Charles Lewis: Washington becomes second state to approve assisted suicide
Posted: November 05, 2008, 6:32 PM by Kelly McParland
Full Comment, U.S. Politics, Charles Lewis

Washington has become only the second state in the U.S. to make physician-assisted suicide legal and now joins just a handful of jurisdictions worldwide that allows the practice.

The measure, known as Initiative 1000, was approved by nearly 60% of voters Tuesday and mimics a similar law in Oregon passed 10 years ago.

It allows doctors to prescribe lethal medication to terminally ill patients. They cannot administer the medication, but can be present when patients take their lives.

Eileen Geller of the Coalition Against Assisted Suicide, and a hospice nurse, said proponents of the initiative made it sound that it was only the Roman Catholic Church providing funds.
“It was an occasion for Catholic bashing,” she said.

A Seattle newspaper said the pro-initiative forces raised more than US$5-million and the anti forces US$1.3-million. Ms. Geller said national groups wanted to use “Washington state’s initiative process to advance an experiment in assisted suicide so they could watch Washingtonians kill themselves to advance their agenda [of pushing this across the country] and eventually allow people to die for any reason at any time.”

The Washington State Medical Association also opposed the measure.

“Our doctors could not reconcile the act with their oath,” said Tom Curry, chief executive of the doctors’ organization.

Over the past 15 years, he said, there has been a tremendous improvement on palliative care.

It is not clear how doctors will respond to the new law, he added, but the association is asking physicians to be especially clear now about what options — including pain control — are available to patients.

Actor Martin Sheen, a religious Catholic known for supporting liberal causes, including the presidency of Barack Obama, also opposed to the measure. He made a TV commercial that warned the bill was “dangerous,” and would prey on the poor and the disabled.
Meantime, backers of the initiative charged the Catholic Church was pushing its weight around by forcing its agenda on non-Catholics.

“The Catholic Church is a right-wing extremist organization,” said Robb Miller, executive director of Compassion & Choices in Washington. “We were not Catholic-bashing, but pointing out what group was funding the other side.”

Mr. Miller said that voters in his state have had the benefit of seeing how things have worked in neighbouring Oregon for the past 10 years and how the objections of opponents are not true.

One main argument against I-1000 was that those without health insurance would be more likely to choose suicide as a way not to be a burden on their families. Oregon government statistics show that over 10 years only one patient who asked to die did not have insurance and most had a university degree.

For example, in 2006, of the 65 patients prescribed medication, 35 took it, 19 died from their disease and 11 were still alive at the end of the year. Three hundred patients have died since the law was passed.

Mr. Miller said many patients want the lethal drugs as more of a psychological insurance against the prospect pain. He himself managed to obtain lethal drugs in 1994 when he was diagnosed with cancer.

He said knowing the drug was there was a great comfort. He also said his partner suffered an agonizing death from AIDS in 1996, which also got him involved in the debate.

Moira McQueen, a moral theologian who heads the Canadian Catholic Bioethics Institute in Toronto, said people who oppose assisted suicide do not always do it from a religious perspective.

“I think this is a human issue, not a Catholic issue — though the Catholic Church and others have a clear stance on it. You don’t have to be talking about God all the time when it come to this issue. We can talk about it as being responsible for our community and the common good.
“We look after our babies when they’re born, it’s natural we look after dying. And we have the capacity to do it. If we didn’t we’d all be up the creek.”
National Postclewis@nationalpost.com

(1) Washington has become only the second state in the U.S. to make physician-assisted suicide legal and now joins just a handful of jurisdictions worldwide that allows the practice.
(2) It allows doctors to prescribe lethal medication to terminally ill patients. They cannot administer the medication, but can be present when patients take their lives.
(3) The Washington State Medical Association also opposed the measure.
(4) It is not clear how doctors will respond to the new law
(5) Over the past 15 years, he said, there has been a tremendous improvement on palliative care.
(6) One main argument against I-1000 was that those without health insurance would be more likely to choose suicide as a way not to be a burden on their families. Oregon government statistics show that over 10 years only one patient who asked to die did not have insurance and most had a university degree.
(7) “I think this is a human issue, not a Catholic issue
(8) Mr. Miller said many patients want the lethal drugs as more of a psychological insurance against the prospect pain.
(9) “We look after our babies when they’re born, it’s natural we look after dying. And we have the capacity to do it. If we didn’t we’d all be up the creek.”