tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5460041448944601292024-03-25T18:21:34.343-06:00UtahA non-profit corporation opposed to assisted suicide, euthanasia and other forms of imposed death, worldwideUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-546004144894460129.post-87696596797370262232020-03-16T21:25:00.021-06:002024-01-02T19:43:41.666-07:00Bill Dies Without Significant Action<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3_Zq0FwtWxkcFwoL8lzbpzqNaoG3cEBAh4gaXEaX-E-UfJBGKRSqbZweI5VmYf85rvokY1-wXMuPOSRjrenV0gadBu1fjf28CyN5w-dmCiba5mfnzoXzFFDwlYGp_0zFZ3ZPHG0sYfhwl/s1600/House_Chamber_inside_the_Utah_State_Capitol_-_Feb._2011+%25282%2529+200+x+117.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="117" data-original-width="200" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3_Zq0FwtWxkcFwoL8lzbpzqNaoG3cEBAh4gaXEaX-E-UfJBGKRSqbZweI5VmYf85rvokY1-wXMuPOSRjrenV0gadBu1fjf28CyN5w-dmCiba5mfnzoXzFFDwlYGp_0zFZ3ZPHG0sYfhwl/s200/House_Chamber_inside_the_Utah_State_Capitol_-_Feb._2011+%25282%2529+200+x+117.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Utah Legislature</td></tr>
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On January 16, 2020, <a href="https://le.utah.gov/~2020/bills/static/HB0093.html">HB 93</a> was introduced in the House, seeking to legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia.<div><br />
On January 27, 2020, the bill was introduced in the House Rules Committee, for first reading.</div><div><br />
On March 12, 2020, the bill became a bill not passed. To read the proposed bill, <a href="https://le.utah.gov/~2020/bills/hbillint/HB0093.pdf">click here</a></div>Admin CIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645356679534667319noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-546004144894460129.post-34685519006314362232020-03-12T13:43:00.015-06:002024-01-16T17:56:36.410-07:00Bill Numbered and Distributed By Margaret K. Dore, Esq.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTSdsOrcmkMu-U5QMttMqYCJtAlVIVpibZjPhm9KewAKVk7YEkAYHi2kRUoDWwF4ASJTxuurKP9aUndRczYbTXRPJsqzXWn3YQRzGA6XVsTYTVMObJDnCoYXTa-mgkD-yzipiHKJAKVxornzsSy7sM8IPvGV0Mq7KXSZW955P7eh6aXkjEwuXZJTes8T8/s589/cactus-flowers.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="348" data-original-width="589" height="94" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTSdsOrcmkMu-U5QMttMqYCJtAlVIVpibZjPhm9KewAKVk7YEkAYHi2kRUoDWwF4ASJTxuurKP9aUndRczYbTXRPJsqzXWn3YQRzGA6XVsTYTVMObJDnCoYXTa-mgkD-yzipiHKJAKVxornzsSy7sM8IPvGV0Mq7KXSZW955P7eh6aXkjEwuXZJTes8T8/w159-h94/cactus-flowers.jpg" width="159" /></a></div>
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On January 3, 2020, <a href="https://le.utah.gov/~2020/bills/static/HB0093.html" target="_blank">H.B. 93</a>, "End of Life Prescription Provisions," was numbered and publicly distributed. <div><br /></div><div>The bill also has a "long title," which states<span face="Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.2px;">: "</span>This bill amends the Utah Uniform Probate Code to enact the End of Life Options Act." </div>Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314132820263802243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-546004144894460129.post-50408351375816788602019-02-03T17:14:00.002-07:002019-04-05T14:42:08.349-06:00Euthanasia Bill Dead for Now<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWQJbnu2rFdShRVO6LTHownITNWoD96zdoDd-S9JtaxCJvwj6ZWymI4pWTzCy5sx9TT2L5ajP-HLe9PvIifCl6k1AylAPSNN7hY6vT4f28EweTJAMQobDqxKkIMT9uo-7ALLEROg6W/s1600/utah-capitol-120.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="155" data-original-width="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWQJbnu2rFdShRVO6LTHownITNWoD96zdoDd-S9JtaxCJvwj6ZWymI4pWTzCy5sx9TT2L5ajP-HLe9PvIifCl6k1AylAPSNN7hY6vT4f28EweTJAMQobDqxKkIMT9uo-7ALLEROg6W/s1600/utah-capitol-120.jpg" /></a><a href="https://utahpolicy.com/index.php/features/today-at-utah-policy/19268-house-republicans-block-right-to-die-bill-likely-killing-the-legislation-for-2019" target="_blank">Click here</a> to view source article.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #999999; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: 700;">by </span><span itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="https://utahpolicy.com/index.php/component/contact/contact/4-authors/3-bob-bernick?Itemid=101" itemprop="url" style="color: #0088cc; font-weight: 700;" target="_blank">Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor</a> - Utah Policy.Com</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">A Democratic-sponsored, end of life bill is, for now, dead in the Utah Legislature.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The House Rules Committee, voting along partisan lines, refused Thursday to allow HB121 to be heard by a standing committee – thus killing the bill unless at a later date Rules members change their minds....</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Unless House Democrats can get enough floor votes to lift HB121 from Rules (not likely), or unless Republicans on Rules change their minds (that could happen), end of life legislation is dead in the 2019 Legislature, before the first week is even over<span style="font-family: inherit;">.</span> </span></div>
Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314132820263802243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-546004144894460129.post-71178601048714981502018-12-18T02:26:00.000-07:002020-02-05T02:43:39.730-07:00Utah Teen Who Filmed Girl's Suicide Sentenced to Prison<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Tyerell Przybycien</span></span><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;"> </span></td></tr>
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Nate Carlisle, <i>The Salt Lake City Tribune </i><br />
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<b>Provo</b> - A 19-year-old man was sentenced to five years to life in prison Friday for helping a teenage girl hang herself and then filmng the act.<br />
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Tyerell Przybycien apologized to Jchandra Brown's mother and said he hoped him taking responsibility by pleading guilty would help everyone heal.<br />
