EVENT DETAILS

Public Debate on Assisted Suicide

On September 3, 2015, the Medical Humanities Initiative hosted a Public debate on Assisted Suicide, inspired by a now passed Californian State Assembly bill to authorize medical aid in dying. Arguing for Assisted Suicide was the Dean of the UCI Law School, Erwin Chemerinsky, whose primary argument was that people have a right to choose death with dignity and minimal pain if they are terminally ill. Aaron Kheriaty, the co-director of the Medical Humanities Initiative and professor in the UCI School of Medicine, argued against, contending that it is fundamentally wrong for any physician to take action which they know for certain will lead to death. Instead, he proposed better options in palliative care and education. Douglas Haynes, the Director of the Medical Humanities Initiative and Professor of History moderated the discussion and the subsequent audience Q&A. This event was attended by about 200 students, faculty, staff, and community members and live streamed to an online audience. An edited version of the debate is available here.