Life is a series of decisions, choices that we make every day, and they may be simple and easy or difficult and momentous. The decision that a cancer patient might make to end their suffering under Washington's Death with Dignity initiative, I-1000, may be difficult. The decision to vote yes on I-1000 so that the cancer patient can have that choice is easy.
When I first announced my plans to support a death with dignity campaign, I was deluged with stories from people whose loved ones had suffered terribly in the last days of their lives. Many of those people had friends and family in Oregon, or wished that they could have moved their loved ones to Oregon in order to give them better care and more end-of-life choices.
I saw that Oregon's Death with Dignity Act was the right model for Washington, even though my diagnosis of Parkinson's - which is not terminal - means that I am not eligible to request aid-in-dying under the law. Changing the law in Washington to allow death with dignity will not change the way I, or most of us, live our final days - but it will give a small number of terminally ill cancer patients and AIDS patients, and their families, the peace of mind of knowing that they won't be forced to suffer.
Initiative 1000, Washington's Death with Dignity initiative, mirrors an Oregon law that has been in place for over 10 years. After 10 years of experience, we know that the safeguards work and abuses have not occurred.
The opposition to death with dignity uses scare tactics, exaggeration and outright lies to try to frighten voters, but we can look to Oregon to see that opponents' predictions of hypothetical worst-case scenarios did not come true. In fact, the law has been hailed by The Oregonian newspaper - a former opponent - for "elevating end-of-life care" and for pushing Oregon to "lead the nation in providing access to palliative medicine and pain treatment."
Giving patients the right to have an open and honest discussion with their doctor and their family about end-of-life care means better end-of-life care for all patients, including those that choose not to request the life-ending medication. More importantly, it gives patients the comfort of knowing they have an option, whether or not they choose to use it.
Washington's Death with Dignity Act, like Oregon's, has many safeguards to make sure that the terminally ill patient's choice is informed and voluntary:
•The patient must be diagnosed by two doctors as being terminally ill with less than six months to live
•The patient must repeat the request twice, and again in writing, with at least two weeks between requests the oral and written requests
•If either doctor suspects the person is not mentally competent to make the decision, a mental health evaluation is required.
•The patient must be provided with information about and access to pain management and hospice care.
•A prescription may not be written if there is any indication of coercion. Coercion is punishable as a felony crime.
•Only the patient may self-administer the medication.
Thousands of supporters for a Washington Death with Dignity law have shared their personal stories of husbands, fathers, wives, mothers, friends and family who suffered needlessly and who wanted to have the safe and legal option of a death with dignity.
Life is a series of decisions. I choose to support Initiative 1000, Washington's death with dignity law, because I-1000 is a matter of autonomy, liberty and choice.
Click here to make a contribution to support I-1000 and death with dignity. Your donation will help keep end-of-life choices out of the hands of government and religious leaders, and in the hands of terminally ill individuals - where they belong.