Janet Adkins’ Controversial Assisted Suicide

I am outraged by the story of the doctor who actively assisted the death of a woman with Alzheimer’s disease. The prosecutors in Michigan will decide whether what Kevorkian did was illegal, but as a physician specializing in the care of persons with dementia I know that what he did was unethical and bad medical care.

Kevorkian was a pathologist and he was not the woman’s doctor. He would have little knowledge regarding the care of patients with Alzheimer’s disease, nor would he know the important details of this woman’s case. Did Kevorkian know if she were depressed, did he advise her and her family on ways to maintain the quality of her life, did he know if she were truly competent to decide to commit suicide? Did he do anything to try to alleviate her suffering, or did he just hasten her death?

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressively debilitating illness that robs a person of his or her mind. Although there is no cure yet for this illness, that does not mean there is no treatment. Working together, patients, families, support groups and physicians can do much to maintain the quality of life of someone with Alzheimer’s disease. Despite their cognitive deficits most patients in the early and middle stages of the illness can still enjoy being with people, can still appreciate the comforts of life, can still give and accept the love of their families. As the illness advances, usually the patient becomes blessedly unaware of the problem. It is at that stage that most physicians will allow the patient to die from the illness by withholding the medical support that artificially sustains life. Even then, the decision must be made by the family and physician taking into consideration the patient’s previously known wishes.

The participants in active euthanasia are avoiding the difficult problems of making the quality of life better for a patient with a bad disease. They are taking the convenient way out for themselves, masquerading their needs as mercy for the patient. It was murder, not mercy and not medical care.

MICHAEL E. MAHLER, M.D.

UCLA, Assistant Professor

of Neurology