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"I'm also hoping that, although I don't deserve it, the victims's family will be able to forgive me for the immature, thoughtless and rash decision," Przybycien told the judge.<br />
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A lawyer for Przybycien asked the judge for two years in jail and five years of probation. But 4th District Judge James Brady opted for the longer sentence in the death of Brown, who was 16.<br />
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Przybycien in October pleaded guilty to one count of child abuse homicide.<br />
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To read the entire article, <a href="https://www.sltrib.com/news/2018/12/07/utah-teen-who-filmed/">click here</a>Admin CIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645356679534667319noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-546004144894460129.post-35047241106097029112018-10-18T23:15:00.000-06:002018-10-18T23:15:48.151-06:00New Charges in Assisted Suicide Case Regarding 16 Year Old Girl<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixgRY9-hjM-fjViLiDRB6IEEnjLdNiI2RU4zNkTYeBqY4i_IIk1tRHPpIHpTx-x1pdROyzWVwr8OD4uXCKOUkr6QtYJY51mL13f2TRcwhC0OuXaBxF2oneoaFHlSzEm4zxnH6eeZSG0h8/s1600/Tyerell.+Dodson+crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="91" data-original-width="74" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixgRY9-hjM-fjViLiDRB6IEEnjLdNiI2RU4zNkTYeBqY4i_IIk1tRHPpIHpTx-x1pdROyzWVwr8OD4uXCKOUkr6QtYJY51mL13f2TRcwhC0OuXaBxF2oneoaFHlSzEm4zxnH6eeZSG0h8/s1600/Tyerell.+Dodson+crop.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/new-charges-filed-against-spanish-fork-man-who-reportedly-filmed/article_d725a137-dd3f-5a18-a583-f2541a300a9b.html" target="_blank">Click here</a> to view entire article.<br />
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A 19-year-old Spanish Fork man charged with murder in the death of a high school student is facing additional charges.<br />
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Tyerell Przybycien was originally charged with one first-degree felony of murder and one third-degree felony of failure to report a dead body after reportedly buying rope, driving a friend to a campground in Payson Canyon and then recording her as she inhaled air cleaner, passed out and died by hanging.<br />
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Two charges of the third-degree felony of tampering with a witness were charged in court on Wednesday after Przybycien wrote on Sept. 19 to a friend telling the friend and others to not speak to prosecutors, according to court documents....Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314132820263802243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-546004144894460129.post-58318812169588020572018-02-11T13:41:00.011-07:002024-01-02T16:03:52.950-07:00House Passes Bill Seeking to Criminalize Assisted Suicide<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Jessica Miller, <i><a href="https://www.sltrib.com/news/2018/02/07/house-passes-bill-which-would-criminalize-assisted-suicide-despite-concerns-it-could-target-family-members-or-physicians-helping-terminally-ill-patients/" target="_blank">The Salt Lake Tribune</a></i> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Utah House passed a bill <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1657922436" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">Tuesday</span></span> seeking to criminalize helping someone commit suicide — despite some concern from lawmakers that the bill could unintentionally target physicians or family members of terminally ill patients.<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Rep. Michael McKell, R-Spanish Fork, has <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://le.utah.gov/~2018/bills/static/HB0086.html&source=gmail&ust=1518465662484000&usg=AFQjCNEtFtMuT9lN8r43EH1LUUlLaNBXOA" href="https://le.utah.gov/~2018/bills/static/HB0086.html" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank" title=""><span style="color: blue;">sponsored House Bill 86</span></a>, which would amend Utah’s manslaughter statute to include assisted suicide. This means a person would be guilty of a second-degree felony — which is punishable by up to 15 years in prison — if prosecutors can prove he or she provided “the physical means” for someone to commit suicide.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">McKell brought the bill in response to a Utah County case where an 18-year-old man [</span><span style="color: #222222;">Tyerell Przybycien]</span><span style="color: #222222;"> is charged with murder, accused of enco</span><span style="color: #222222;">uraging a friend [</span><span style="color: #222222;">Jchandra Brown], </span><span style="color: #222222;">to kill herself, buying her the materials to do so and then </span><span>filming the 16-year-old girl’s suicide</span><span style="color: #222222;"> on a cell phone.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span style="color: #222222;">Utah currently doesn’t have any</span><span style="color: blue;"> </span>clearly defined assisted suicide laws,<span style="color: #222222;"> McKell said, and questions have been raised about whether helping someone commit suicide amounts to murder.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>But lawmakers debated <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1657922437" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">Tuesday</span></span> whether McKell’s bill would unintentionally target family members who are trying to help a loved one who is suffering or terminally ill.</span><br />
