Legalized doctor assisted suicide does not result in exaggerated numbers of people having their lives terminated prematurely by doctors – there is no evidence to indicate that this may be so, according an article published in the Journal of Ethics (BMJ).
Those who are opposed to legislation claim that legalizing doctor assisted suicides will lead to a slippery slope. Those deemed to be a burden to their families and society may more easily have their lives ended, say opponents, especially patients with stigmatized diseases, mental illness and/or disabilities.
However, after examining data from the Netherlands and Oregon (USA), where doctor assister suicide is legalized, researchers say there is no evidence to support this fear.
The researchers looked at every case recorded as physician assisted deaths in Oregon during the period 1998-2006, as well as three independent studies on the theme. They also examined end of life decisions in The Netherlands in four government-sponsored national surveys which were carried out in 1990, 1995, 2001 and 2005, as well as some other specialized research.
The authors explain that only very few people opted for doctor assisted suicide. Since legislation allowed for doctor assisted suicide in 1997 in Oregon, 292 people have opted for it; 0.15% of all deaths.
Voluntary euthanasia and doctor assisted suicide have been legal in The Netherlands since 2002, and tolerated since the 1980s, as long as strict guidelines are followed. Advance directives, requesting euthanasia for coma or dementia, are now also legal. In The Netherlands approximately 1.7% of all deaths are classed as voluntary euthanasia, and 0.1% as doctor assisted suicide.
In both Oregon and The Netherlands the average age for a patient who requests help end his/her life is about 70. In the majority of cases the patient had cancer.
The researchers said they found no evidence of any bias towards gender, age, race, socioeconomic status, disability, chronic illness or mental health in either Oregon or The Netherlands.
There have been no prosecutions in Oregon related to illegal deaths. Of those that did go to court in The Netherlands there was no evidence that any were related to patients from vulnerable groups.
The authors wrote “We found no evidence to justify the grave and important concern often expressed about the potential for abuse. There is no current factual support for so called slippery slope concerns about the risks of legislation of assisted dying – concerns that death in this way would be practiced more frequently on persons in vulnerable groups.”
“Legal physician-assisted dying in Oregon and the Netherlands: evidence concerning the impact on patients in vulnerable groups”
J Med Ethics 2007; 33: 591-7
http://jme.bmj.com
Written by: Christian Nordqvist