The Slippery Slope of Legalization of Physician-Assisted Suicide
Authors: William G. Kussmaul
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2017)

Editorials17 October 2017The Slippery Slope of Legalization of Physician-Assisted SuicideWilliam G. Kussmaul III, MDWilliam G. Kussmaul III, MDFrom Media, Pennsylvania.Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/M17-2072 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail The American College of Physicians (ACP) position paper on the legalization of physician-assisted suicide reaffirms the ACP's opposition to this practice, even though it is now legal in several countries and U.S. jurisdictions (1). The ACP's position deserves credit for its clarity and courage.Among other achievements, the ACP paper identifies "euthanasia" and "medical assistance in dying" as euphemisms. These terms do what euphemisms are supposed to do: make a distasteful subject palatable, or at least discussable. The social process of change in ethical and moral standards makes bold use of such euphemisms. At one time, "mercy killing" and physician-assisted ...References1. Snyder Sulmasy L, Mueller PS; Ethics, Professionalism and Human Rights Committee of the American College of Physicians. Ethics and the legalization of physician-assisted suicide: an American College of Physicians position paper. Ann Intern Med. 2017;167:576-8. doi:10.7326/M17-0938 LinkGoogle Scholar2. Marsh L. The flaws of the Overton window theory: how an obscure libertarian idea became the go-to explanation for this year's crazy politics. New Republic. 27 October 2016. Accessed at https://newrepublic.com/article/138003/flaws-overton-window-theory on 21 August 2017. Google Scholar3. Stahl RY, Emanuel EJ. Physicians, not conscripts—conscientious objection in health care. N Engl J Med. 2017;376:1380-5. [PMID: 28379789] doi:10.1056/NEJMsb1612472 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Francis N. Netherlands—2015 euthanasia report card. Dying for Choice Web site. Accessed at www.dyingforchoice.com/resources/fact-files/netherlands-2015-euthanasia-report-card on 18 August 2017. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From Media, Pennsylvania.Disclosures: The author has disclosed no conflicts of interest. Form can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M17-2072.Corresponding Author: William G. Kussmaul III, MD, 5 Arrowhead Trail, Media, PA 19063; e-mail, w.[email protected]net.This article was published at Annals.org on 19 September 2017. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoOregon's Death With Dignity Act: 20 Years of Experience to Inform the Debate Katrina Hedberg and Craig New Physician-Assisted Suicide: Finding a Path Forward in a Changing Legal Environment Timothy E. Quill , Robert M. Arnold , and Stuart J. Youngner Ethics and the Legalization of Physician-Assisted Suicide: An American College of Physicians Position Paper Lois Snyder Sulmasy , Paul S. Mueller , and The Slippery Slope of Legalization of Physician-Assisted Suicide William G. Kussmaul III The Slippery Slope of Legalization of Physician-Assisted Suicide John K. Weiser The Slippery Slope of Legalization of Physician-Assisted Suicide Gary Schiller Metrics Cited byThe Slippery Slope of Legalization of Physician-Assisted SuicideJohn K. Weiser, MDThe Slippery Slope of Legalization of Physician-Assisted SuicideGary Schiller, MD 17 October 2017Volume 167, Issue 8Page: 595-596KeywordsDementiaDisclosureEuthanasiaHealth careHealth economicsHomicideLegislationMedical ethicsPainSuicide ePublished: 19 September 2017 Issue Published: 17 October 2017 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2017 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...