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<span>And some expressed concern that the bill could interfere with a physician’s ability to give medication in the last moments of a patient’s life. While the goal of medication is to make a patient comfortable and ease suffering, said Rep. Ed Redd, R-Logan, it’s also likely the drugs will shorten that person’s life</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">“I don’t want to be accused, as a physician, of purposely trying to end their life,” Redd said <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1657922438" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">Tuesday</span></span>.<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>McKell tried to remedy these concerns by adding language to the bill that would exempt physicians from the manslaughter amendment — even if providing medication hastens the end of a patient’s life — unless it could be shown a doctor provided the medication knowing that a patient would use it commit suicide.<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><u></u><u></u></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>That substituted version of HB86 was passed by the House on a 51-18 vote <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1657922439" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">Tuesday</span></span>, despite some interference from a Democratic lawmaker who has been pushing a bill allowing life-ending medication for terminal patients for several years.<u></u><u></u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Rep. Rebecca Chavez-Houck, D-Salt Lake City, proposed her own amendment which would have protected physicians from prosecution. Unlike McKell’s substitution, it did not include language that would allow a physician to be charged with manslaughter if he or she knowingly providing the medication to aid in a suicide. She expressed concern that McKell’s bill could have a “chilling effect” on doctors.<u></u><u></u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">“Medical aid and dying is not suicide,” Chavez-Houck said. “Honoring a terminally ill patient’s request to have medication at hand to use at their discretion, if they so choose, is not suicide.”<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>McKell opposed Chavez-Houck’s amendment, saying it changed the intent of his bill to instead address “the concept of death with dignity.” Her proposed substitution failed <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1657922440" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">Tuesday</span></span>.<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><u></u><u></u></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Chavez-Houck is sponsoring her own bill, <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://le.utah.gov/~2018/bills/static/HB0210.html&source=gmail&ust=1518465662484000&usg=AFQjCNF89kXaFVeciboZv025_AL2RSxkAw" href="https://le.utah.gov/~2018/bills/static/HB0210.html" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank" title=""><span style="color: blue;">HB210</span></a>, which would allow terminally ill patients to obtain a fatal prescription. This session will be the third time legislators will consider her End of Life Options Act, after opting instead to recommend an interim study the past two years.<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">McKell’s bill will now be considered by the Senate.<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
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Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314132820263802243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-546004144894460129.post-74584056500655328172018-01-16T19:57:00.001-07:002018-01-16T19:57:56.964-07:00Assisting Suicide Should Have Legal Recourse<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0KheAPu27aUB2lI6Zv2dR5g_aiAt6FwaRQLSJm0Fa05vTnDPme3BC_As8KojZBOE-HZem8ytwmm2BYva4oczhontmSKkDAltrD6UxRylXr5NC_AwHKWJIN_TWpzxQVzOL2KiOtQwsxvc/s1600/Photo+Tyerell+blond.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="259" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0KheAPu27aUB2lI6Zv2dR5g_aiAt6FwaRQLSJm0Fa05vTnDPme3BC_As8KojZBOE-HZem8ytwmm2BYva4oczhontmSKkDAltrD6UxRylXr5NC_AwHKWJIN_TWpzxQVzOL2KiOtQwsxvc/s200/Photo+Tyerell+blond.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">Tyerell Przybycien</td></tr>
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<i>Deseret News Editorial Board</i><br />
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Occasionally, someone commits a crime so heinous and disturbing it leads to demands for specific changes in law. Such is the case in Utah in the wake of the suicide of a 16-year-old girl and the efforts of a young man accused of helping, abetting and encouraging her.<br />
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A bill before the Utah Legislature would add assisted suicide to the state’s manslaughter statute. That is an appropriate measure that could give law enforcement authorities more prosecutorial leverage.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Few things governments do are more important than defending the sanctity of life. Young people, in particular, often lack the maturity and critical thinking skills to make rational decisions, especially when faced with pressure from peers.<br />
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The bill arises from the tragic case of a young woman found dead in a remote part of Payson Canyon after an acquaintance allegedly purchased items for the woman, drove her to the destination and assisted with the suicide. Such a disturbing incident is rare, but we can find no disadvantage to adding statutory language allowing criminal recourse against anyone who might do such a thing.<br />
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The sponsor of the bill, Rep. Michael K. McKell, R-Spanish Fork, said Utah is one of only six states without a statute that specifically addresses helping someone commit suicide. Given that, we see no reason for his measure, HB 86, not to be passed and signed into law.<br />
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The defendant in the case, 18-year-old Tyerell Przybycien, is charged with homicide, but defense lawyers argue the facts of the case do not merit a murder charge and that the victim was responsible for her own death. While McKell’s bill would not preclude filing murder charges in future cases of assisted suicide, it also would allow prosecutors to bring felony charges based on that specific behavior alone.<br />
