Declaración de la Asociación Médica Mundial sobre el suicidio con ayuda médicaAdoptada por la 44ª Asamblea Médica Mundial, Marbella, España, Septiembre de 1992 Recientemente, se han dado a conocer a la opinión pública algunos casos de suicidios con ayuda médica, en los que se utiliza una máquina inventada por un médico que enseña su uso a la persona en cuestión. Por lo tanto, se ayuda a la persona a suicidarse. En otros casos, el médico le ha proporcionado medicamentos a la persona informándola de la dosis que produce la muerte. A la persona se le entregan los medios para suicidarse. Para asegurarse, las personas que se han suicidado estaban gravemente enfermas, tal vez con alguna enfermedad terminal y dolores crónicos. Además, las personas estaban aparentemente con todas sus facultades y tomaron voluntariamente la decisión de suicidarse. El suicidio con ayuda médica, como la eutanasia, es contrario a la ética y debe ser condenado por la profesión médica. Cuando el médico ayuda intencional y deliberadamente a la persona a poner fin a su vida, entonces el médico actúa contra la ética. Sin embargo, el derecho de rechazar tratamiento médico es un derecho básico del paciente y el médico actúa éticamente, incluso si al respetar ese deseo el paciente muere. |
| World Medical Association Statement on Physician-Assisted SuicideAdopted by the 44th World Medical Assembly, Marbella, Spain, September 1992 Instances of physician-assisted suicide have recently become the focus of public attention. These instances involve the use of a machine, invented by the physician who instructs the individual in its use. The individual thereby is assisted in committing suicide. In other instances the physician has provided medication to the individual with information as to the amount of dosage that would be lethal. The individual is thereby provided with the means for committing suicide. To be sure, the individuals involved were seriously ill, perhaps even terminally ill, and were wracked with pain. Furthermore, the individuals were apparently competent and made their own decision to commit suicide. Patients contemplating suicide are frequently expressing the depression that accompanies terminal illness. Physician-assisted suicide, like euthanasia, is unethical and must be condemned by the medical profession. Where the assistance of the physician is intentionally and deliberately directed at enabling an individual to end his or her own life, the physician acts unethically. However the right to decline medical treatment is a basic right of the patient and the physician does not act unethically even if respecting such a wish results in the death of the patient. |
