Controversy Surrounds Doctors' Support for Anorexia Patients' Right to Die

Dr. Jennifer Gaudiani, a Denver-based doctor specializing in eating disorders, has argued that medically assisted suicide should be an option for patients with "terminal" anorexia nervosa. She has already recommended it to at least two patients. Gaudiani believes that anorexia can be brutally lethal and that denying patients access to Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) could lead to horrific slow deaths. Critics express concern about giving anorexia patients the option of assisted suicide, as most eating disorders are treatable. The debate raises questions about medical ethics, the irreversibility of eating disorder damage, and the capacity of individuals with severe mental illness to make decisions about their own bodies.