from our blog: living with dying |
Death with Dignity Must Be Made Available in All 50 States
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 26, 2009
CONTACT:
Peg Sandeen, Executive Director
Phone: 503.228.4415
Email: psandeen@deathwithdignity.org
The Death with Dignity National Center, the original sponsor of the Oregon Death with Dignity Act and the lead author of the 2008 Washington Death with Dignity Act, makes the following statement about the arrest of four members of the Final Exit Network:
Yesterday’s arrests in Georgia and Maryland of four members of the Final Exit Network highlight the need for Oregon-style Death with Dignity laws for every state. The four individuals were alleged to have committed the act of “assisting a suicide,” an approach to hastening death which is expressly forbidden under Oregon’s model legislation.
The Oregon Death with Dignity Act regulates the practice of physician-assisted dying, using explicit guidelines and safeguards enshrined in the state’s law. The law mandates that patients be terminally ill, mentally competent, and adult residents of Oregon who have been evaluated by two different physicians. Furthermore, the law requires waiting periods, mental competency evaluations for individuals suffering from depression, and multiple requests from patients. The law contains multiple safeguards to protect the residents of Oregon. (Read the safeguards here.)
Currently, Death with Dignity under the strictest and safest guidelines is legal only in the state of Oregon. (Read more about how the law works here.) Beginning March 4, residents of Washington will have access to Death with Dignity because of the voter-approved initiative passed in the November, 2008 election.
According to Portland, Oregon, attorney Eli Stutsman, author of the Oregon Death with Dignity Act and founding board member of the Death with Dignity National Center, “Oregon’s law is a rational public policy governing one facet of end-of-life care. It protects patients and their family members by providing physicians with a medical standard of care governing the practice.”
Oregon’s law has been successfully implemented since 1997. A total of 541 individuals have received prescriptions under the Act, and 341 individuals have ingested the prescribed medication. Use of the law is exceedingly rare, and the largest benefit to individuals in the state is the peace of mind that is created by the simple presence of the law. (View statistics about the law here.)
The Death with Dignity National Center is not affiliated with the Final Exit Network. The Death with Dignity National Center works to change existing state laws through the ballot initiative process and legal action in state and federal courts.
Starting in April, 2005, the Death with Dignity National Center identified Washington as the most likely state to enact a Death with Dignity Act, began initial preparations for a ballot initiative campaign, and acted as a leader in the effort to get the law passed. After systematic analysis of all 50 states, in April, 2009, the Center will announce the next state in which to wage a Death with Dignity campaign.
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You are the key to ensuring well-crafted Death with Dignity laws for all Americans. With your financial and volunteer help, the Death with Dignity National Center, a 501(c)(3), non-partisan, non-profit organization, has been the leading advocate in the death with dignity movement. Member contributions helped us pass a new Death with Dignity law in Washington, defend the Oregon law, and provide education and outreach programs for the vitality of the death with dignity movement.
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About Death with Dignity
The greatest human freedom is to live, and die, according to one's own desires and beliefs. From advance directives to physician-assisted dying, death with dignity is a movement to provide options for the dying to control their own end-of-life care.
Death with Dignity National Center is the leader in this movement, successfully establishing, advancing and defending the landmark Oregon and Washington Death with Dignity Acts.
Political Action Fund
The Death with Dignity National Center partners with the Oregon Death with Dignity Political Action Fund to conduct lobbying and political activities in order to achieve the enactment of Death with Dignity laws in other states.
Learn more about the Oregon Death with Dignity Political Action Fund.
Patients & Families
The Death with Dignity National Center was formed out of a profound commitment to the idea that personal end-of-life decisions should be made solely between a patient and a physician. We are pleased to provide you with support and information as you face the difficult challenges ahead.
Research Center
We have compiled a comprehensive collection of legal briefs, journal articles, and newspaper clippings. We invite you to explore the wide array of information we have collected throughout our history.
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