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Myth 2: It attacks the dignity and threatens the lives of people with disabilities

Posted by Melissa Barber on February 21, 2012

LIESReality: This lie is quite pervasive. In order to qualify to make a request for medication under the Oregon and Washington Death with Dignity Acts, a person must be an adult (over the age of 18), a resident of Oregon or Washington, judged mentally competent by his or her physicians, and have a terminal illness which will result in death in six months or fewer. Nowhere in these laws does having a disability qualify an individual to request life-ending medication.

In fact, in section 127.805 s.2.01 the Oregon law specifically states, "No person shall qualify under the provisions of ORS 127.800 to 127.897 solely because of age or disability." The Washington Death with Dignity Act has the same stipulation in section 70-245-020. The proposed laws introduced in Massachusetts (Section 2) and Vermont (page 5, lines 16-19) have the same safeguards.

Research shows these protections work. Independent studies have found no evidence of risk to individuals living with disabilities under Oregon's Death with Dignity law. Here's one such published and peer-reviewed study.

This myth is a scare tactic, plain and simple, and glosses over the fact that Death with Dignity laws offer protections for all people living with or without disabilities. The multiple safeguards ensure the decision to shorten one's suffering when enduring a terminal illness rests solely in the hands of the person who's dying, and no one else.

Posted on February 21, 2012 in FAQ

Comments

  • Posted by Nora Miller on Tuesday, February 21 at 12:42 p.m.

    Your last paragraph highlights an important angle on this myth about the effect of the law on people with disabilities: They too get terminal illnesses, related or unrelated to their disabilities, and they too deserve the right to autonomy over their bodies, especially at end-of-life. More than most, people with disabilities have lifelong experience with medical care providers, and they understand the potentially devastating effects of having no control over their medical treatment. When faced with end-of-life decisions, they have the same concerns and interests as all dying people--including a desire for dignity, control and comfort. In the states where it has been enacted, this law offers that right to all citizens with terminal illnesses, regardless of their prior medical status. As you show, people with disabilities have nothing to fear from these laws, and they have everything to gain by their passage.

  • Posted by Melissa Barber on Tuesday, February 21 at 12:59 p.m.

    Very well said, Nora! Thank you for adding your thoughts.

    Best,
    Melissa
    -----------
    Melissa Barber
    Electronic Communications Specialist
    Death with Dignity National Center

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