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Aside from a situation in which someone may actually help someone take his or her own life, there are many cases in which a victim was taunted or tormented in a way that led them to consider suicide. To address such instances, the state passed a cyberbullying law in 2016, making it unlawful to post material online with the intent of harassing, abusing, threatening or frightening another person. Critics of the law feel its wording is too vague and may lead to innocent people being charged with a crime. But, as with assisted suicide, laws against cyberbullying seek to disrupt a cycle that has become a significant social problem.<br />
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McKell’s bill seems a good next step in protecting society when people treat the lives of others with callous disregard without any consequences.<br />
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Suicide rates among young adults, particularly young women, have reached historic highs. Between 2007 and 2015, the rate of suicide among girls ages 15 to 19 doubled, while it rose 30 percent for boys in the same age group. That time period coincides with a rise in social media use by teenagers. Some studies have drawn correlations between suicidal thoughts and frequent exposure to social media. A study published in the Journal of Affective Disordersfound that more use of social media resulted in greater odds of an anxiety disorder.<br />
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To leverage that anxiety by encouraging and helping someone to commit suicide is a crime against that person, his or her loved ones and society itself. This should be spelled out in law.Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314132820263802243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-546004144894460129.post-49766775297303738782017-12-30T14:31:00.001-07:002024-01-02T14:46:56.400-07:00Lawmaker proposes 'assisted suicide' law after teen allegedly helped girl kill herself<div style="text-align: right;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNzClBuRXbX293n-dHMNL5ZUqoojxr4nuH-YysdP8x1RTsW9VpdT1te-aNVaCp59-DLX0yK_rADjB_az9Ib2sBtm31tvIU4vMPkDdpnFyHrZev-1Lc5T7jjBDBMvqvJrD0U3DGHcpgDsk/s1600/capitoldome+decent.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="321" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNzClBuRXbX293n-dHMNL5ZUqoojxr4nuH-YysdP8x1RTsW9VpdT1te-aNVaCp59-DLX0yK_rADjB_az9Ib2sBtm31tvIU4vMPkDdpnFyHrZev-1Lc5T7jjBDBMvqvJrD0U3DGHcpgDsk/w129-h161/capitoldome+decent.jpg" width="129" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">SALT LAKE CITY (<a href="http://fox13now.com/2017/12/28/after-utah-girls-death-the-legislature-will-consider-an-assisted-suicide-law/">KSTU</a>) -- A state lawmaker is proposing a bill that would create a sort of </span>"assisted suicide" law in response to the death of a Utah County girl and a man charged with murder.<br />
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Tyerell Przybycien is facing a murder charge in the death of 16-year-old Jchandra Brown. He is accused of purchasing supplies, goading the girl into taking her own life and taking video of the death.<br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: small;"><br />"I view it as murder, no question," said Rep. Mike McKell, R-Spanish Fork. "But we need a tool in which we can charge somebody and the charge will actually stick."<br /><br />
Utah County prosecutors are in some murky legal waters. Przybycien's defense attorneys have argued he did not physically kill her. However, prosecutors allege he purchased rope and tied a noose to a tree for her. They've charged him with first-degree felony murder, arguing his actions merited that.<br /><br />
To give prosecutors more discretion in charges, Rep. McKell (who is also a trial lawyer) is proposing assisting in a suicide fall under the charge of manslaughter, a second-degree felony.</span><br />
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Tribune BEN WINSLOW Dec 29th 2017 2:19PM<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">To view the whole article, <a href="https://www.aol.com/article/news/2017/12/29/lawmaker-proposes-assisted-suicide-law-after-teen-allegedly-helped-girl-kill-herself/23319744/" target="_blank">click here</a></span><br />
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<br />Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314132820263802243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-546004144894460129.post-50860062551325387242017-10-12T13:55:00.000-06:002017-10-14T13:59:09.988-06:00Teen accused of helping friend commit suicide could face trial for murder<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcztrz-3QMhsSGd5U1vXVnw6zbKNeEl6gRSTJ8qDAyN7FCSsL2dNeETwZnOAsv1_ECyH22a6ExIoWvzKQvsr8ezmvekylbWHd1p0kAdfAvdffkYB0YJZEaXS-GnwpjbllsMKAYHIG038s/s1600/Jchaundra+Brown+cute+photo+.5+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="540" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcztrz-3QMhsSGd5U1vXVnw6zbKNeEl6gRSTJ8qDAyN7FCSsL2dNeETwZnOAsv1_ECyH22a6ExIoWvzKQvsr8ezmvekylbWHd1p0kAdfAvdffkYB0YJZEaXS-GnwpjbllsMKAYHIG038s/s200/Jchaundra+Brown+cute+photo+.5+.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jchandra "Jelly" Brown</td></tr>
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To see article and video, <a href="https://www.aol.com/article/news/2017/10/12/teen-accused-of-helping-friend-commit-suicide-could-face-trial-for-murder/23241619/" target="_blank">click here</a>.<br />
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PROVO, Utah (KSTU) -- A judge will decide if a Spanish Fork man will face trial on a murder charge in the suicide of a 16-year-old girl.<br />
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Utah County prosecutors argue that Tyerell Przybycien's actions led Jchandra Brown to kill herself, and he should be tried for first-degree felony murder and a class B misdemeanor charge of failure to report a body. His defense lawyers argued that Brown was responsible for her own actions.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
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Przybycien, 18, sat next to his lawyers, looking straight ahead as arguments were made here on Tuesday.<br />
