Assisted Suicide Law Boosts Other End-of-Life Options
Today's Christian Science Monitor has a front page story headlined "Why Oregon is at the forefront of change on end-of-life care". It makes the case that our law has actually helped improve the quantity and quality of choices available to those coming to the end of their lives.
The country's only "Death With Dignity" assisted-suicide law is the most well-known and the most controversial. The number of people choosing this option is small - about 30 a year, or fewer than one in 1,000.Instead, many more people here end their days at home or in hospice settings where they have emotional and spiritual support as well as palliative (pain-management) treatment. Among the 50 states, home death rates are highest in Oregon, and hospital death rates are lowest. Oregonians are also more likely to have "living wills" - documents in which they ask not to be kept alive by artificial means if recovery seems improbable - and medical directives on file, and they're more likely to decline medical treatments (including feeding and hydration tubes) that prolong life.
Also, the New York Times reports today that Vermont is considering legalizing assisted suicide with a law modeled on Oregon's.
In a Zogby poll conducted in Vermont in December, 78 percent of 500 randomly selected adults said they would support a bill to allow terminally ill patients to get medication from their doctors to hasten death.The Zogby survey suggested strong statewide support, and a study commissioned by the Legislature determined that the Oregon law did not lead to the abuses that its opponents predicted.
Discuss.
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March 30, 2005
Posted in in the news 2005. |
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Mar 30, '05
I read this article yesterday online. There was one part in particular that irked me.
I personally admire Senator Wyden's efforts on behalf of Oregon's Death With Dignity law. Since day one, he has said he will go to the mat to prevent Don Nickles, John Ashcroft, etc. from effectively throwing millions of Oregonians' ballots in the trash. And he has done what he said he'd do.
Gordon Smith, on the other hand, has:
a) publicly supported legislation that would block Oregon’s Death With Dignity law b) offered critically-important testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee in support of legislation to overturn the Death With Dignity law c) praised John Ashcroft’s decision to intervene in the courts in the case which will now be heard by the US Supreme Court (and may ultimately overturn our law) d) stood side-by-side with George W. Bush in 2000 as they echoed one another's words, campaigning against the Death With Dignity law
Far from "following the majority public opinion supporting the law," Smith has said his opposition to the Death With Dignity law is "an issue of principle upon which I'm prepared to stake my political career."
All of Oregon's delegation in DC, including Greg Walden, has taken the position the CSM article attributes to Gordon Smith. Unless he has done a complete about-face, he remains the odd man out.
To suggest that Senators Wyden and Smith have the same position on Death With Dignity is an insult -- both to Wyden and to truth.
*This is my personal opinion, but in the interest of full disclosure, I am employed by the DPO.
Mar 30, '05
[Off-topic post deleted. Substantive reply sent via e-mail. -Editor.]
5:02 p.m.
Mar 30, '05
The Schiavo issue has the "culture of life" hooligans frothing for a win.
They'll be howling for Congress to step in and obliterate our law if the SCOTUS rejects the feds attempts via the judiciary.
It will be fascinating to see how Gordon Smith ends up saving himself politically on this one, if possible.
Mar 30, '05
Approximately 35% of my practice is elder law. I prepare between 100 and 150 wills for my north Portland clients. In each of these client meetings we discuss Oregon's Advance Directive laws and forms. I offer a copy of the Advance Directive (courtesy of Stevens-Ness) to each of my clients. Every single one of my clients has taken the Directive and returned for signing and witnessing with the Directive completed. EVERY SINGLE ONE. That's well over 1500 in my 14 years.
A Terri Schiavo case would not happen here if everyone made their wishes known through a Directive and I applaud those legislators who created this provision in state law.
If you don't have an Advance Directive, I suggest going to SN (on SW 4th) and get a copy and complete it.
I worry about the ethics of Rs (especially Sen. Smith) who would actively work to deny people the right to exercise the most personal and private of decisions about their lives. Have they no shame?
It is laws like this that make me still proud to be associated with the state of Oregon.
Mar 31, '05
If you don't live in Portland, contact your local hospital. Our hospital has the forms with the hospital logo on the front, the hospital's "patient self-determination policy" and all sorts of other useful information in one booklet.