Physicians, Assisted Suicide, and Christian Virtues

The debate about physician-assisted suicide has long been entwined with the nature of the doctor-patient relationship. Opponents of physician-assisted suicide insist that the traditional goals of medicine do not and should not include intentionally bringing about or hastening a patient’s death, wher...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Reed, Philip A. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Oxford University Press [2021]
In: Christian bioethics
Year: 2021, Volume: 27, Issue: 1, Pages: 50-68
IxTheo Classification:CH Christianity and Society
NCA Ethics
NCH Medical ethics
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Summary:The debate about physician-assisted suicide has long been entwined with the nature of the doctor-patient relationship. Opponents of physician-assisted suicide insist that the traditional goals of medicine do not and should not include intentionally bringing about or hastening a patient’s death, whereas proponents of physician-assisted suicide argue that this practice is an appropriate tool for doctors to relieve a patient’s suffering. In this article, I discuss these issues in light of the relevance of a Christian account of the doctor-patient relationship. I argue that Christians typically object to assist suicide independently of the doctor-patient relationship. I argue that a focus on the Christian virtues of charity, compassion, and humility helps to explain why doctors should not assist their patients in suicide.
ISSN:1744-4195
Contains:Enthalten in: Christian bioethics
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1093/cb/cbaa021