Ezekiel Emanuel, New York Times, Physician-Assisted Suicide
The widespread belief that patients who seek physician-assisted suicide are suffering excruciating pain is false, writes Ezekiel Emanuel in his latest New York Times 'Opinionator' column. The article notes that only 22% of patients who died between 1998 and 2009 by assisted suicide in Oregon (where it's legal) were in pain and that patients themselves report that their primary motives are depression, hopelessness and fear of loss of autonomy and control. Emanuel, MD, PhD, is Penn's Vice Provost for Global Initiatives and chair of the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy.
