Debate: Is Medical Aid in Dying/Physician-Assisted Suicide Ethically Supportable?

Abstract: Medical Aid in Dying/Physician-Assisted Suicide (MAID/PAS) is legal in eleven U.S. jurisdictions and in eight countries. Currently, approximately one-third of Americans live in jurisdictions where it is legal; however, MAID/PAS remains controversial. Some states are considering legalizing or expanding access to MAID/PAS, while other states are rejecting MAID/PAS and there has been discussion of outlawing MAID/PAS at the federal level.

In this session, two ethicists and those who attend the session will debate this important topic, considering various perspectives and positions. The moderator, a pre-law philosophy student who has published on ethics in end-of-life care, will provide a brief overview of the legal landscape of MAID/PAS. The first debater, a theologian and bioethicist who has published and lectured on this topic extensively, will argue that MAID/PAS is fundamentally incompatible with a coherent concept of health care, will not be limited to the cases for which there is broad public support, and is not necessary to produce good outcomes in cases for which there is broad public support. The second debater, a clinician-ethicists who is a member of the national MAID ethics consultation service through the Academy of Aid-in-Dying Medicine and has published multiple papers on this topic will argue that MAID is ethically supportable and should be legalized in all jurisdictions, and that the “terminally ill” requirement should be abandoned. Each debater will present their arguments, then the attendees will be invited to participate in the debate by raising questions and/or making their own arguments.

Keywords: Medical aid in dying, Physician-assisted suicide