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END-OF-LIFE
ISSUES
How far is too far?
PHYSICIAN-ASSISTED SUICIDE
By Jeffrey J. Meffert, MD
“I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody who asked for it, who might be considering physician-assisted suicide for a termi-
nor will I make a suggestion to this effect.” So says at least one vari- nally ill patient. A physician or nurse can go to prison for know-
ation of the classic Hippocratic Oath. But times change, and the ingly giving a patient an intentionally lethal prescription. Even if a
traditional Hippocratic Oath is full of other obsolete guidance and judge or jury does not send one to prison because of the under-
admonitions, such as the demand to teach your colleague’s sons the standable circumstances of a particular case, the conviction itself
medical craft for free. will likely cause revoking of one’s license to practice medicine and
may preclude any other employment by an official Texas agency.
“A person commits an offense if, with intent to promote or assist
the commission of suicide by another, he aids or attempts to aid EXPLICITLY CRIMINALIZED
the other to commit or attempt to commit suicide.” This is not as Texas is in the majority of states which explicitly criminalize as-
artfully worded as ancient oaths but because it comes from the
Texas Penal Code, it is much more relevant to the Texas physician sisted suicide. Ohio and Virginia are a bit vaguer, while North Car-
10 San Antonio Medicine • April 2015
