Dementia and Physician-Assisted Suicide: Why Death with Dignity Acts Should Include People with Dementia and How it Can be Accomplished

Abdalla, Alexandria (2020) Dementia and Physician-Assisted Suicide: Why Death with Dignity Acts Should Include People with Dementia and How it Can be Accomplished. Master's Thesis, University of Pittsburgh. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

This thesis argues that patients with dementia should be given access to physician-assisted suicide in U.S. jurisdictions where this practice has already been legalized. Death with Dignity Acts are currently structured with a terminal illness provision that only allows patients with six-months left to live to participate in physician-assisted suicide. This necessarily excludes patients with dementia from participating in physician-assisted suicide because it is likely that they will be incompetent and unable to choose to participate when they have six months left to live. Dementia is a terminal illness that results in death anywhere from eight to twelve years after diagnosis. Some patients who are diagnosed with dementia want the ability to access physician-assisted suicide, but are excluded for the reason noted above. The addition of a supported decision-making model will reinforce the patient’s decision-making capacity in that it helps convey to other’s that the patient has decision-making capacity and provides additional guidance and structure to the decision-making process. This thesis argues that removing the six-month requirement from and adding a supported decision-making component to the laws will allow patients with dementia the option of participating in physician-assisted suicide in jurisdictions with Death with Dignity Acts.

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Details

Item Type:	University of Pittsburgh ETD
Status:	Unpublished
Creators/Authors:	Creators Email Pitt Username ORCID Abdalla, Alexandria ata39@pitt.edu ATA39
ETD Committee:	Title Member Email Address Pitt Username ORCID Committee Chair Mace, Zachary zsm9@pitt.edu ZSM9 Committee Member Lingler, Jennifer linglerj@pitt.edu Committee Member Thurston, Andrew thurstonal@upmc.edu
Date:	17 January 2020
Date Type:	Publication
Defense Date:	15 November 2019
Approval Date:	17 January 2020
Submission Date:	2 December 2019
Access Restriction:	No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately.
Number of Pages:	47
Institution:	University of Pittsburgh
Schools and Programs:	Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences > Bioethics
Degree:	MA - Master of Arts
Thesis Type:	Master's Thesis
Refereed:	Yes
Uncontrolled Keywords:	competency
Date Deposited:	17 Jan 2020 14:11
Last Modified:	17 Jan 2020 14:11
URI:	http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/38072

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