Among the most disturbing situation is having to watch your friend or loved one suffer due to a terminal illness and you are not able to help in any way. Sometimes with terminal illness, death seems to be the only left solution to end the agony. Some patients or family members will often request the doctors to end their suffering by letting them die. For instance, one can request to be taken off the life support machine. This decision may be because they may have given up on life and also to save their loved ones from the distress of watching them lying helplessly. Mercy killing is a contentious issue between politics and different religions. If you are a physician and your patient wants you to take their life, get a criminal attorney in Ocean City, MD to get invaluable advice on the way forward, which will probably include the following information.
As justified as mercy killing may look, any physician found guilty of it will be charged with homicide. The patient may have given up on life and they may try to end it at any given opportunity. You as the physician should not play any part in assisting them take their life because you will be criminally charged with homicide.
Voluntary taking of life is illegal. Even if you attempt to take your own, you will be criminally charged. More so is anyone who assists in any way to end the life of a terminally ill person. Whether you are family or a physician, take off whenever a patient asks you to assist in ending their life. A bigger percentage of people oppose to physicians mercy killing compared to those who oppose abortion. Though ironic, most would prefer ending a life that has just began than ending a life that is coming to an end.
Conclusively, if you appreciate your freedom and your peace of mind, do not get involved in taking the life of anyone as a demonstration of mercy. You may have all the good intentions but once proven guilty, the law may not understand the reasons you give for your act. In due time, all suffering will come to end. For this and more information, contact a criminal attorney in Ocean City MD – Marc A. Zeve. He has 25 years of experience and has a reputation for being among the area’s best criminal defense lawyers.
