Test on Bioethics of Physician-Assisted Suicide

Question 1: A law legalizing physician-assisted suicide sends a social message that taking one's life is something to consider if one is seriously ill.

A. Ano

B. Ne

Explanation: Physician-assisted suicide laws send a social message that taking one's life is something to consider if one is seriously ill, even if unintended.

Question 2: In medical ethics, a patient who requests the cessation of life-prolonging treatment is expressing a suicide wish.

A. Ano

B. Ne

Explanation: A patient who requests cessation of life-prolonging treatment is not, either in law or medical ethics, expressing a suicide wish but an acceptance of death. The distinction is between accepting death and precipitating death.

Question 3: Which of the following is a primary argument made by proponents for the legalization of Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS), according to the study materials?

A. PAS is justified by the ultimate duty of physicians to respect patient autonomy, allowing patients to control how and when they die.

B. The distinction between forgoing life-sustaining treatment and suicide is arbitrary, denying some patients an equal opportunity to end their lives.

C. Physicians are uniquely qualified to make the subjective, personal, and interpersonal judgments required by PAS laws.

D. The primary duty of medicine is to relieve suffering, and PAS is the ultimate, merciful means of ending suffering deemed intolerable by patients.

Explanation: Proponents argue that PAS is justified by respect for patient autonomy, that the primary duty of medicine is to relieve suffering, and that the distinction between forgoing life-sustaining treatment and suicide is arbitrary. The claim that physicians are uniquely qualified to make subjective judgments is an argument *against* PAS, stating such judgments are beyond their expertise.

Question 4: According to the study materials, what primarily drives individuals to seek physician-assisted suicide where it is legal?

A. Unrelieved pain or other physical symptoms

B. Concerns about diminished autonomy or dignity

C. Fear of becoming a burden to others

D. Inability of doctors to provide adequate symptom relief

Explanation: The study materials state that evidence shows those who seek assisted suicide and die by lethal ingestion where it is legal do so not because of unrelieved symptoms, but because of perceptions of diminished autonomy or dignity, or the fear of being burdensome to others. It further clarifies that the suffering driving the demand for PAS is not occasioned by pain or other symptoms.

Question 5: Does a palliative care intervention have an effect on clinical outcomes in patients with advanced cancer?

A. Ano

B. Ne

Explanation: The study by Bakitas et al. (2009) investigated the effects of a palliative care intervention on clinical outcomes in patients with advanced cancer, indicating such an effect exists.