Why Is Physician Assisted Suicide Wrong

Physician assisted suicide is a dangerous and an immoral choice for a patient to choose. There are many reasons why physician assisted suicide is a bad idea. For example, mistakes are made by doctors, it is a violation of the hippocratic oath, and there are other options that patients can choose. Physician assisted suicide may feel like the only option for a patient but there are many other options that a patient can choose.
Doctors make mistakes in a patient’s medical care. Doctors are not perfect because they’re human and, as a result, they misdiagnose patients. For example, a woman was diagnosed with cancer, then she decided to take a lethal dose of painkillers which led to her death. However, during her autopsy the medical examiner found she never had cancer (St. Clair). In a study by John Hopkins Medicine more than 250,000 Americans die each year due to medical errors (Allen and Pierce). Doctors make mistakes all the time and this results in patients dying without being diagnosed with a terminally ill illness.
There are many alternatives to suicide. A patient can request that they withdraw from treatment that will keep them
alive. A patient can tell the physician that they don’t want a feeding tube or they can even request that the doctor stop giving them medicine. Another important alternative is pain management. One of the reasons that a patient wants suicide is because they are in a lot of pain. However, if the doctor was to manage that and make it easier for the patient to cope with it, then I think that physician assisted suicide rates would decrease. It is important for the physician to try and kill the pain and not the patient (“Alternatives to Euthanasia”).
Physician assisted suicide is a violation of the Hippocratic Oath. The main purpose of the oath is to heal and to protect their patients instead of playing a role in their death. The oath is in place so that a doctor doesn’t do something that will prevent a patient’s health to get better. The oath also has details in it about not killing a patient because doctors are supposed to look out for their patients instead. A doctor is responsible for a patient’s well-being and how they cope with their illness. According to the oath a physician is not supposed to offer assistance with a suicide because that does harm to their patients.
Suicide is not always successful, regardless if a doctor is involved. Doctor who participate in these suicides should aware that they are not always successful and things could always go wrong. A study proved that complications occurred in 7% of assisted suicides. David Pruiett who had lung and bone cancer attempted physician assisted suicide but it failed. He took a liquid mixed with powder with 100 barbiturate pills and then fell asleep, and three days later he woke up (Ukens). The drugs that doctors use in suicides can leave the patient feeling numb and sometimes it takes the patient days to die, which is the opposite of a peaceful death.
Physician assisted suicide has developed into a way of patients seeking a way to feel better.
However, there are many negative effects involved. There are many consequences that are a result from assisted suicide. Physician assisted suicide is an immoral and unethical thing for doctors to perform. Suicide is a dangerous act even if a doctor is involved because there are many things that could go wrong. Sometimes the doctors make mistakes with misdiagnosing patients which can lead to the wrong person committing suicide. Also, doctors violate the Hippocratic oath which is important in the because it’s what doctors go by. Physician assisted suicide is a dangerous act that is only provided by a certain amount of doctors. A number of doctors will not help in assisted suicides because they understand that it has a negative connotation with
it.

WORKS CITED
Allen, Marshall, and Olga Pierce. "Medical Errors Are No. 3 Cause Of U.S Deaths, Researchers Say." NPR. NPR, 03 May 2016. Web. 18 Apr. 2017.

"Alternatives to Euthanasia." Alternatives to Euthanasia. Web. 18 Apr. 2017.

St. Clair, Jane. "30 Logical Reasons Against Assisted Suicide." The Compassionate Choice RSS. N.p., 2007. Web. 15 Apr. 2017

Ukens, Carol. "Oregon Board Investigates Failed Assisted Suicide." Drug Topics. Advanstar Communications Inc, 20 June 2005. Web. 18 Apr. 2017.