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Deputy Utah County Attorney Chad Grunander argued that Przybycien bought the rope, tied the noose and picked the tree. He also took video of the girl's suicide. Her body was found the next day by hunters in Payson Canyon.<br />
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Utah has no assisted suicide law, and prosecutors argued Przybycien's actions merited a murder charge. Grunander argued that Przybycien wanted to see someone die.<br />
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"He used her suicidal ideations for his own purpose," Grunander told the judge. "The defendant bragged about getting away with murder."<br />
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To view Ms. Brown's obituary, <a href="http://magicvalley.com/news/local/obituaries/obituary-jchandra-jelly-brown/article_a179a8ff-d4ff-5700-a4d9-952c05a24b74.html" target="_blank">click here</a>.Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314132820263802243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-546004144894460129.post-79962776937480847672016-07-19T23:48:00.002-06:002024-01-02T14:48:16.302-07:00Dore Memo Opposing Assisted Suicide Bill<div style="text-align: right;">
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To view a legal/policy memorandum opposing Utah's assisted suicide bill, click <a href="https://choiceisanillusion.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/utah-memo-only-updated.pdf" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="https://choiceisanillusion.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/utah-attachments-only.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>. Key points include:<br />
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<li>"Eligible" persons may have years, even decades, to live. </li>
<li>The bill is stacked against the patient and a recipe for abuse.</li>
<li>"Using" the law can be traumatic for patients and their families.</li>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-546004144894460129.post-44620796902369754192016-07-14T06:52:00.000-06:002016-07-14T06:52:16.635-06:00Press Release: Bill Will Allow "the Perfect Crime," Encourage People "to Throw Away Their Lives"<div>
For print version, <a href="https://choiceisanillusion.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/press-release-07-13-16.pdf" target="_blank">click here</a>.</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLE6n_qy5j1pEpHEqOWmPsLV8kd60_hW4Q46iTLFPPQ6Tpvkr4x1io5ukApbKw0L-G4nMPJZ-nHW8du2GHMwcsloT_NuYwb9BaJl4z56d-XP2avfud_JvLm9YT5ThBIgFpzyot4RjMydc/s1600/capitoldome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLE6n_qy5j1pEpHEqOWmPsLV8kd60_hW4Q46iTLFPPQ6Tpvkr4x1io5ukApbKw0L-G4nMPJZ-nHW8du2GHMwcsloT_NuYwb9BaJl4z56d-XP2avfud_JvLm9YT5ThBIgFpzyot4RjMydc/s200/capitoldome.jpg" width="160" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><b><br />Salt Lake City, UT</b> -- Attorney <a href="http://www.margaretdore.com/">Margaret Dore</a>, president of <a href="http://choiceillusion.org/">Choice is an Illusion</a>, which has fought assisted suicide legalization efforts in many states, and now Utah, made the following statement in connection with a bill pending before the Utah Legislature. (HB 264).<br /><br />"The bill has an application process to obtain the lethal dose," said Dore. "The process includes a written lethal dose request form with two required witnesses. One of the witnesses is allowed to be the patient's heir who will financially benefit from the patient's death."</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: small;"><br />"A central problem with the bill is that a person assisting a suicide can have his or her own agenda," Dore said. "For example, if the person will financially benefit from the patient's death due to an inheritance, he or she will have a potential motivation to be sure that the death goes through. This may or may not be consistent with the patient's choice."<br /><br />"This central problem is exacerbated by bill provisions that strip away existing patient rights. Dore explained, "Under current Utah law, patients have a right to informed consent regarding treatment alternatives. Under the proposed bill, patients instead have the right to an 'informed decision, which limits their right to information. More to the point, they have no right to be told about alternatives for cure or to extend life."<br /><br />Dore said, "Another problem is that the bills allow someone else to speak for the patient during the lethal dose request process." Dore elaborated, "There is no requirement that speaking person be the patient's designated agent, for example, through a power of attorney. The person is merely required to be 'familiar with the patient's manner of communicating,' for example, that the patient communicates with a stutter. This is obviously not a sufficient standard for a life and death decision."<br /><br />"After the lethal dose is issued by the pharmacy, there is no oversight," Dore said. "No doctor, not even a witness, is required to be present at the death. This creates the opportunity for someone else to administer the lethal dose to the patient without his or her consent. If the patient objected or even struggled, who would know? The bill allows the perfect crime."<br /><br />"The bill seeks to legalize assisted suicide for people who are 'terminal,' which is defined as a doctor's prediction of less than six months to live," Dore said. "In real life, such persons can have years, even decades, to live. This is due to actual mistakes: The doctor evaluated another patient's test results. More typically, doctors are wrong because predicting life expectancy is not an exact science."<br /><br />Dore concluded, "Utah's assisted suicide bill, if enacted, will allow the perfect crime. The law will encourage people with years to live to throw away their lives."<br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>For more information:<br /></b>1. Legal/policy analysis of HB 264, which can be viewed at these links: <a eudora="autourl" href="https://choiceisanillusion.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/utah-memo-only-hb-264-07-12-16.pdf">https://choiceisanillusion.