Pro
Ronald W. Pies, Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry at SUNY Upstate Medical University, in a Jan. 7, 2018 article, "How Does Assisting Suicide Affect Physicians?," available at theconversation.com, stated:
“[A]s a physician and medical ethicist, I believe that MAID/PAS flies in the face of a 2,000-year imperative of Hippocratic medicine: ‘Do no harm to the patient.’…
I believe that the ambivalence and discomfort experienced by a substantial percentage of PAS-participating physicians is directly connected to the Hippocratic Oath – arguably, the most important foundational document in medical ethics. The Oath clearly states: ‘I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody if asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect.’…
Indeed, when patients nearing the end of life express fears of losing control, or being deprived of dignity, compassionate and supportive counseling is called for – not assistance in committing suicide.”
Jan. 7, 2018