Advantages And Disadvantages Of Physician Assisted Suicide

misery. Although assisted suicide permits Tim to avoid needless suffering, there are various disadvantages to choosing this route as well.
Conflicting principles involved in the anti-PAS route are; nonmaleficence and fidelity. Nonmaleficence requires healthcare providers to avoid causing harm to a patient, including deliberate harm, risk of harm, and harm that occurs during the performance of beneficial acts. Physician assisted suicide is premeditated harm, resulting in patient death. A physician is a healer, and to heal is to restore wellness, which is not the outcome of PAS. In assisting one to commit suicide, a physician is in fact participating in an act that defies all that they stand for, that is, restoration of wellness and life. Another principle that is violated in the participation of PAS is fidelity. Fidelity is the act of faithfulness or loyalty, the trustworthiness people show in meeting their duties and obligations, and the keeping of professional responsibilities. The most important responsibility of a healthcare provider, is to promote holistic wellness in this earthly life, thus in consensus with the
The benefit of anti-PAS, that is, the choice to accept the natural timing of death, is that the virtue of perseverance is preserved. From a young age, people are taught to never give up hope, despite how difficult life may become. Referencing the case of Timothy Adams, he would be undermining this principle if he chose PAS, as he would be giving up the possibility of recovery (although more unlikely, recevery has occurred in innumerable cases). In addition to these principles being violated, the support of PAS will ultimately desensitize one to unnatural death (murder and suicide). Thus, suicide, homicide and legal abortion will be considered acceptable, and could potentially justify the termination of innocent human