Rethinking the Right to Die: Ethical Concerns Surrounding Assisted Death Legislation

At the outset of my medical career, I was struck by the reality that many patients in intensive care units are not expected to survive their hospital stays. Confronted with advanced illnesses and failing organ systems, these individuals depend on sophisticated medical technologies to sustain heart function, respiration, wound healing, and blood filtration for as long as possible.

While patients and their families often hope to postpone death, others endure profound suffering amid the relentless medical interventions, mounting expenses, and the isolating, clinical atmosphere of hospitals. Some healthcare professionals quietly question whether such aggressive treatments truly serve the best interests of their patients. I count myself among those who harbor these concerns.

Years ago, I began advocating for a revival of ars moriendi—the traditional art of dying—which promotes a more accepting, less fearful, and community-centered approach to the end of life. In many circumstances, I believe that foregoing invasive life-extending measures can lead to a higher quality of life and a more dignified death.

Given these convictions, one might expect me to support the recently passed Medical Aid in Dying Act in New York State, now pending Senate approval. However, this legislation, much like similar laws in Oregon and Canada, does not truly foster the art of dying well. Instead, it risks shifting societal responsibility away from government, healthcare systems, and families, especially in caring for the most vulnerable groups including those with mental illness, poverty, or physical disabilities.

The New York bill categorizes “aid in dying” as a medical procedure, allowing physicians to prescribe lethal medication that patients may self-administer to end their lives. Framing this practice as medical treatment lends it a legitimacy that more accurately describes physician-assisted suicide.

It is well established that individuals battling depression have an increased risk of suicide. This concern extends to physician-assisted suicide, yet the New York legislation—modeled after Oregon’s Death With Dignity law—does not mandate mental health evaluations unless a physician suspects the patient’s judgment is compromised by psychiatric or psychological conditions.