Opinion: Medical Aid In Dying Differs from Suicide
Medical aid in dying is not the same as dying by suicide, as patients are “initiating a cooperative process, which will involve health care professionals, family and, perhaps, others such as clergy,” writes Dr. Barry Perlman, a retired psychiatrist and member of the Medical Society of the State of New York. MSSNY this year changed its stance to support legislation such as the Medical Aid in Dying Act, and Perlman adds, “I hope that New York state legislators likewise will come to understand that by voting for the [medical aid in dying] bill they are assisting New Yorkers maintain a sense of control at the end of their lives but are neither endorsing nor assisting others to die by suicide.”
Full Story: Syracuse (N.Y.) (5/28)
