By Margaret Dore, Esq., MBA
INTRODUCTION
"Assisted suicide" means that a person assists another person's suicide. If a physician is involved, the practice may be called "physician-assisted suicide." "Euthanasia" means the direct administration of a lethal agent with the intent to cause another person's death.
ABX2-15, is in substance an old bill (SB 128) that failed due to a lack of support. A detailed analysis of ABX2-15 can be viewed by clicking here and here.
TALKING POINTS
1. ABX2-15 Is a Recipe for Elder Abuse.
- The patient's heir, who will financially benefit from his/her death, is allowed to actively participate in signing the patient up for the lethal dose. See memo, p. 6. This fact alone does not meet the "stink test."
- Once the lethal dose is issued by the pharmacy, there is no oversight. Not even a witness is required when the lethal dose is administered. If the patient struggled, who would know? (memo, pp. 6-7).
- The death certificate is required to be falsified to reflect a natural death. (memo, pp. 7-9). The significance is a lack of transparency and an inability to prosecute for murder even in a case of outright murder for the money. Id.
2. ABX2-15 Encourages People With Years to Live to Throw Away Their Lives.
- ABX2-15 applies to people with a "terminal disease," which is defined as having a medical prognosis of less than six months to live. (Memo, p.10). Such persons can, in fact, have years, even decades, to live. The more obvious reasons being misdiagnosis and the fact that predicting life expectancy is not an exact science. (Memo at pp. 12-13). Doctors can sometimes be widely wrong. See e.g., John Norton: A Cautionary Tale
- In Oregon, which has a similar law, "terminal" persons include young adults with chronic conditions such as insulin dependent diabetes and chronic lower respiratory disease. (Memo, p. 10-11). Such persons, with appropriate medical care, can have years, even decades, to live. See Schrempp/Wonderly opinion letter
- ABX2-15, which encourages people with a bad prognosis to kill themselves, encourages people with years to live, to throw away their lives.
3. ABX2-15 Allows Healthcare Providers to Steer Patients to Suicide.
- Once a person is "labeled 'terminal,' an easy justification can be made that his or her treatment or coverage should be denied in favor of someone more deserving." (Schrempp/Wonderly opinion letter)
- In Oregon, where assisted suicide is legal, patients are not only denied coverage for treatment, they are offered assisted suicide instead. Id. Well known cases are Barbara Wagner and Randy Stroup.
- Oregon doctor, Kenneth Stevens, MD, puts it this way: The Oregon Health Plan will "pay for you . . . to die, but not to live." (Memo, pp. 13-14). This same result is allowed under ABX2-15. Id.
4. ABX2-15 Sends a Message to Young People That Suicide Is the Answer to Life's Problems.
In Oregon, other (conventional) suicides have increased with the legalization of assisted suicide. (Memo, p. 19-20) . This is consistent with a suicide contagion in which legalizing and normalizing physician-assisted suicide encouraged other suicides. Id.
5. Witnessing the Legal Assisted Suicide of a Close Friend or Family Member can be Traumatic (to the point of PTSD). (Memo, pp. 18).