Yesterday, I wrote about Good Morning America‘s fawning rollout of John West and his memoir, “The Last Goodnights.” In the book, he claims to have facilitated/aided the suicides of both his father and mother about ten years ago.
It turns out that West’s lone publicity tour is looking more like a bandwagon. Today, I found out that the site “medicalnewstoday.com” published an “article” that looks an awful lot like a press release from Compassion & Choices, the largest U.S. organization devoted to promoting legalization of assisted suicide.
Given the claims of Mr. West regarding his parents’ deaths, there are some “interesting” statements by C & C’s President, Barbara Coombs-Lee:
“Society must address the need for expanded end of life choice,” said Compassion & Choices President Barbara Coombs Lee. “No family member should have to risk prosecution, as Mr. West has. Aid in dying should be the final option on a continuum of legal medical decisions. Failing to legalize and regulate aid in dying only encourages an unsafe, underground practice. State legislatures should step up to their responsibility and meet the needs of their citizens. This family’s difficult situation arises directly from California’s failure to enact a Death with Dignity law.”
“As a wealthy, resourceful lawyer Mr. West was able to obtain potent medication and help his parents die well. Most families are not so lucky, and the law in 47 states discriminates against them. Legalization offers equal access and the protection of skilled clinicians and an open procedure. Only an open, transparent and legal practice gives people the equal opportunity to explore all options and die on their own terms,” said Lee.
Let’s unpack the claims here. Coombs-Lee is implying that the laws in Oregon and the recently passed Washington referendum would have prevented the “need” for the private suicides claimed in West’s memoir.
Again, if what West has written is true, it’s possible his father could have gone to a physician in Oregon and obtained his own prescription, legally.
But West also claims to have assisted in the suicide of his mother, who had been recently diagnosed with alzheimer’s. His mother would be ineligible for a legal prescription in Oregon and would be under the statute that will be in effect in Washington State?
I guess there are several ways to interpret Coombs-Lee’s statements here. She could simply be deliberately misleading a largely misinformed public and press about the actual impact of an Oregon-type law for people such as West’s mother. Maybe she’s signalling that doctors aren’t really that rigourous about adhering to the “strict guidelines” for eligibility.
Or maybe she’s signalling the next step in assisted suicide advocacy by her organization – opening up “eligibility” for lethal prescriptions to a wider spectrum of old, ill and disabled people.
Come to think of it, maybe all three explanations are correct. –Stephen Drake