The Disability Rights Critique of Physician Aid in Dying Legislation

Tuesday, December 18, 2018, 12:00 AM - Sunday, December 19, 2021, 12:00 AM

Release Date: December 18, 2018
Review Date: January 12, 2020
Expiration Date: December 18, 2021

There are currently five US states that have passed legislation allowing physicians to practice physician assisted death, and many more that are considering passing similar laws. These “death with dignity” or “end of life option” laws prevent physicians from being prosecuted for prescribing medications to hasten death to terminally ill patients. This practice, however, has created considerable controversy within the medical community and the public.  Over the past three decades, disability rights advocates have provided clear and consistent opposition to the legalization of physician aid in dying (PAD), which many believe threatens the lives and well-being of persons with disabilities. This presentation will review the common objections to PAD from disability advocates and consider what they reveal about the systemic failings of our current health care system.

AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (1.00 hours), CME Non-Physician (Attendance) (1.00 hours), OUWB Meaningful Participation (1.00 hours), Medical Ethics Credit (1.00 hours)

This module is free for Beaumont providers and employees.

For non-Beaumont individuals, the cost is $25.

1. Describe the current landscape of PAS/PAD in America.
2. Articulate the popular bioethics arguments for and against PAS/PAD.
3. Reveal what a "disability rights perspective" adds to the debate.

Beaumont Health is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Beaumont Health designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™.  Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

This module is eligible for 1.0 medical ethics credits towards the State of Michigan Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) CE requirement.

Disclosures: All individuals involved with this lecture have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose.

 

References

Harris D, Richard B, Khanna P.  2006.  Assisted dying: the ongoing debate.

Sulmasy LS, Mueller PS.  2017. Ethics and the Legalization of Physician-Assisted Suicide: An American College of Physicians Position Paper.