The Right to Die: Exploring Physician Assisted Death in Non-ill Patients

Julia Burdette

This presentation explores key psychological issues regarding the debate over physician assisted suicide and/or active euthanasia for reasons other than terminal illness. Nonphysical suffering as an argument for assisted death has been popularized by cases such as those of Noa Pothoven, a seventeen-year-old rape victim, and David Goodall, a 104-year-old scientist. Pothoven, who had been sexually assaulted multiple times and struggled with both an eating disorder and self-harm tendencies, was denied physician-assisted death, so alternately starved herself to end her life. David Goodall was an Australian scientist who had no physical illness or pain but felt that he had lived a full and rich life, therefore chose to end his life on his own terms. Both of these cases took place in European countries where active euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide is legal. In the United States, the debate is ongoing still for terminally ill patients to receive assisted death (only nine states and the District of Columbia allows it), and no states have legalized the right to choose death based on reasons other than terminal illness. This presentation will facilitate discussion about the issue of assisted death for nonphysical reasons.

• Julia Burdette graduated from Ware Shoals High School and is now a senior psychology major with a minor in child and family studies. Her experiences at Lander include being a member of the Honors College, both Psi Chi and Alpha Chi honor societies and has participated in a study abroad program to spend a semester at the University of Winchester, UK.