Scores of Washingtonians “have become a victim” to the state’s one-year-old physician-assisted suicide law, said a pro-life hospice nurse. “Thousands of others, including senior citizens and people with disabilities, have received the message that they, too, are expendable,” said Eileen Geller, founder of True Compassion Advocates, an organization that campaigned against Initiative 1000 and now provides information for those seeking good end-of-life care.
In July 2009, Margaret Dore, a Seattle attorney with expertise in probate, guardianship and elder law, wrote an article for the Washington Bar Association, in which she describes the abuse potential in the Death With Dignity Act.
Dore wrote that the Death With Dignity Act “contains potentially coercive provisions [that allow] an heir, who will benefit from the patient’s death, to help the patient sign up for the lethal dose. She stated that: “Having an heir act as one of the witnesses creates a presumption of undue influence [that] does not promote patient choice [but] invites coercion.”
She addressed the issue of “self-administering” the drug, stating that the law “does not state that ‘only’ the patient may administer the lethal dose [but] is instead defined as the act of ingesting. In other words, someone else putting the lethal dose in the patient’s mouth qualifies as ‘self-administration,’ [or] putting the lethal dose in a feeding tube or IV nutrition bag.”
The attorney discussed the issue of competency, noting that: “The act does not require that the patient be competent or even aware when the lethal dose is administered… [nor is there] language requiring the client’s consent at the time of administration. Without a requirement of competency, consent, or even awareness when the lethal dose is administered, the stage is set for undue influence and worse,” she concludes.
The Washington State Department of Health reported this week that lethal doses of medication were dispensed to 63 people between March 5, 2009, and Dec. 31, 2009.
Under the Death With Dignity Act, the physician cannot list assisted suicide as the cause of death but instead must report an underlying illness present at the time of death. If the death certificate isn’t sent to the health department, there is no way of knowing if the deceased died from assisted suicide or not.
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Washington: First Year Under Legalized Assisted Suicide
I think more money and effort should be spent stopping pain rather than life.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate Atty Margaret Dore's insight.
ReplyDeleteIt's not right that the death certificates should give a false reason. If the person died as a result of assisted suicide, then that's what should be stated on the death certificate.
ReplyDeleteIf assisted suicide is legal and such a great thing, then why not come completely out of the closet and open with it?
wanna bet big pharma and the insurance companies get on the bandwagon and start promoting assisted suicide? one day, a person won't have a choice - being diagnosed with a fatal disease might automatically be followed by the needle.
ReplyDeleteI hated it when WA state went for legalized assisted suicide. I saw it as the beginning of a downward spiral. I hope it doesn't spread to other states.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Margaret Dore, for your comments and your perspective. I hope people listen to you.
ReplyDeleteHope you all know this world is in serious trouble when we take into our own hands, the rights that belong to our creator!
ReplyDeleteNote: Don't just worry about the family members with something to gain... better look twice at the corrupt "guardianship" system.
Several years ago "The Discovery Channel" ran a documentary entitled "Selling Murder" ..... find it and watch.
ReplyDeleteAlso, find the documentary "The Lynchburg Colony" ...
That law needs fixing - there must be consent by the patient, if competent, or there must be at least some kind of health directive beyond a DNR.
ReplyDelete