General
What Is ‘Dying With Dignity’?
Readers respond to a doctor’s essay about the drawbacks of medical-aid-in-dying measures.
To the Editor:
Re “The Big Flaw in New York’s Assisted Suicide Bill,” by L.S. Dugdale (Opinion guest essay, May 15):
Dr. Dugdale knows that to qualify for every Medical Aid in Dying, or MAID, law in the 10 states and the District of Columbia, a patient must be an adult, have a six-month terminal prognosis and be found to have capacity (the patient can describe the condition, list the alternative treatments and give risks and benefits for each).
As a physician, Dr. Dugdale is also aware of the Patient Self-Determination Act of 1990, a federal law granting patients with capacity the right to pursue treatment, refuse treatment, pause treatment, discontinue treatment and receive treatment by advance directive. The law also requires physicians to abide by the decisions of patients or refer them to another provider.
In every MAID law in the U.S. not one but two physicians (as well as one nonmedical witness) must determine and attest to patient capacity. To say that physicians often do not recognize capacity (because of a patient’s depression) is simply not true and a slight to the profession.
G. William Knight
Saline, Mich.
To the Editor:
I read about the New York State Medical Aid in Dying bill in an Orthodox Jewish publication, which correctly opposes it and has many concerns were it to pass. Yes, it can quickly become a tool of malign convenience, never mind those whose family members covet a large life insurance policy payout, sooner rather than later.
The best way to prepare for the unenviable scenario of grueling end-of-life decisions is to clarify both religious and medical expectations ahead of time, in writing. In the case of an agnostic or an atheist, consulting with an ethicist is recommended.
Contrary to what some people would think, according to the Talmud, or Halakha, the intubation of someone with a terminal disease isn’t often advised, especially if other substantial comorbidities exist. Insurance companies and hospitals may frown on a feeding tube placement for advanced Parkinson’s disease, yet it can extend life for many months. Intubation for A.L.S., or Lou Gehrig’s disease, becomes obligatory early on, and many individuals choose to live, with full family support, despite what others would consider poor quality of life.
