Washington State Assisted Suicide Initiative: Pro or Con?
This isn’t exactly a local issue, but it’s getting more and more publicity throughout Washington State. The Peninsula Daily News has had several articles and letters to the editor about it.
The Washington Assisted Suicide Initiative (Initiative 1000) is patterned after Oregon’s Death With Dignity Act which has been in effect since 1997. Oregon is the only other state that has this law. Switzerland, Belgium and Holland also have a similar law.
This article describes the initiative in more detail. Proponents need to obtain 225,000 signatures by July 3rd in order to qualify for the ballot this coming November.
Basically this initiative will allow a terminally ill patient to end his/her life. A physician would administer a lethal overdose of painkilling drugs.
What do you think of this initiative?
The Washington Assisted Suicide Initiative (Initiative 1000) is patterned after Oregon’s Death With Dignity Act which has been in effect since 1997. Oregon is the only other state that has this law. Switzerland, Belgium and Holland also have a similar law.
This article describes the initiative in more detail. Proponents need to obtain 225,000 signatures by July 3rd in order to qualify for the ballot this coming November.
Basically this initiative will allow a terminally ill patient to end his/her life. A physician would administer a lethal overdose of painkilling drugs.
What do you think of this initiative?
Labels: Assisted Suicide, Death With Dignity, Initiative 1000
posted by Tom Harper at 3:12 PM
17 Comments:
I think only liberals should be allowed to do it.
It's obvious, after reading the previous post, that the city's been putting crack in the water supply again!
Certainly it would only apply to liberals. Conservatives die off in their youth and middle age, usually shortly after saying "Hold my beer and watch this!"
Only if the Carlsburg crematorium handles their remains.
Seriously for a minute -- I think this should be an option. Nobody knows how bad it is for an ill person better than that person, and that's where the decision should rest.
The same people who are against abortion being legal seem to be against assisted suicide being legal. If you're against it, don't do it. But don't tell everybody else THEY can't do it.
To me, a dignified death is so preferable to the nursing home, hooked up to life support, etc. that I can't imagine anyone thinking it's wrong to have it as an option. No one will ever be forced to take the option if they'd rather have a "natural" death.
Seriously for a minute.
Why is the government telling me what I can and can not do to myself?
It's not suicide. You wouldn't call a developmentally disabled person retarded and you shouldn't call a cancer patient suicidal.
I-1000 would apply to terminally ill patients who are in agonizing pain who are diagnosed by two doctors with less than 6 months to live.
It's based on Oregon's law - but with stronger safeguards - and 10 years of data shows that it hasn't been abused.
A person with cancer, who is in alot of pain, should have the right to determine the circumstances of their own end of life.
I hope people are smart enough to keep the government out of end of life decisions. Vote YES on 1000.
Under the Washington death with dignity act, only the patient themselves is permitted to administer the medication.
No one else can do it for them.
It is incorrect to say the Death with Dignity initiative would allow a physician to administer a lethal dose of medication. The proposed law expressly forbids administration by a physician or anyone else--the patient must self-administer the medication.
When a person is terminally ill with no curative therapy available, as required by the initiative, dying under the law is not suicide, either by the terms of the law or by common use of the term. Suicide is of someone who otherwise would not die and for whom there is good treatment in almost all cases.
Tom Preston, MD
Just like abortion, I support it because as in the case of abortion, only liberals will do it. So that means after a few generations, there will be no more liberals! Yes on I-1000! Reduce the liberal population!
The city really has to stop putting the meth in the water supply.
Funny how these religious people are so concerned about your life when you're terminally ill and in agony and want to die peacefully. All of a sudden your life is sacred. Up til then your life didn't matter at all, you could get killed in a war or die from not being able to afford the medicine you needed. But if you're an unborn fetus or if you're suffering from a painful terminal disease, these "Christians" just want to swoon all over you and worship you.
I agree with the last poster. Our lives depreciate at birth.
Speaking of health care, he's our beloved president on universal access health care: "I mean, people have access to health care in America. After all, you just go to an emergency room."
I'm really looking forward to someone intelligent and articulate being in the White House next January (and not John McBush!)
"Intelligent and articulate"...hmmm...Hitler was intelligent and articulate....
hah hah hah! You tell'em Brother! You Libs are trying to put that Obombus guy into the White House so he can wear another turban and sell us out to his pal Bin Laden!
John McCain's going to win, and we'll win in Iraq, too!
After reading the last two posts I agree with Dan Quayle: a mind is a terrible thing.
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