Is euthanasia compatible with palliative care?

Abstract

There has been a gradual shift in the attitude of the medical community as well as the lay public towards greater acceptance of euthanasia as an option for care of the terminally ill and dying. There have also been calls by certain groups to actually legalize voluntary euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide for patients who meet certain conditions, some of which are as follows: that the patient be of a sound mind, suffering from an incurable or terminal illness, experiencing unbearable suffering and uncontrollable pain. The rationale for legalizing euthanasia is based on the principle of the patient's right of self-determination and the duty of doctors to relieve pain and suffering at all times. A few within the medical community quickly saw certain similarities in terms of goals and aims between euthanasia and palliative care and, thus, proposed that euthanasia be an option or choice for difficult palliative care cases. Some even went as far as to suggest that euthanasia and palliative care be part of the continuum of care for terminally ill patients. When palliative medicine fails to fully control pain and suffering for the patient, euthanasia can be the logical next step in the continuum of care. This article seeks to discuss why the rationale for legalizing euthanasia is flawed, why euthanasia goes against the fundamental principles of Medicine in general and why it is incompatible with the practice of palliative medicine.