Here is a link to a discussion at the Heritage Foundation addressing ethical options for providing care for the terminally ill. The participants were Ryan Anderson, Farr Curlin, Kevin Donovan, and Robert Moffitt. Here are some of the key points:
- Eliminating suffering by eliminating those who suffer is not a new temptation. That is why doctors have committed themselves for centuries to the Hippocratic Oath.
2. The emerging debate over physician-assisted suicide and end-of-life care in state legislatures around the country is a watershed moment.
3. The normalization of medical killing poses a threat to the poor, the elderly, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable members of society.
4. Public policy can encourage ethical alternatives to physician-assisted suicide.