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/utah-memo-only-hb-264-07-12-16.pdf </a> <a eudora="autourl" href="https://choiceisanillusion.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/utah-attachments-only.pdf">https://choiceisanillusion.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/utah-attachments-only.pdf<br /></a>2. Margaret K. Dore, "'Death with Dignity': What Do We Advise Our Clients?," King County Bar Association, <i>Bar Bulletin</i>, May 2009, <a eudora="autourl" href="https://www.kcba.org/newsevents/barbulletin/BView.aspx?Month=05&Year=2009&AID=article5.htm">https://www.kcba.org/newsevents/barbulletin/BView.aspx?Month=05&Year=2009&AID=article5.htm<br /></a>3. Nina Shapiro, "Terminal Uncertainty: Washington's new "Death With Dignity" law allows doctors to help people commit suicide-once they've determined that the patient has only six months to live. But what if they're wrong?" <i>Seattle Weekly</i>, 01/14/09, available at <a eudora="autourl" href="https://choiceisanillusion.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/terminal-uncertainty-w-o-ad.pdf">https://choiceisanillusion.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/terminal-uncertainty-w-o-ad.pdf</a><br /></span><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"><u><a eudora="autourl" href="http://www.margaretdore.com/">www.margaretdore.com</a></u></span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"><u><a eudora="autourl" href="http://www.choiceillusion.org/">www.choiceillusion.org</a></u></span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><br /><b><i>About Choice Is An Illusion<br /></i></b>A human rights organization, working to keep assisted suicide and euthanasia out of your state, and out of your life</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-546004144894460129.post-86037503028292521552016-07-07T16:33:00.000-06:002016-07-14T06:56:23.491-06:00<h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; position: relative;">
Testimony of Kenneth Stevens MD Opposing Assisted Suicide</h3>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">To view testimony as a pdf, <a href="https://choiceisanillusion.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/stevens-testimony-hb-264-july-2016.pdf" style="color: #3d85c6; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">click here</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="text-indent: -0.5in;"><b>1. <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">I</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18.4px;"> strongly urge you to Vote No on HB 264, which seeks to legalize physician assisted suicide in Utah</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoObYqrUdeGvC4ufUIoU5TZ1fKhjxzzmfyLqK41JUIo81V8iwnbHhYRYLPFhVThHVQvqoK-nTlp8d4ct7AKap8bsnQKeU_Op2qYky_l-lqQMqMkERJHiDRQ5nT7s1scvR9Y9lP2KYk-tk/s1600/Jeanette+looking+at+Ken.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; color: #3d85c6; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoObYqrUdeGvC4ufUIoU5TZ1fKhjxzzmfyLqK41JUIo81V8iwnbHhYRYLPFhVThHVQvqoK-nTlp8d4ct7AKap8bsnQKeU_Op2qYky_l-lqQMqMkERJHiDRQ5nT7s1scvR9Y9lP2KYk-tk/s320/Jeanette+looking+at+Ken.png" style="background: transparent; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10.56px; text-align: center;">Photo of me and my patient Jeanette Hall, 15 years after<br />
I talked her out of assisted suicide in Oregon</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">I am a cancer doctor in Oregon, where physician-assisted suicide is legal. I was also raised in Logan, graduated from USU, and received my MD from the University of Utah Medical School 50 years ago. I am Professor Emeritus and former chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology at Oregon Health and Science University. I regularly visit Utah. I continue to practice in my cancer medical specialty.</span><br />
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<b style="text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">2. </span></b><b style="text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Vote No because legalizing assisted suicide destroys the trust between patient and doctor</span></b></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">My personal story:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">I first became involved with assisted-suicide in 1982, shortly before my first wife, Shannon Kramer Stevens (daughter of Dick Kramer, Bonneville Golf Course 50-year Pro and Legend), died of cancer. We had just made what would be her last visit with her doctor. As we were leaving the office, he said that he could provide her with an extra-large dose of pain medication. As I helped her to the car, she said “Ken, he wants me to kill myself.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">It devastated her that her doctor, her trusted doctor, would suggest that she kill herself. It really troubled her. Within two weeks, she died peacefully in our home. I learned then how assisted suicide destroys the trust between patient and doctor. Patients want support from their doctors, not encouragement to commit suicide. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">3. Vote No to save lives</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">In 2000, Jeanette Hall was my cancer patient. At our first meeting, Jeanette told me that she did not want to be treated, and that she was going to “do” our law, i.e., kill herself with a lethal dose of barbiturates. She had previously voted in favor of the law and that was what she had decided. I informed her that her cancer was treatable and her prospects were good. She was not interested in treatment; she had made up her mind for the assisted suicide. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Her surgeon had previously informed her that without cancer treatment, she had only six months to a year to live, making her eligible for Oregon’s law. I asked her to return for weekly visits. On the third or fourth visit, I asked her about her family and learned that she had a son. I asked her how he would feel about her plan. A short time later she decided to be treated.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Five years later, Jeanette and I happened to be in the same restaurant. Excitedly, she came over to my table exclaiming, “Dr. Stevens you saved my life.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">For Jeanette, the mere presence of legal assisted suicide had steered her to suicide. She has now told me repeatedly that if I had believed in assisted suicide, she would be dead.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">I urge you to vote No to save lives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><b>In Summary,</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">1. I strongly urge you to Vote No on HB 264, which seeks to legalize</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"> physician assisted suicide in Utah.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">2. Vote No because legalizing assisted suicide destroys the trust between patient and doctor.</span></span></div>
