As “assisted suicide” laws rapidly expand across the United States, a prominent medical ethicist is sounding the alarm that policies promoted as “compassionate” solutions to suffering may unleash serious unintended consequences.
Dr. Lydia Dugdale, a physician and ethicist at Columbia University Medical Center, is warning that normalizing euthanasia risks fundamentally reshaping how society views life, suffering, and the care of vulnerable people.
Dugdale warns that euthanasia has “exploded” around the world as people increasingly accept suicide as an “easy” way to relieve the burden of caring for the sick and vulnerable.
“I can completely empathize with the sense that this is a very effective and efficient way to end suffering,” Dugdale told Fox News Digital.
“But are we creating new problems by normalizing the taking of life or the taking of one’s own life?”
Dugdale, who serves as the Dorothy L. and Daniel H. Silberberg professor of medicine and directs the Center for Clinical Medical Ethics at Columbia, has emerged as a leading critic of the expanding legalization of what advocates call “medical aid in dying.”
Assisted Suicide Laws Rapidly Expanding
In February, New York’s Democrat Governor Kathy Hochul signed the state’s Medical Aid in Dying Act into law.
The measure allows terminally ill adults who are expected to live six months or less to self-administer lethal medication prescribed by a physician.
Illinois enacted a similar law just two months earlier after Democrat Gov. JB Pritzker signed comparable legislation in December.
With those additions, physician-assisted suicide is now legal in 13 states and Washington, D.C.
Supporters of the laws, including advocacy group Death with Dignity, argue the policies allow terminal patients to control the timing and circumstances of their deaths.
New York’s law includes several procedural safeguards.
Patients must undergo a mental-health evaluation by a psychiatrist or psychologist, record their request on audio or video, and wait five days before receiving the prescription.
The law also requires the patient to be a legal resident of the state.
But Dugdale warns the broader cultural consequences may be far more significant than lawmakers anticipate.
Canada’s Experience Raises Red Flags
Dugdale pointed to Canada’s controversial Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) program as a cautionary example.
Since MAID became legal in 2016, assisted deaths have surged dramatically.
In its first year, roughly 1,000 people died through the program.
By 2024, that number had skyrocketed to more than 16,000 deaths annually.
“It’s now one in 20 or more die from MAID in Canada,” Dugdale said.
“That’s made me more concerned.”
She warned that once physician-assisted suicide becomes normalized, it can gradually reshape how society approaches illness, disability, and end-of-life care.
“Certainly it changes the culture around care of the sick and dying,” she said.
“Rather than committing to the long, difficult work of caring for the sick, all the way to the point of death, we have an easy out.”
Pressure on Vulnerable Patients
One of Dugdale’s biggest concerns is the subtle pressure such laws may place on vulnerable individuals.
Patients who are disabled, elderly, or dependent on others for care may begin to feel like a burden to their families or the healthcare system.
“I think there’s an additional concern about what happens then for those whose lives we don’t think are worth living, for those who feel a burden on their families or on the community,” she said.
Financial pressures may also play a role.
“And so this is a very real threat that people feel like they have, which pushes them into seeking these drugs,” Dugdale added.
Research cited by Dugdale also suggests that in regions where physician-assisted suicide is legalized, traditional suicide rates may increase as well.
“Once a community is committed to death on demand, then there are many people who feel like they don’t even need to go through the doctor,” she said.
“Taking one’s own life becomes legitimate.”
Restrictions Often Loosen Over Time
Dugdale warned that safeguards initially written into assisted-suicide laws often weaken after legalization.
Advocates frequently push to remove restrictions they argue limit “access.”
Canada dramatically expanded eligibility for MAID in 2021, allowing participation by individuals whose deaths are not reasonably imminent.
In one widely reported case, Ontario mother Margaret Marsilla revealed that doctors helped her 26-year-old son Kiano, who suffered from diabetes and blindness but was not terminally ill, qualify for MAiD despite a history of “seasonal depression.”
Similar policy shifts are beginning to appear in the United States.
Some states have already reduced waiting periods or eliminated residency requirements.
A Different Approach to End-of-Life Care
Dugdale believes the public debate often overlooks the role of compassionate care for patients approaching the end of life.
Instead of viewing death as a “solution,” she argues society should focus on better support systems for patients and families navigating serious illness.
In her book “The Lost Art of Dying,” Dugdale argues for reviving an older cultural approach that emphasizes preparing for death while living more intentionally.
“There’s a way in which the acknowledgment of death brings into relief that which matters most to us,” she said.
“But what if all of us… just lived intentionally, knowing that our days are numbered,” she added.
“If we can do all of that and attend to that, not only will our dying be better, but our living will be better as well.”
WATCH:
As more states move toward legalizing assisted suicide, Dugdale’s warning is gaining renewed attention: policies intended to relieve suffering could ultimately reshape how society values life itself.
READ MORE – Canadian Doctors Call for Newborn Babies to Be Euthanized
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