Abstract
“Will you help me hasten my death?” It is a question caregivers and family members are increasingly likely to hear as more states consider and approve legislation authorizing physician assisted suicide and “aid in dying.” Physician assisted suicide is now legal in Oregon, Washington, Vermont, California, Colorado, and Montana. Each year, critics and proponents are waging new battles over aid-in-dying bills and citizen initiatives. While these political debates are necessary and often impassioned, they may also distract from the deep human distress that often underlies patient requests to hasten death, distress that in many cases contributes to and is exacerbated by undiagnosed or undertreated psychological and psychiatric illnesses.
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Notes
- 1.
Personal communication with Gary Johanson in preparation for California select committee on End of Life Act hearing. January 3, 2018.
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Dwyer, D.P. (2019). Psychological Issues in Catholic Palliative Care: The Challenge of Requests to Hasten Death. In: Cataldo, P., O’Brien, D. (eds) Palliative Care and Catholic Health Care . Philosophy and Medicine, vol 130. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-05005-4_8
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