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<span style="text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">3. Vote No to save lives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">I have much additional information regarding significant problems in Oregon due to assisted suicide legalization. I am happy to provide that information to you at a later time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Very sincerely,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Dr. Kenneth R. Stevens, Jr., MD<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Sherwood, OR </span></div>
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Assistanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04817781603815018854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-546004144894460129.post-3478606396894494162016-06-19T13:14:00.003-06:002016-06-19T13:20:00.379-06:00Welcome!This site is under construction.<br />
<br />
Please check back soon.<br />
<br />
Thank you.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-546004144894460129.post-74263503154644584592015-03-02T17:56:00.001-07:002015-03-02T17:56:51.247-07:00Don’t pass death with dignity act <a href="http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/2236819-155/letter-dont-pass-death-with-dignity">http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/2236819-155/letter-dont-pass-death-with-dignity</a><br />
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I
am a lawyer in Washington State where assisted suicide is legal. Our
law is based on a similar law in Oregon. Both laws are similar to HB391,
which is pending in the Utah legislature. I disagree with Nancy
Thompson that passing that bill will enhance individual choice (Feb. 27). </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="TEXT_w_Indent">
Legal assisted suicide is, instead, a recipe
for elder abuse. HB391, like Washington's law, allows one of two
witnesses on the lethal dose request form to be an heir who will
financially benefit from the patient's death. Once the lethal dose is
issued by the pharmacy, there is no oversight. Even if the patient
struggled, who would know? (For more information, <a href="https://www.kcba.org/newsevents/barbulletin/BView.aspx?Month=05&Year=2009&AID=article5.htm" target="_blank">click here</a>).</div>
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Thompson compares legalizing assisted suicide to pet euthanasia in which the owner, not the pet, makes the decision to end the pet's life. More to the point, the pet does not get to choose.</div>
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I hope that you can keep assisted suicide out of Utah.</div>
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Don't make Washington's mistake.</div>
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Margaret Dore</div>
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Seattle</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-546004144894460129.post-70039144572926958282015-03-01T18:30:00.000-07:002015-03-01T18:30:04.334-07:00Problems with H.B. 391<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: small;">By Margaret Dore, Esq., MBA</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;">H.B. 391 seeks to legalize physician-</span>assisted suicide in Utah. I am a lawyer in Washington State where we have a similar law. Our law is based on a law in Oregon. <br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />Problems include:</span><br />
<br />
<b>1. <a href="http://le.utah.gov/~2015/bills/hbillint/HB0391.pdf" target="_blank">HB 391</a>, if enacted, will encourage people with years to live to throw away their lives.</b><br />
<br />
HB 391 seeks to legalize assisted suicide for persons with a "terminal disease," which is defined as having less than six months to live. In Oregon's law, which uses the same definition, young adults with chronic conditions, such as diabetes, are "eligible" for assisted suicide. Such persons can have years, even decades, to live. See <a eudora="autourl" href="https://choiceisanillusion.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/a-2270-3r-memo-12-02-14.pdf">https://choiceisanillusion.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/a-2270-3r-memo-12-02-14.pdf</a> "Eligible" patients can also have years to live because doctors can be wrong. See <a eudora="autourl" href="https://choiceisanillusion.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/terminal-uncertainty.pdf">https://choiceisanillusion.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/terminal-uncertainty.pdf</a> and <a eudora="autourl" href="https://choiceisanillusion.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/signed-john-norton-affidavit_001.pdf">https://choiceisanillusion.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/signed-john-norton-affidavit_001.pdf</a><br />
<br />
<b>2. <a href="http://le.utah.gov/~2015/bills/hbillint/HB0391.pdf" target="_blank">HB 391</a>, if enacted, will allow health care providers/institutions to use coverage incentives to steer patients to suicide.</b> <br />
<br />
