CNN: “Choosing death can be like a ‘birth,’ advocates say” – NDY and NCD perspectives included

Two interesting and fairly unusual related things happened over the last two weeks.

First, CNN reporter Elizabeth Landau contacted both NDY and the National Council on Disability (NCD) for interviews in connection to a story on assisted suicide.  This was surprising considering that when CNN ran a mini-media tour with Jack Kevorkian during the promotion of the HBO docudrama “You Don’t Know Jack,” everyone who interviewed Kevorkian avoided mentioning that most of his “clients” weren’t terminally ill.  And, of course, no one contacted any disability groups for our take on Kevorkian.

The second surprise is that when the article came out on the CNN website today, the views and concerns are fairly presented in the context of an article on the activities of the assisted suicide advocacy group “Compassion and Choices,” also known as “Conflation and Con Jobs.”  That’s no reflection on Ms. Landau, whose work I am unfamiliar with.  The negative expectations are based on overall patterns when dealing with media rather than anything with her – or even CNN – specifically.

As I said, though, in this case I can say that I, as NDY spokesperson in the article, am represented fairly and accurately – with minor quibbles that I won’t even mention, since they happen with just about every interview as a result of the inevitable distortion that comes into play in human communication.

The article, Choosing death can be like a ‘birth,’ advocates say, does indeed deliver some content every bit as creepy as the title might lead you to believe:

Portland, Oregon (CNN) — James Powell could barely speak on the day he died; cancer had confined him to bed and heavy painkillers left him only semi-lucid. Yet the mood was almost celebratory as 25 people — family, friends and volunteers — gathered in a large living room to tell stories and say goodbye on the day Powell chose to end his suffering.

Here’s the piece of the article that contains the bulk of the comments from me and NCD:

The law is significant for more than just the few people who actually go through the entire process of obtaining lethal medications and taking them, said Barbara Coombs Lee, president of Compassion & Choices.

“End of life care and empowered patients are better for everyone in the state,” she said.

But this creates a double standard for the prevention of suicide, argues Stephen Drake, research analyst for the organization Not Dead Yet, a disability advocacy group that opposes physician-assisted suicide.

In his view, the Death with Dignity Act establishes a two-tiered system in which some people’s suicides are more encouraged than others. It’s the idea that young, healthy and nondisabled people should be prevented from dying, while the deaths of the old, ill and disabled should be facilitated, he said.

“When you look at it that way, it doesn’t look so much like empowerment’s at work,” Drake said.

There’s a difference between helping a patient feel comfortable at the end of life and “making killing an acceptable part of medical practice,” he said. He said he fears advocates will attempt to expand the established law’s requirements to include more and more people, although Coombs Lee said her organization has no interest in broadening the eligibility rules for the Death with Dignity Act.

Groups like Not Dead Yet and the National Council on Disability are also concerned that the top three reasons for people using the law in Oregon are consistently “loss of autonomy,” “decreasing ability to participate in activities that made life enjoyable” and “loss of dignity.” These reasons seem to be predicated on the notion that a disabled life is viewed as one that is not worth living, opponents of assisted suicide argue. The disability council would like these reasons examined more closely.

 There’s a little bit more in a different part of the article and I hope people read the whole thing.  It would also be helpful if some folks took time to write in the “comments” section at CNN.

One mentionable quibble I have is that there isn’t any mention in the article of the other advocacy groups in the US pushing for broader “eligibility” for suicide assistance.  The activities and advocacy of the Final Exit Network (FEN) provide evidence that supports our claims that there will be efforts to expand the eligibility for “assistance” in suicide, since many assisted suicide advocates don’t think the Oregon law goes nearly far enough.

And, finally, yes, the quote with me using the term “end of life” is accurate.  I really used it.  I promise to try to never do it again. –Stephen Drake

ADDENDUM: NCD issued a comprehensive report on Assisted Suicide from a disability perspective in 1997.  It reissued the report with a new cover memorandum in 2005.

Both can be accessed at the links immediately above.