Saturday, October 25, 1997

Oregon on the "Edge of an abyss"

By Mike McManus

The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear a challenge to Oregon's physician-assisted suicide law, clearing the way for the state to become the first jurisdiction in the world to permit doctors to kill their patients. Even in the Netherlands, where euthanasia is commonplace, the practice is not legal - just unprosecuted.

The court let stand a Court of Appeals decision on a narrow technical ground that the people bringing the suit did not have "standing" to sue since the law had not yet gone into effect.

Strange. One of those trying to overturn the law is a woman with a terminal illness, who has become depressed at times, depressed enough to consider suicide. But she fears that if the law went into effect, she would be tempted to have physician-assisted suicide, ending her life prematurely.

If she does not have standing, who would?

However, before the law can take effect, it is being resubmitted to the voters this November. Oregon's legislature felt such a momentous decision needed a second thought. Those who vote "Yes" on Proposition 51 favor repeal of the law. Sadly, a September poll showed a 2-1 margin of opposing repeal, but the margin is narrowing.

In fact, the law was supported by 2-1 in polls before the 1994 referendum, but was approved by only a narrow 51-49 percent margin.

The Portland "Oregonian," the state's largest newspaper, has just published a remarkable five-part series of editorials, the first of which begins: "Oregon teeters today on the edge of an abyss ... If voters fail to repeal the law, many vulnerable Oregonians will fall into the abyss."

What abyss?

A survey found that half of Oregon physicians acknowledge they could not predict if a person had only six months to live, one requirement of the law if physicians are to write a prescription for enough pills to kill a patient. Oregon TV stations are airing ads featuring people who were told by their doctor that they had only six months to live - years ago!

In fact, the Oregon Medical Association, which stayed neutral on the original "Death With Dignity Act," now opposes it: "Oregon physicians have had three years to study the law and we believe it has serous medical deficiencies that will negatively affect the care we provide to seriously ill patients."

What serious deficiencies?

The law permits doctors to prescribe 60-100 barbiturate pills, which, if ingested in one minute will kill people. But in the Netherlands, only 3 percent of assisted suicides use this method because in a quarter of the cases, patients linger for hours and even days, suffering convulsions, vomiting, kidney failure, spasms, brain damage, and may experience "terror, panic or become assaultive," reports the American Association of Suicidology.

Even the Hemlock Society acknowledges that "in 20 percent of self-deliverances involving lethal dosages of medications, individuals do not die quickly but linger in a coma for up to four days.

That is why how-to guides such as "Final Exit," recommend use of plastic bags in addition to drugs. Buy a bag to hold a turkey, and tie it at the neck after ingesting 80 pills.

Is this death with dignity?

The "Oregonian" cites a graver danger: "Many terminally ill patients will march to doctor-assisted deaths because they're abandoned, pressured, depressed or fearful. Why? Because the law's flimsy safeguards will not guard them in their real time of need. In brief, they'll be pushed into the abyss of an early graves."

The Bend, Ore., "Bulletin" backed the law in 1994, saying, "Little is so terrible as to watch someone denied the right of a comfortable, dignified death." However, the paper recently condemned "this foolish law ... Only the blind ignore the wrenching shocks to our core cultural values inherent in this law."

For example, it would "rip apart the assumed bonds of trust between the health care system and our society, doctor and patient, family and dying relative, the rich and poor."

Indeed, a fifth of Oregon doctors have had patients ask them for lethal injections. Was it due to unbearable pain? No, 83 percent cited financial pressure.

Financial pressure?

That's one's own children wishing their parent would die to hastentheir inheritance.

That is an abyss which Oregon will hopefully step back from.