tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9216787076261944467.post615813618359366483..comments2024-03-27T11:49:41.376-04:00Comments on Euthanasia Prevention Coalition: Euthanasia and assisted suicide: the illusion of autonomy.Alex Schadenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07649977828342637842noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9216787076261944467.post-39717380109750074042021-09-10T00:09:16.012-04:002021-09-10T00:09:16.012-04:00Kudos to Dr. Harling for his eloquent debunking of...Kudos to Dr. Harling for his eloquent debunking of the "autonomy" myth in assisted suicide. His arguments nicely dovetail with those my colleague, Dr. Cynthia Geppert and I made in an article published in Psychiatric Times. We stated:<br /><br />"Even a casual perusal of most MAID/PAS legislation-modeled closely on the 1997 Oregon “Death with Dignity” statute-reveals that these statutes provide nothing remotely resembling “autonomy” for the patient, in either the procedural or personal sense. Patients who wish to avail themselves of prescribed, lethal medication must clear a number of procedural and administrative hurdles that depend entirely on the diagnostic, prognostic, and prescriptive authority of the patient’s physician. The controlling decisions regarding the patient’s diagnosis; the need for a consultant to confirm the diagnosis; the putative “terminal” nature of the illness; the completion of required certification forms; and, finally, the writing of the lethal prescription are all exercises of the physician’s autonomy."<br /><br />For more, please see:<br /><br />https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/two-misleading-myths-regarding-medical-aid-dying<br /><br />Respectfully,<br />Ronald W. Pies, MD<br />Ronald W. Pies MDhttps://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/two-misleading-myths-regarding-medical-aid-dyingnoreply@blogger.com