…rts have said that Mr. Tagert “chose” to end his life, it was not what he truly wanted. He made it clear that death would be an escape from difficult circumstances. Dr. Leonie Herx, a palliative care physician from Toronto, called for “a public outcry around peoples’ right to access care, to support them in choosing … life rather than just a right to death. A person should have the resources provided to live at least in their community, not to hav…
…plateau of acceptable practice.” Derek Humphry & Mary Clement, Freedom to Die: People, Politics and the Right to Die Movement” (2000). With New York State’s plan to cut in-home services for seniors and people with disabilities well underway, we should all be worried that those words are coming true. But it’s not too late to have second thoughts about a public policy of assisted suicide that’s administered by healthcare providers run by managed ca…
…st, they determine if a person is indeed terminal. Then, they prescribe a drug combination that will cause death. I am deeply concerned that the fate of thousands of people who struggle with serious health challenges will hinge on medical professionals’ subjective perceptions and the guidance they give. My experience tells me that as a result, we will see patients with the same diagnosis or functional levels who are more or less likely to die base…
…of consent or self-administration at the time of ingestion of the lethal drugs. If the drugs were, in some cases, administered by others without consent, no one would know. The request form constitutes a virtual blanket of legal immunity covering all participants in the process. Essentially, proponents of legalizing assisted suicide have taken what is fundamentally a third party legal immunity statute and marketed it deceptively as a personal rig…
…of consent or self-administration at the time of ingestion of the lethal drugs. If the drugs were, in some cases, administered by others without consent, no one would know. The request form constitutes a virtual blanket of legal immunity covering all participants in the process. Essentially, proponents of legalizing assisted suicide have taken what is fundamentally a third party legal immunity statute and marketed it deceptively as a personal rig…
