Dr. Phil Primetime: Season 1, Episode 126

1 - 126: Should Medical Aid in Dying Be Legalized?

A debate over the right to die from a controversial end of life option called Medical Aid in Dying.

Tonight, Dr. Phil will continue to discuss the controversial topic, Medical Aid in Dying, where a competent adult with a terminal illness is prescribed a self-administered lethal medication to end his/her life, and is only legal in 11 parts of the country. Dr. Phil will speak with Jessica Scarcella-Spanton, who is a member of the New York State Senate for the 23rd district. Jessica says she is fighting for Medical Aid in Dying to be legal in the state of New York. Plus, Dr. Phil will also speak with Kim Callinan, the President and CEO of Compassion and Choices, an organization committed to a patient's end-of-life choices, including helping to implement medical aid dying laws across the country. The debate reaches a boiling point when Dr. Phil introduces Brian Johnston, author of "Death As A Salesman: What's Wrong With Assisted Suicide," who believes Medical Aid in Dying is not helping but killing and assisting the suicide of vulnerable adults.