BMJ 1994;309:1160 (29 October)

Letters

Assisted suicide for depression

EDITOR, - It is important to learn the appropriate lesson from Alan D Ogilvie and S G Potts's editorial concerning Dr Boudewijn Chabot's assistance in the suicide of a depressed patient.1 Euthanasia can be compared to psychosurgery, since it is an inherently destructive medical intervention that is always regrettable and, while occasionally warranted, is potentially open to abuse. As with psychosurgery,2 restrictive legislation should specify caution to ensure sufficient consultation to provide adequate safeguards.3

The disquiet raised by the Chabot case is not over the fact that the patient's suffering was psychological rather than physical (all suffering is psychological); it is because it was not clearly established that the suffering could not be relieved. There was presumably no great urgency for Dr Chabot to act as his patient was not critically ill. If he had been required to refer his patient to a tribunal for a formal second opinion before . . . [Full text of this article]


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Relevant Article

Assisted suicide for depression: the slippery slope in action?
A D Ogilvie and S G Potts
BMJ 1994 309: 492-493. [Extract] [Full Text]

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