Physician Aid-in-Dying: Case 2
A middle-aged woman diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia has refused chemotherapy for her condition. She is educated, articulate and quite aware that she will certainly die without treatment. She is upset by her diagnosis, but is not depressed. Her close family wishes she would accept treatment because they do not want her to die, but even so, they honor her refusal. She understands that her death will likely be painful and may be prolonged and requests a supply of barbiturates that she might use to take her life when the appropriate time comes.
What is an appropriate course of action?
This is the story of "Diane," related by Dr. Timothy Quill (citation above). It represents the sort of case that advocates cite when making the argument for PAD. Suicide appears rational, the condition undeniably terminal. Dr. Quill provided the prescription and the patient ultimately used it. Others have argued that appropriate palliative care would have been sufficient to provide for a peaceful death and that the focus on PAD actually points to the failure of physicians to use palliative measures effectively. Ultimately, the choice of action in such a case depends on the strength and soundness of the particular physician-patient relationship and the values of the individuals involved.