Letter

For my letter, I chose to write to Katherine Morris, a professor and in the Department of Surgery at the University of New Mexico, because she is currently in a court case in hope to legalize euthanasia for a patient with cancer. I came across her and the case as I was looking for research and recipient's to write my letter to. Here is a direct link to her contact information.http://cancer.unm.edu/patients/our-team/katherine-morris-md/. Below is the letter I have written to her explaining my side and viewpoint of euthanasia.

November 20, 2013

Katherine Morris

Department of Surgery

UNM Cancer Center MSC07-4025
1201 Camino de Salud NE
Albuquerque, NM 87131-000

Dear Ms Morris,

            It has come to my attention that you are currently in the Morris vs. New Mexico case alongside with Dr Mangalik in hope of receiving permission from the court to give physicians the right to administer medicine to terminally ill patients, also known as euthanasia. The concern that arises with this though is that if this gets legalized by the court, it would open a door to abuse and misuse of euthanasia by both physicians and patients. Would all the patients who receive this treatment actually be terminally ill, mentally competent, and give proper consent? These patients are in a vulnerable, weak state of mind which would make it a lot easier for a physician to persuade them to receive some form of euthanasia, as it has been done it other countries such as the Netherlands. The problem is that euthanasia would not just be available to patients terminally ill; it would be administered to patients who have illnesses that can be treatable like depression. In most cases, patients are suffering from depression along with an illness of some sort, but the fact is that depression can be healed with the right palliative care and help with physicians. The thoughts of suicide arise in patients from this, so treating it would alleviate the administering of this lethal medicine all together. The healthy mindset of a patient directly correlates with their health progression and there are plenty of studies to confirm this. If the administering of euthanasia becomes legal, this step would be skipped entirely and patients would have no chance to recover from their depressive state of mind. If this case were to be approved by the court, it would make it more convenient for individuals to commit suicide by taking this lethal medicine administered by physicians. The picture I am trying to get across at is that the legalization of this practice with its motive to solely to end a patient’s life would cause a slippery slope towards it. The consequences that can arise from this are that the wrong people could get a hold of it. To an extent, it could encourage patients to hide symptoms, such as depression that can be healed, so that they may be able to receive euthanasia. Would everyone who receives euthanasia be terminally ill and have proper consent, or would people who are looking for an easy way out of there troubles and depression have access to it too? It seems as if euthanasia is a easy way out for not the only the patients, but the physicians too who no longer have the responsibility of treating terminally ill patients. I am in no way saying your side of this court case is wrong, but if the court approves the administering of lethal medicine to patients to end their lives, it could cause a slippery slope into this practice and cause more harm than good.