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MAID: Medical aid in dying
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MAID: Medical aid in dying

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Discussion questions

  1. Should medical aid in dying be legal? Should state governments be responsible for legalizing or banning the practice as the U.S. Supreme Court recently decided in relation to abortion? Or should the federal government decide the issue at the national level, regardless of local or state opposition? When it comes to such issues of life and death, is democracy better served by decentralizing the decision-making?  Explain your answer(s).
  2. Is MAID a “morally acceptable” choice for terminally ill people with fewer than six months to live? Explain your answer(s).
  3. Should euthanasia be legal for those who would choose MAID but who may be paralyzed or otherwise unable to self-administer the fatal medication? Explain your answer(s).
  4. What questions do you have after reading the debate above? Where might you find answers?
  5. What was the most interesting thing you learned from this debate?
  6. Consider how you felt about the issue before reading this article. After reading the pros and cons on this topic, has your thinking changed? How and why?. If your thoughts have not changed, explain how and why you better understand the other side of the debate.
  7. Push for the position and policies you support by writing local officials, U.S. senators and representatives, or other people in a position to make the change you champion.

Sources

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