Assisted suicide should not be legalized in the United States

In most developed countries health services are funded through general taxation so that treatment is provided according to need rather than the ability to pay. However, in the United States health services are run along commercial lines. With this being the case, assisted suicide clinics will be in the death-mongering game for the profit and, as commercial enterprises, the primary responsibility of the clinics' management will be to their shareholders rather than their patients. This creates an obvious potential for conflicts of interest. Let's consider a hypothetical assisted suicide outfit: Pronto-Kill Life Termination Solutions Inc., advertising slogan: "Can't wait to get your hands on granny's cash? With Pronto-Kill she'll be dead in a flash!" Now Pronto-Kill employs two qualified doctors, as regulations are likely to stipulate that patients are capable of making and communicating health care decisions for themselves and that they have been diagnosed with a terminal illness. The first physician employed by Pronto-Kill is Doctor Kindheart, who is very conscientious and tries to ensure that no patient takes their own life unless there is absolutely no possibility of recovery and their decision was wholly their own, made without any undue influence from their family. However, Dr Kindheart's professional approach means that he assists many fewer patients to take their lives than the other Pronto-Kill physician, Doctor Snuff, who dispatches patients on a wholesale basis without any regard for medical ethics. So, one day the boss of Pronto-Kill calls Dr Kindheart into his office. "What the hell are you playing at, Kindheart?" the boss rants. "The Cohen family are our best clients, we've euthanized three wealthy relatives of theirs so far this year but when you and Dr Snuff were asked to sign off the fourth, you refused to play ball." The boss then takes out a report and reads from it. "Dr Snuff"s considered medical opinion," he says, "is that 'the patient is suffering from acute Allergic rhinitis with severe complications. It is only a matter of time before the patient dies and his life isn't worth living', while you have concluded that 'the patient is suffering from allergic rhinitis, more commonly known as hay fever, which is a treatable condition and not, in itself, fatal. The patient's condition is complicated by the fact that he is also clinically depressed and, therefore, is not in a fit state of mind to give his consent to be euthanized.' What do you say to that, Kindheart?" "My report," replied Dr Kindheart, "was written in strict accordance with the guidelines and, furthermore, I consider it my professional duty to protect the interests of vulnerable patients from abuse of the system from families with vested interests in their deaths. In this case, as beneficiaries of the patient's estate and I concluded that the Cohen family had put their own financial interests ahead of the patient's best interests. I'm sorry, sir, but I firmly believe in upholding medical ethics." "Screw medical ethics, Kindheart," raged the manager "I'm running a business here, not a charity, and unless you get your act together you'll be heading for the door. Now get out of my office and get back to what I pay you to do: that's kill patients." The boss of Pronto-Kill doesn't seem like a very nice man, does he boys and girls? But ruthless businessmen operating in cut-throat commercial marketplaces where competition is fierce cannot afford to be nice and that's why I affirm that assisted suicide should not be legalized in the United States. Thank you.