In a lecture on euthanasia, Sherwin Nuland traced the history of physician-assisted suicide yesterday in front of a more than 100 people in the Ford Auditorium of the University Hospitals.
Nuland, the best-selling author of "How We Die" and a clinical professor of surgery at Yale University, spoke at a critical time, as the state House of Representatives is scheduled to decide today on a bill that would ban physician-assisted suicide in Michigan. The bill was passed by the state Senate last month.
"Whether we allow doctor-assisted suicide says something about the values of the society in which we live," Nuland said.
Nuland's presentation emphasized the need for public discussion of complicated issues regarding death and dying, as well as the danger of the proposed state legislation.
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| EMILY NATHAN/Daily Eastern Michigan University marketing writer Doug Bentley gets his copy of "How We Die" signed by author Sherwin Nuland at the Ford Auditorium in University Hospitals yesterday. |
"There will never be a consensus on this issue, but continued public debate will result in an increased tolerance for people with different views," he said.
Many people are unaware that effective pain medication is available as an alternative to artificially ending a person's life, Nuland said. He cited a survey stating that 75 percent of doctors polled in 1997 said they felt they received inadequate training on how to control patients' pain.
"The question facing us now is, 'is it sufficient to provide Euthanasia in the pre-1900s sense or should we be expected to provide it in the modern sense - essentially killing the patient according to the patient or the patient's family's request?'" Nuland said.
University family physician John Severin said the debate over whether doctors should help terminally ill patients die always has been a difficult one and should not be decided hastily.
"Jumping to physician-assisted suicide is premature in our societal development," Severin said.
Medical fourth-year student Pranac Kothari said that while he appreciated the opportunity to hear this issue discussed from the perspective of both a doctor and an author, he felt that many of Nuland's views were unrealistic.
"It's nice that he thinks everyone has to be educated throughout society (about death and dying), but that's really a utopia and too ideal to actually happen," Kothari said. "Our state couldn't even wait because we are legislating already."
Some audience members said they are glad that the University sponsored an open forum on this sensitive issue.
"I think it's really good that Dr. Nuland came to campus because this is really a hot issue in Michigan right now," said Medical fourth-year student Lara Villanueva. "If you listen to National Public Radio, the topic of Dr. Kevorkian makes the news all the time."
The lecture was followed by a reception and a book-signing.
"For Dr. Nuland and his millions of readers around the world, life is a miracle that demands our contemplation and reflection," said pediatric physician Howard Markel, who introduced the speaker.
03-12-98
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