Arthur Rifkin

Arthur Rifkin is a professor of psychiatry at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, New York. In the following viewpoint, he argues that while quality medical care can relieve much of the suffering of the terminally ill, it is impossible to eliminate all suffering. Permitting physician aid in suicide for dying patients who desire a hastened death—subject to safeguards to prevent the unethical killing of people without their consent or good reason—may be the only compassionate response in some cases, he concludes.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What advantages and disadvantages has technology created for patients, according to Rifkin?
2. In what respects do humans already refuse to “let nature take its course,” according to the author?
3. How does Rifkin respond to concerns...