Hospice of Michigan believes that patients and their families who are experiencing advanced life-threatening illnesses have the right to be fully informed of their disease diagnosis, treatment options and likely prognosis. We affirm the rights of our patients to expert palliative care, and are committed to providing compassionate support to their families and caregivers. These principles are core tenets of our mission to ensure that dying people can find peace, comfort and meaning at the end of life.

We welcome an open dialogue on the issues presented by the debate over physician-assisted suicide, but believe it distracts from the greater issues regarding end-of-life care in the United States. Timely hospice referrals and improving access to comprehensive, compassionate care—which includes pain relief, symptom management, and psychological and spiritual support—are far more deserving of our nation’s attention.

Terms:

Physician-assisted suicide is a form of euthanasia, in which a licensed physician helps a patient take his or her own life. It is not the same as “allowing to die” by withholding or withdrawing medical treatment such as dialysis, a feeding tube or hydration/nutrition when they no longer prolong the life of the dying person.

Euthanasia, sometimes called “mercy killing,” refers to assisted dying. The assistance ends the life of a person in a painless or minimally painful way in order to end suffering. It is distinguished from physician-assisted suicide in that it may be conducted without the person’s consent or knowledge.

Palliative care is any form of medical care or treatment that concentrates on reducing the severity of the symptoms of a disease or slows its progress, rather than providing a cure. It aims at improving quality of life by reducing or eliminating pain and other physical symptoms, enabling the patient to ease or resolve psychological and spiritual problems, and supporting the partner and family.