“Do No Harm” 

Back in the early 1990s, the “Weekend Update” segment of Saturday Night Live was hosted by comedian Norm MacDonald. Among other things, MacDonald was famous for telling jokes in the segment about O.J. Simpson, which, despite being hilarious, ultimately got him fired from the show. Another one of MacDonald’s infamous targets was Dr. Jack Kevorkian, an outspoken proponent and practitioner of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide, nicknamed “Dr. Death.” On the show, the fake news anchor MacDonald reported: “Dr. Jack Kevorkian was responsible for another death this week, this time a 58-year-old woman. She is the 26^th of Kevorkian’s patients to die since 1990.” Shaking his head, he continued: “When are people going to realize – he’s not a good doctor!” The joke was a brilliant use of humor to express something we instinctively know is true. Doctors, and the medical profession generally, are supposed to promote health in their patients and do them no harm. This principle famously goes back to the Greek physician Hippocrates, who lived 4 centuries before the birth of Christ. The Hippocratic Oath would preclude physicians from intentionally harming or killing a patient. This is a very important principle, for it upholds the integrity of the medical field and preserves institutional trust. Yet, advocates for euthanasia and physician assisted suicide are making inroads in the medical profession and among policy makers, claiming they are compassionate practices that respect the personal choices of individuals who want them.  

And so, we see the rapidly growing rates of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide in Canada. Last year, Illinois became the 14^th state to legalize these practices. In the U.K., such legislation is being vigorously debated in Parliament. Just a few weeks ago in Spain, there was the tragic case of Noelia Castillo, a 25-year-old victim of horrific abuse and assaults, who chose the option of death offered by the state-run medial system as a remedy to her mental anguish and physical pain. This is very troubling. By making euthanasia and assisted suicide legal, society holds them out to people – including medical practitioners – as legitimate and good options.  This has devastating effects on the relationship between patients and physicians entrusted with their care. A sick person is, by definition, weak and vulnerable. He or she should be able to seek medical care without fear that they will be induced in any way to end their own lives. This is only possible if death is never among the positive options offered to a patient by those from whom they seek care. When euthanasia and assisted suicide are considered legitimate and good options, subtle (and not so subtle) pressures could make them seem like the patient’s most responsible choice. Countries with socialized medicine could view them as beneficial to keeping the system solvent, an incentive to promote them. Same for private health insurers who, responding to market pressures, could make euthanasia or assisted suicide seem like the only realistic financial option for their policy holders. And health care workers would have to participate. But euthanasia and physician assisted suicide are not good medicine. And Norm Macdonald was right; Jack Kevorkian was not a good doctor. 

posted 4/18/26