Final Questions and Comments from a Physician Assisted Suicide Researcher

Since the beginning of my professional career, my research has been motivated by a desire to eliminate unnecessary human suffering, whether in the context of end-of-life decision making, or the regulatory barriers to the treatment of pain (1). This summer, the Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics, will publish my final article on the Swiss model of assisted suicide and explore its potential for demedicalizing the way we die (2). This publication will also signify the end of my research in assisted death, a research interest that has spanned well over a decade. While such a decision will enable me to focus more of my efforts on opioid risk management (3), assisted suicide will continue to remain a topic of considerable interest to a variety of audiences and stakeholders. This is certainly the case with the Swiss model of assisted death. Consequently, in the interest of encouraging further research and debate on the Swiss model and the regulation of assisted suicide, I would like to pose a research question along with a brief commentary on the need for researcher objectivity and respect for a society’s chosen way of life (and death for that matter).