In 2015, in Oregon, a bill has been introduced to expand the definition of ‘terminal disease’ in the state’s doctor-prescribed suicide law. Under the proposal, a patient who is predicted to die within one year — rather than the current six months prognosis — would be eligible to receive the lethal dose of drugs.
However, there seems little reason for assisted-suicide advocates to expand that definition since, according to Oregon’s latest official report, some patients who died in 2014 under the state’s law had received the deadly overdose of drugs in one of the two previous years.
As one doctor who prescribes assisted suicide admitted several years ago, there’s really no way of knowing whether a particular patient will die within six months or even a year.
The life expectancy requirement in the bill was placed there just to assure its passage.
Already, four of the doctor-prescribed suicide bills introduced this year have failed: CA, NY, New Mexico, & TN.
In California on 27 July 2015, San Diego Superior Court Judge Pollack threw out a challenge to the state law banning assisted suicide.
In his ruling, Pollack said that assisted suicide is quicker and less expensive than treatment and that there is a great potential for abuse.
In addition, he said that doctor-prescribed suicide creates the possible scenario of someone taking his own life based upon an erroneous diagnosis of a terminal illness.
“After all,” Pollack wrote, “doctors are not infallible.”
These failures of doctor-prescribed suicide bills are due to greater awareness of how very dangerous doctor-prescribed suicide really is.
Now is the time to help others know what really is at stake.
The more people know about what these legislative bills and proposals really permit, the more the public and policy makers oppose them.
By taking action NOW that we can stop this march to death on demand in our nation.
Helping others — friends, family, colleagues, policy makers — understand what so-called “aid in dying” [aka doctor-prescribed suicide] means for them and their loved ones is critically necessary.
Patients Rights Council presents seminars throughout the nation about the reality of assisted suicide and euthanasia. To host a seminar, contact the Patients Rights Council, http://www.patientsrightscouncil.org
To get up-to-date information on your state, visit the PRC website, http://www.patientsrightscouncil.org
click “Site Map” and scroll to your state.
The analysis contains talking points. Use these to talk with others, send a Letter to the Editor, or to comment online in social media and elsewhere.