Kenneth Cauthen

In the following viewpoint, Kenneth Cauthen argues that the duty of physicians is to do what is best for their patients, even if that means granting a request for physician-assisted suicide. Cauthen contends that in cases of extreme suffering, and when the patient requests it, assisted suicide is an act of compassion and benevolence. Kenneth Cauthen is a retired professor of theology and a Baptist minister as well as the author of several books, including The Ethics of Assisted Death:When Life Becomes a Burden Too Hard to Bear,from which the following viewpoint is adapted.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What question does Cauthen believe physicians should ask themselves regarding their duty to their patients?
2. In the author’s view, where does the most powerful argument in favor of physician-assisted...