Washington’s assisted suicide law was passed in 2008 and went into effect in 2009. This was after a deceptive initiative campaign promised us that “only” the patient would be allowed to take the lethal dose. Our law does not say that anywhere. See Margaret K. Dore, “’Death with Dignity,” What Do We Advise Our Clients?,” King County Bar Association, Bar Bulletin, May 2009.
In Oregon, which has a similar law, there are documented cases of that state’s Medicaid program using the law to steer patients to suicide. In other words, indigent patients are offered suicide in lieu of desired treatments to cure or to extend life. The most well-known cases are Barbara Wagner and Randy Stroup. See: Susan Donaldson James, “Death Drugs Cause Uproar in Oregon,” ABC News, August 6, 2008, at ; and “Letter noting assisted suicide raises questions,” KATU TV, July 30, 2008, See also the Affidavit of Kenneth Stevens, MD, filed by the Canadian government in Leblanc v. Canada.
Finally, consider this quote from a March 8, 2012 Jerry Large column in the Seattle Times. He says that at least a couple of his readers suggested euthanasia “if you couldn’t save enough money to see you through your old age.” For the poor, this would be non-voluntary or involuntary euthanasia. So much for the dignity and self-determination of the poor.
~ Margaret Dore, Esq., MBA * Seattle Washington
Source:
Washington's "Death With Dignity" Law Imperils the Poor
See Also:
Terminally-ill patients face shortage of right-to-die drug amid controversy over capital punishment
3 comments:
I've lost respect for the profession - until I see stand-up lawyers like Margaret Dore!
Thank you for all you do for this cause, Margaret Dore!
Atty Dore is a good lawyer, the world needs more decent god-fearing lawyers and doctors like her to speak out against evil. It's impossible to find someone though that will take it to the courts it's so costly to fight, especially with the state backing it and the well greased world wide suicide movement. They trick people using language appealling to personal rights. What right though did we ever need, excrutiating pain hasn't been attached to death as long as I recall, in fact a natural death with your loved ones by your side has always been the desired standard. They've tricked north americans into killing themselves, this can end up leaving survivors with guilt forever, when they wake up to what they've been a party to, not letting loved ones die a peaceful, conscious death. The death with dignity people never show what happens when the suicide doesn't go well and they have to shut the cameras off. We hear all the time about PTSD, the survivors who experience death with dignity can live with the consequences and guilt for the rest of their life. How many more people will die before their time till families can get attorny's in washington to show what hell this law is really causing. This is way more than a right to die, this is a conspiracy sanctioning death by doctors, with or without patient's permission, while hospitals and doctors can easily cover up their mistakes and save lots of money. It's written into the statute, they don't put suicide on the death certificate as the cause of death, it probably is more accurate if they called it what it really is, murder. AMA doen't like it called suicide or murder, doesn't sound good in the same sentance as do no harm. bobby Talk Platelets
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