The Academy Award winning movie "Million Dollar Baby" is one of my favorite movies. Not only because it has an amazing cast (Hilary Swank, Clint Eastwood) but also because the plot had my friends and I enthralled in debate for hours after. Now that the topic of the "right to die" has been brought up again in class, I'd like to revisit it in connection to the issues raised in the film.
In most cases relating to assisted suicide and the right to die, the focus is on patient autonomy. The main factor in such situations is the wishes of the patient, and in most cases, their coherent requests to accept, refuse or withdraw from treatment must be carried out by the healthcare provider. However, should the emphasis be more heavily placed on the patient's wishes, when they are in such a suicidal state, or should the focus be shifted towards what may be done to change the patient's mind? Medical centers seem to be hesitant in applying such methods, perhaps afraid of being coersive or interfering with the patient's autonomy, but in the end, wouldn't the result (of saving a life) justify the means?
In a survey conducted of those who attempted suicide by jumping off the Golden Gate bridge and survived, almost uniformly, those interviewed have regretted their decision to jump. Ken Baldwin, a 28-year-old man who survived the suicide attempt, recalls, “I instantly realized that everything in my life that I’d thought was unfixable was totally fixable—except for having just jumped.” (http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2003/10/13/031013fa_fact) Therefore, I pose the question of whether healthcare facilities and physicians should take stronger measures, even if it means interfering in a manner with the patient's wishes, to discuss, counsel, and take EVERY measure possible (including physical ones) to force the patient "off the ledge" in a manner of speaking? Are healthcare centers today doing enough towards these measures, or are they too worried about their own risk of liability in violating a patient's constitutional rights?
In the end of Millionaire Dollar Baby (SPOILER ALERT), Frankie (Eastwood) ends up helping a paralyzed Maggie (Swank) commit suicide as she desired to do. I walked out of the movie wondering (and still do today), whether one more day, one more counseling session, one more attempt to persuade Maggie to change her mind, would have made all the difference.
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For me, there's a difference between someone lying in a hospital bed and someone who is suicidal but otherwise entirely healthy. So, while I think looking at statistics like the Golden Gate Bridge attempted-suicide survivors may provide some good basis for thought, I don't think the fact that many of them ultimately regretted the decision really applies to someone confined to a hospital bed with an incurable condition. Take the jump survivor's quote, "Ultimately I realized everything was fixable..." for instance Is it really fixable for someone who is a quadriplegic on a ventilator? And to me, if that person wishes to discontinue life support, that is different than someone who is "merely" (I use that word choice hesitantly) suicidal. Thus, I think their decision should be given more deference.
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