Podcast: Helping Chronic Pain Patients Die — Ethical or Insane?

By Cameron English and ChuckDinerstein — Aug 26, 2024

America's anti-opioid crusade routinely denies chronically ill patients access to adequate pain control, relegating them to an agonizing existence. Many of these individuals would rather die than withstand the anguish, and some advocates of physician-assisted suicide say we should help these patients end their lives. Is this an ethical solution to the crisis of untreated pain? We have our doubts.

Switzerland's Sarco 'suicide pod.' Via Wikimedia Commons

Join Cameron English and Dr. Chuck Dinerstein on Episode 88 of the Science Dispatch podcast as they discuss:

Switzerland's 'Suicide Pod': Humane Option to End to Painful Lives?

A right-to-die organization in Switzerland has developed a device that resembles a spaceship, designed to provide a quick and painless death to those who wish to end their lives. The "Suicide Pod" immediately removes the air and replaces it with nitrogen, bringing about a swift death. Needless to say, it has generated a great deal of controversy.

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Cameron English

Director of Bioscience

Cameron English is a writer, editor and co-host of the Science Facts and Fallacies Podcast. Before joining ACSH, he was managing editor at the Genetic Literacy Project.