Patient Assisted Suicide: Dr. Quill and Dr. Kevorkian
There are many different methods of approaching patients facing the
end of their lives. Since technology has increased the ability to sustain
life longer, patient assisted suicide has become an increasingly more
popular avenue for doctors to explore. This topic, since it deals with
the power over life and death, touches on some of the deepest of human
feelings. The argument over whose or which approach is most viable can
become a heated one and could never be solved with one broad stroke since
it deals with individuals on such an intimate level. Both Dr. Jack
Kevorkian and Dr. Timothy Quill have there own views on which methods are
correct, some of their views are similar and some are quite different.
Both doctors agree that certain people at the end of their lives shouldn't
have to suffer any more than they have to, but they differ in the methods
in which lead up to the decision process of choosing euthanasia or not.
The belief that individuals facing terminal illnesses and or
certain death in a short period of time should have the "right to die with
as much control and dignity as possible" is shared by both Kevorkian and
Quill (Quill 434). There are many cases in which people become sick and
life becomes an endless episode phasing between unconsciousness and severe
pain. There are also cases in which an individual becomes diagnosed with a
disease with no definite cure and faces a road of painful treatment and
emotional heartache . One example of this was Diane's case. Diane was one
of Dr. Quills patients who was diagnosed with "acute myelomonocytic
leukemia", a disease with a 25% survival rate with treatment and certain
death in at most a few months without treatment (Quill 434). This disease
is very painful to say the least. She was faced with the decision between
a painful treatment process or death. Diane chose to let the disease run
its course, this way she would be able to say her final good-byes to her
family. Her only worry was that in the final stages of her death, would
she be able to control herself, or would she slip away in agony. To avoid
this she asked Dr. Quill if he would give her a prescription for
barbiturates so that when the end was near she would be able to control her
death. At first, Quill was apprehensive about her decision, but after
careful thought he decided that assisting in her suicide would be the most
beneficial course of action for her and her family (Quill 437). He
realized that the treatment of the leukemia would be very painful and
traumatic, and that the pain she was certain to face was unnecessary. His
belief is that as a doctor, it is his responsibility to serve his patients
in whatever way he feels most beneficial. He states his opinion most
clearly when he says:
"The Hippocratic oath really has two dimensions. One is
to preserve life and the other is to relieve human suffering.
Usually you are trying to do both but in end of life care you
take relief of suffering as your priority, and you may use
methods that may indirectly shorten life. People have a sense
of who they are and what's important in life and want to die
with that in tact."(Quill 138)
It seems as though the essence of his work is to maintain an individual's
quality of life even if it means death. In Diane's case, he risked his
career and a possible jail sentence in order to make sure that he helped
her in whatever way was best, and so he would be able to live with himself.
Dr. Kevorkian shares the belief that a patient should in certain
cases be allowed to chose assisted suicide if it means that they will avoid
unnecessary pain and suffering. He has had far more cases of patient
assisted suicide than Dr. Quill has, but their reasons are similar.
Recently one of Kevorkian's cases was featured on "DateLine", a news
program, in which a man named Thomas Youks was suffering from Lou Gehrig's
disease. He called upon Dr. Kevorkian because his disease was causing him
a lot of pain and he was afraid that he was going to choke himself. His
condition made it hard to eat, hard to sleep and hard to breath, for Tom
Youks every minute of life was a struggle. Dr. Kevorkian talked with him
and his family and made sure that assisted suicide was what they wanted
this way he couldn't be implicated. They all agreed so Tom said his good-
byes and slipped peacefully away after receiving the lethal medicine from
Dr. Kevorkian. Similar to Dr. Quill, Doctor Kevorkian believed that this
type of situation called for few options other that assisted suicide.
Though Both Doctors agree that Assisted suicide is a viable option
in certain circumstances, their methods of care before the decision is
quite different. Dr. Quill states in an interview from people magazine
that he believes firmly in the doctor patient relationship. "Everything I
[Quill] do has to do with the long haul and careful assessment and making
sure this [assisted suicide] is the last resort and that every patient has
good access to hospice care and palliative care"(Quill 138). Dr. Quill
feels that a doctor should first care for the patient and try to make them
as comfortable as possible, then if the situation truly calls for something
else, assisted suicide is brought into the picture. This care is not only
for the patient but is extended to the patient's family. It is also
important to attend to both the psychological needs of the patient, not
just the physical. In the case of Diane he had developed a relationship
with her and her family. He was in the proper position to aid in t heir
decision because he knew them. He also believes that it is important to
inform the patient of all their options. He is a friend to those he helps
not just a doctor, that is what is important.
Dr. Kevorkian on the other hand lacks in almost all of these
aspects. He meets his patients for the most part by their contacting him
to perform assisted suicide. He only spends about a week with them. In
Tom's case he was with him only a few short days. According to Dr. Quill
"he has frequently acted without knowing people in even the most
superficial way. He has no experience in end of life care... He is a
pathologist, so he doesn't have the skills in pain management and
psychological assessment"(Quill 138). Dr. Kevorkian is not involved in the
decision process, but only in the act itself. It is this that truly
separates the two doctors.
Though both Dr. Quill and Dr. Kevorkian are active supporters in
patient assisted suicide, I believe that Dr. Quill is everything that Dr.
Kevorkian is not. I believe that Dr. Kevorkian leaves out the most
important part of the process of assisted suicide. It is the care and true
assessment of all the aspects involved that is missing from Jack Kevorkian.
When it comes to having a figure in the spotlight I feel that it should be
Timothy Quill not Jack Kevorkian. If patient assisted suicide were to be
made illegal, Dr. Quill should be it's model, not Jack Kevorkian. This is
true because the most important aspect of the process is the comfort, care
and information that leads up to the decision, not just the number of
patients that you see.
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