Deck 7: Should People Have the Choice to End Their Lives

Question 1

Suicide rates rise with advancing age for women but not for men.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Recent polls by Harris and Gallup reveal that a majority of people believe that adults diagnosed with terminal illnesses should not have a right to a peaceful death through medical means.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

McKhann prefers to use which of the following terms to describe the person who wishes to die and asks for help?

A) Assisted suicide
B) Active euthanasia
C) Physician-assisted dying
D) Passive euthanasia
E) None of the above

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which state was the first in the United States to make physician-assisted suicide legal?

A) Hawaii
B) Massachusetts
C) Oregon
D) All of the above
E) A and B above

Question 5

Which states in addition to Oregon have passed laws permitting physician-assisted dying?

A) Washington
B) Vermont
C) California
D) All of the above
E) None of the above

Question 6

Among the patients studied by Pearlman and Starks, the pursuit of physician-assisted death was motivated by all of the following factors except:

A) Illness-related experiences
B) Threat to the person's sense of self
C) Depression
D) Fears about the future
E) None of the above

Question 7

According to Kass, which of the following reasons are used to support physician-assisted death?

A) The right to control one's body and life; freedom and autonomy
B) When the patient's life is deemed no longer worth living, usually because of great pain, a terminal condition, an irreversible coma, advanced senility, or extreme degradation
C) Once a patient is diagnosed with a terminal illness, the physician is no longer obligated to heal
D) All of the above
E) A and B above

Question 8

According to Kass, the reasons that are advanced to support physician-assisted death represent which school(s) of medical ethics?

A) The school of autonomy
B) The school of general benevolence and compassion
C) The school of professing the art of healing
D) A and B

Question 9

Termination of life-sustaining treatment is not homicide, suicide, or assisted suicide according to court decisions.

Question 10

"Assisted suicide" is defined as:

A) A deliberate intervention to end a patient's life
B) Not doing something, such as withdrawing life support, that results in death
C) A doctor or family member actively provides the means or carries out the instructions required for an individual to end his or her life
D) Euthanasia
E) None of the above

Question 11

Among older persons, clinical depression is the most important cause of suicide.

Question 12

There are differences in the rates of diagnosis and treatment for depression for community dwelling older adults who are members of ethnic minority groups.

Question 13

U.S. common law holds that people have a right to accept or reject medical treatment.

Question 14

Most older suicide victims live alone.

Question 15

Which of the following are predictors of suicide?

A) Intolerable psychological pain and frustration
B) A feeling of hopelessness or helplessness
C) Expressing the intent to kill oneself
D) A and B are true
E) All of the above

Question 16

The first important "right-to-die" law was passed with the Oregon Death with Dignity Act.

Question 17

According to McKhann, which of the following reflect public concerns about assisted dying?

A) The possibility of medical error
B) The potential for abuse
C) The roles played by financial interests in prolonging or shortening life
D) The possibility of a "slippery slope" down a path of moral decay
E) All of the above

Question 18

Older people who commit suicide are more likely to have recently visited their primary health care provider than to have received mental health services.

Question 19

The majority of older people do not feel sad or unhappy most of the time.

Question 20

Older adults make up around 14.5% of the U.S. population but account for what percentage of suicides?

A) About 10%
B) Almost 16%
C) Almost 25%
D) None of the above

Question 21

Describe how "Aunty's" feelings about physician-assisted death changed over time. What makes these decisions complicated for patients, families, and health care providers?

Question 22

In your judgment, in Aunty's story, is Woodman arguing in favor of or against physician-assisted death? Explain.

Question 23

Why do some people seek physician-assisted death? How can clinicians best understand older persons' complex experiences around serious illness, dying and death?

Question 24

Explain McKhann's arguments in favor of physician-assisted dying. Do you agree or disagree with McKhann? Explain.

Question 25

Kass argues that defining categories of "euthanizable" people is a fairly easy and straightforward task.

Question 26

Kass argues that from the health care provider's perspective, the duty to make whole and to heal can never be compatible with intentionally killing the patient.

Question 27

What is the Patient Self-Determination Act and how has it assisted people in making end-of-life decisions?

Question 28

How would legalized mercy killing affect the doctor-patient relationship, according to Kass? Do you agree or disagree with his position? Explain.

Question 29

Pearlman and Starks argue that health care providers can best serve patients by focusing on the single factor motivating them to seek physician-assisted death.

Question 30

In your opinion, should physician-assisted suicide be legalized? Explain.

Question 31

Because of the wish to control the timing and circumstance of one's death, some dying patients will continue to desire assisted death even if they are receiving excellent palliative end-of-life care.

Question 32

Why is depression difficult to diagnose in older adults?