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9 - Suicide Prevention and the Expansion of Medical Assistance in Dying

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 February 2024

Brian L. Mishara
Affiliation:
Université du Québec à Montréal
David N. Weisstub
Affiliation:
International Academy of Law and Mental Health
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Summary

This chapter discusses whether if Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) is available, people working in suicide prevention should continue to strive to prevent all suicides, or if there are some circumstances where we should abstain from preventing a death by suicide, or even encourage people to seek MAiD. Despite mandates and ethical standards to help all suicidal people, in practice, suicide workers face moral dilemmas in some circumstances. Our analysis shows the proposals that present a clear distinction between MAiD and suicide are empirically unjustified, and people requesting MAiD could benefit from suicide prevention interventions that respect autonomy. We conclude that there are no ethically justifiable distinctions between how to respond to people requesting MAiD and suicidal individuals.

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Chapter
Information
Practical Ethics in Suicide
Research, Policy and Clinical Decision-Making
, pp. 167 - 175
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

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