Catholic Medical Quarterly Volume 75(1) February 2025
Book Review
The Reality of Assisted Dying: Understanding the Issues
Editors: Julian C. Hughes and Ilora G. Finlay
Open University Press
Reviewed by Dr Pravin Thevasthan
The
articles, from different disciplines, are well argued and coherent. The
authors are mainly clinicians, and all experts in their field. However,
legal, philosophical and ethical issues are also covered.
The assessment of what is happening in parts of the world where assisted suicide is already permitted was especially informative. Their safeguards have failed: even in Oregon, the research shows that people are choosing to kill themselves for psycho-social reasons. Being a burden on others is a more frequent factor than being in pain.
I was particularly struck by the article suggesting that the current arguments in favour of assisted suicide is remarkably similar to those favoured by the eugenicists some decades ago. But that is hardly surprising: the founder of the organisation that is now known as Dignity in Dying was a eugenicist.
The message found throughout this book is loud and clear: what the supporters of assisted suicide really want is medicalised killings for a broad range of reasons. As the papers published here show, the legalisation of assisted suicide will have a negative impact on the way we treat our most vulnerable.
In conclusion, a must read.