PHYSICIAN AIDED SUICIDE

I’m a bit of indifferent on this topic, mainly because there are so many different circumstances that can alter your decision on whether it’s right or wrong. I agree that under certain parameters with specific guidelines and laws governing the process of physician aided suicide, it could be beneficial to our society, which is a society with rising health care cost, a growing aging baby boomer population, coupled with a looming recession. But it is still murder at the same time. If a patient wants to die because of a terminally ill disease or state, is it the doctor’s duty to “KILL” them? I don’t think it is! It undermines the profession of being a doctor. It may be more efficient economically, but if we start putting a cost on someone’s life, where do we draw the line? If you allow doctors to aid patients to death then you leave open the opportunity of moral hazard and both patients and doctors taking advantage of the system. There is always going to be that factor of abuse. It may be a good idea in some circumstances, but a part of me fears that if you allow it, it will be abused. I feel terrible about and do not agree with letting patients suffer, but to the extent of the doctor KILLING them, what kind of a psychological effect would that leave on a doctor? What if you were a doctor and you were asked to kill someone? Would you do it? If so, does this make you a murderer? That is the dilemma.