American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), formerly known as the American Suicide Foundation, funds research, education, and treatment programs to prevent suicide. The following viewpoint is excerpted from AFSP’s policy statement on physician-assisted suicide. The organization maintains that effective pain management can greatly reduce the number of terminally ill patients who request or desire death via assisted suicide. Most patients who become suicidal do not actually want to die, the organization asserts, but are merely trying to avoid the physical and mental suffering that their disease may cause.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. How often is pain a factor in requests for assisted suicide or euthanasia, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention?
2. In the organization’s view, why do many doctors undertreat pain?
3. How...