Guided Study: BMA and Assisted Suicide

Question 1

Describe the responsibilities and obligations that a doctor has when responding to a patient’s request for assistance to die (according to GMC guidance).

Answer 1

1) be prepared to listen and to discuss the
reasons for the patient’s request

2) limit any advice or information in response, to:
a. an explanation that it is a criminal offence for anyone to encourage or assist a person to commit or attempt suicide, and
b. objective advice about the lawful clinical options (such as sedation and other palliative care) which would be available if a patient were to reach a settled decision to kill them self (this does not prevent a doctor from agreeing in advance to palliate the pain and discomfort involved for such a patient should the need arise for such symptom management)

3) be respectful and compassionate and continue to provide appropriate care for the patient
4) explore the patient’s understanding of their current condition and care plan
5) assess whether the patient has any unmet palliative care needs, including pain and symptom management, psychological, social or spiritual support.

Question 2

State the 5 points in the BMA policy concerning assisted suicide.

Answer 2

• Believes that the ongoing improvement in palliative care allows patients to die with dignity
• Insists that physician-assisted suicide should not be made legal in the UK
• Insists that voluntary euthanasia should not be made legal in the UK
• Insists that non-voluntary euthanasia should not be made legal in the UK
• Insists that if euthanasia were legalised there should be a clear demarcation between those doctors who would be involved in it and those who would not.

Question 3

Explain the 5 key arguments that underpin the BMA policy concerning assisted suicide.

Answer 3

• Permitting assisted dying for some could put vulnerable people at risk of harm.
• Such a change would be contrary to the ethics of clinical practice, as the principal purpose of medicine is to improve patients’ quality of life, not to foreshorten it.
• Legalising assisted dying could weaken society’s prohibition on killing and undermine the safeguards against non-voluntary euthanasia. Society could embark on a ‘slippery slope’ with undesirable consequences.
• For most patients, effective and high quality palliative care can effectively alleviate distressing symptoms associated with the dying process and allay patients’ fears.
• Only a minority of people want to end their lives. The rules for the majority should not be changed to accommodate a small group.