By Margaret Dore
October 18, 2011
This letter responds to Marie Donovan’s article about the proposed Massachusetts death-with-dignity act, which seeks to legalize assisted suicide in your state (” ‘Death with Dignity Act’ renews end-of-life debate”). I am an attorney in Washington state, one of just two states where physician-assisted suicide is legal. The other state is Oregon. I am also president of Choice is an Illusion, a nonprofit corporation opposed to assisted suicide as an issue of public safety (www.choiceillusion.org).
In both Washington and Oregon, assisted-suicide laws were passed via highly financed sound-bite, ballot-initiative campaigns. No such law has made it through the scrutiny of a legislature — despite more than 100 attempts. This year, a bill was defeated in the New Hampshire House, 234 to 99.
The proposed Massachusetts act is a recipe for elder abuse. Key provisions include that an heir, who will benefit financially from a patient’s death, is allowed to actively help sign the patient up for the lethal dose. See e.g., Section 21 allowing one of two witnesses on the lethal-dose request form to be an heir (http://www.mass.gov/Cago/docs/Government/2011-Petitions/11-12.pdf ).
Once the lethal dose is issued by the pharmacy, there is no oversight over administration. The proposed act does not require that a doctor or anyone else be present at the time of death.
