article can be found: English Spanish