In a recent article for Hastings Center Report, the world's most prominent bioethics journal, bioethicists proposed that dementia patients could be implanted with "advance directive implants" or ADIs.
The article, titled "Ending One's Life in Advance," reads:
"The ADI would require extensive engineering and may not be feasible with current technologies. Still, we suspect it could become feasible in the near future. We imagine the ADI as something like a computerized subdermal implant containing a lethal dose of a medication or combination of medications. Release of these medications would occur rapidly after a predetermined interval or after some specific event had occurred. The ADI would likely require a long-lasting battery, computerized control, and a pump or microfluidic mechanism."
Assisted suicide, including suicide with ADIs, involves the intentional killing of one human being by another. Allowing the idea of assisted suicide to become a normal part of our culture dehumanizes those with conditions like dementia, and that should not be allowed to happen. Regardless of their circumstances, human lives are valuable, and they should be cared for.
