Philosopher Speaks on Assisted Suicide and the Right to Die

NEW PALTZ — Dr. Rosamond Rhodes, philosopher and ethicist, will speak at the State University of New York at New Paltz on February 12. Her topic will be “Physicians, Assisted Suicide, and the Right to Die.”

Rhodes lecture offers an analysis of some of the concepts that are central to the discussion of physician assisted suicide: the nature of rights in general, the right to life and its relation to the right to die, the moral principles of respect and beneficence, and a conception of physician duty. By weaving these ideas together, Rhodes presents an argument for concluding that some acts of euthanasia, assisted suicide, and withholding treatment can be ethical and that assisted suicide can sometimes be part of a doctor’s duty.

Rhodes is associate professor of medical education and director of bioethics education at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, City University of New York. At Mount Sinai she oversees the medical ethics curriculum for students in all four years of medical school and for the graduate students in most of the residency programs. She also directs a program of faculty education and serves as a member on five of Mount Sinai’s six ethics committees. She received her degree in philosophy from the Graduate School, CUNY, where she specialized in ethics and political philosophy.

The lecture, sponsored by the Philosophy Club, will be held in JFT 1010 beginning at 5 p.m.