…dying in agonizing pain, they may be able to pass the program they wanted all along. And once they establish the goodness of the treatment known as “aid in dying,” they can go about expanding eligibility, step by incremental step. As Not Dead Yet research analyst Stephen Drake has said, once something is defined as a benefit, it can only be extended. Stephen Mendelsohn catalogs the recent efforts: Leaders of Compassion & Choices and other “right-…
…ve care that does not burden family and caregivers, care that includes mental health support for feelings of demoralization and depression. Finally, opponents of assisted suicide have long warned against the incrementalist strategy of proponents to expand the reach of Oregon-style laws. We don’t need to cite the example set by countries like Belgium and the Netherlands (euthanasia for depression, fear of blindness, even tinnitus, not to mention…
…st for a lethal prescription and death. This is on page 11 of the 2017 annual report.[5] In 2017, at least one person lived 603 days; across all years, the longest reported duration between the request for assisted suicide and death was 1009 days. In every year except the first year, the reported upper range is significantly longer than 180 days. The definition of “terminal” in the statute only requires that the doctor predict that the person will…
…umstances under which he died. Americans place tremendous value on individual, autonomous choice, whereas policy makers must recognize the social realities that affect people’s health and healthcare decision-making. When people become ill and dependent, their desire to live or die is affected by the level of support they receive. Of course this is true! Oregonian Kathryn Judson wrote of bringing her seriously ill husband to the doctor. “I collapse…
…ed under program guidelines. Americans place tremendous value on individual, autonomous choice, whereas public health policy makers must recognize the social realities that affect people’s health and healthcare decision-making. When people become ill and dependent, their desire to live or die is directly impacted by the level of support they receive. Of course this is true! Oregonian Kathryn Judson wrote of bringing her seriously ill husband t…
