| Assisted suicide and voluntary euthanasia: role contradictions for physicians. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 20849002 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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It is widely assumed by the general public that if assisted suicide (AS) or euthanasia (VE) were legalised doctors must be essentially involved in the whole process including prescribing the medication and (in euthanasia) administering it. This paper explores some reasons for this assumption and argues that it flatly contradicts what it means to be a doctor. The paper is thus not mainly concerned with the ethics of AS/VE but rather with the concept of a doctor that has evolved since the time of Hippocrates to current professional guidance reflected in healthcare law. The paper argues that the most common recent argument for AS/VE--that patients have a right to control when and how they die--in fact points to the involvement not of doctors but of legal agencies as decision makers plus technicians as agents. |
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Authors:
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Fiona Randall; Robin Downie |
Publication Detail:
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Type: Journal Article |
Journal Detail:
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Title: Clinical medicine (London, England) Volume: 10 ISSN: 1470-2118 ISO Abbreviation: Clin Med Publication Date: 2010 Aug |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2010-09-20 Completed Date: 2010-11-02 Revised Date: 2011-03-16 |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 101092853 Medline TA: Clin Med Country: England |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 323-5 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
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Royal Bournemouth Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. fiona.randall@rbch.nhs.uk |
Export Citation:
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APA/MLA Format Download EndNote Download BibTex |
| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Choice Behavior Euthanasia, Active, Voluntary* Great Britain Humans Palliative Care Personal Autonomy Physician's Role* Suicide, Assisted* Terminally Ill |
| Comments/Corrections | |
Comment In:
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Clin Med. 2010 Aug;10(4):319-20
[PMID:
20849000
]
Clin Med. 2011 Feb;11(1):97; author reply 97-8 [PMID: 21404799 ] |
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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