Right-to-die legislation has been in news quite a lot lately as more states consider removing impediments to the terminally ill ending their life before the affliction does the job for them. But a new study has shed some light on the tougher side of assisted suicide, ending the life of a person who suffers from incurable, but non-terminal, psychiatric conditions. Several European countries allow those with “unbearable suffering” to end their life but this has raised concerns among medical ethicist. Critics argue that people with mental illness have alternate treatments in many circumstances and to allow them to die creates a dangerous situation where help will be shunned in favor of death . But right-to-die supporters note that mental suffering is every bit as legitimate as physical pain when it comes to the ability to live a normal life and that individuals have the right to dictate the course of their own lives including death. While the legislation in the United States has not been for anything but terminal disease, the debate over extending right-to-die laws will still be concerned with the impact that mental health has on end of life decisions.
See Benedict Carey, Assisted Suicide Study Questions Its Use for Mentally Ill, The New York Times, February 10, 2016.
Special thanks to Lewis Saret for bringing this article to my attention.