In Oregon, that state's Medicaid Plan steers patients to suicide through coverage incentives. If HB 391 is enacted, Utah health care providers/institutions will be able to do the same thing. For more information about Oregon's situation, see the affidavit of Kenneth Stevens, MD, at this link: <a eudora="autourl" href="https://maasdocuments.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/dr-stevens-affidavit_001.pdf">https://maasdocuments.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/dr-stevens-affidavit_001.pdf</a> <br />
<br />
<b>3. Legalization is a recipe for elder abuse.</b> <br />
<br />
HB 391, like Washington's law, has no oversight at the death. No doctor is required to be present. Not even a witness is required. This situation creates the opportunity for an heir, or another person who will benefit from the patient's death, to administer the lethal dose to the patient without his consent. Even if he struggled, who would know?<br />
<br />
<b>4. Increased suicide</b><br />
<br />
In Oregon, other suicides have increased with the legalization of physician-assisted suicide. See <a eudora="autourl" href="http://www.choiceillusion.org/2014/03/the-high-financial-cost-of-regular.html">http://www.choiceillusion.org/2014/03/the-high-financial-cost-of-regular.html</a> Legalization, regardless, sends the wrong message to young people that suicide is an acceptable solution to life's problems. Utah already has one of the highest suicide rates in the nation. See <a eudora="autourl" href="http://www.standard.net/Health/2014/05/22/Utah-suicide-rate-soars">http://www.standard.net/Health/2014/05/22/Utah-suicide-rate-soars</a><br />
<br />
<b>5. Washington's similar law.</b><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">For a short article about Washington's similar law, please go here (non-lawyers tell me they like it): <a eudora="autourl" href="https://www.kcba.org/newsevents/barbulletin/BView.aspx?Month=05&Year=2009&AID=article5.htm">https://www.kcba.org/newsevents/barbulletin/BView.aspx?Month=05&Year=2009&AID=article5.htm</a></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-546004144894460129.post-53919922743144491252015-02-27T17:27:00.002-07:002016-12-05T03:19:45.562-07:00Utah man, 75, pleads guilty in death of ailing wife The Salt Lake Tribune <div class="col-md-16">
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<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/2229855-155/utah-man-75-pleads-guilty-in">http://www.sltrib.com/news/2229855-155/utah-man-75-pleads-guilty-in</a><br />
<br />
A
75-year-old Roy man accused of killing his ailing wife — after he
purportedly studied methods of assisted suicide — has pleaded guilty to a
lesser charge of attempted murder.</div>
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Dennis Vance Chamberlain was charged in Ogden's
2nd District Court with first-degree felony murder in the death of his
wife, 70-year-old Jean Chamberlain, on Feb. 16, 2014.</div>
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<br /></div>
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On Thursday, Chamberlain pleaded guilty to
attempted murder. As part of the plea deal, attorneys stipulated to a
sentence of six years to life in prison, according to Deputy Weber
County Benjamin Willoughby. The murder charge was punishable by a
15-years-to-life prison term.<br />
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Sentencing is set for April 16 before Judge Joseph Bean.</div>
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Before Jean Chamberlain died at her Roy home,
prosecutors say her husband had amassed a small library of suspicious
titles: "The Peaceful Pill Handbook," "The Final Exit" and "If You Go
Into A Nursing Home, Will Your Spouse Go To The Poor House?"</div>
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The books and articles provided arguments for
assisted suicide, warnings against nursing homes, and ways to kill a
person without being caught — for instance, suffocation with a
helium-filled bag. The techniques in the publications were punctuated
with handwritten notes such as, "Excellent," "How to do it" and "Silence
is your best protection."</div>
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At an August preliminary hearing, Cindy Hadley,
Chamberlain's daughter, said her father told her that he had taken his
dog for a walk one February day and returned to find his wife had died.
He claimed to have performed CPR, but Hadley said her mother's body was
reclined in her wheelchair at a height that would not allow CPR.
Chamberlain said he had called his LDS bishop, a doctor, to come to the
house and pronounce Jean Chamberlain dead, Hadley testified.</div>
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Hadley said the bishop later told Chamberlain's
children that he had never been at the home on the night Jean
Chamberlain passed away.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Hadley said her mother suffered a stroke about
20 years ago, and that her condition was worsening when she died. She
testified that caring for her mother "was taking a toll, mentally and
physically" on Chamberlain. Her mother wanted to go to a nursing home,
Hadley said, but her father objected.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-546004144894460129.post-1315143926565074522014-08-30T15:24:00.001-06:002014-08-30T15:24:43.688-06:00Judge to set bail for Roy man accused of killing his wife<a href="http://www.kutv.com/news/features/local/stories/vid_7381.shtml">http://www.kutv.com/news/features/local/stories/vid_7381.shtml</a><br />
<br />
(KUTV) Bail will be set Friday for a Roy man accused of killing his wife.<br />
<br />
Dennis Chamberlain, 74, is charged with first-degree murder. Prosecutors say Chamberlain killed his wife in February.<br />
<br />
They claim he bought an assisted suicide manual then used chemicals, bags and hoses to make her death look natural.<br />
<br />
A judge will set bail and hear evidence in the case to decide if it should go to trial Friday.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-546004144894460129.post-43320308700259067822014-07-02T20:40:00.000-06:002014-07-02T20:40:05.835-06:00Roy man's actions may have been a precursor to murder <a eudora="autourl" href="http://www.kutv.com/news/top-stories/stories/vid_12308.shtml">http://www.kutv.com/news/top-stories/stories/vid_12308.shtml</a><br /><b><br />
</b>(KUTV) A Roy man who police say killed his wife sent ominous letters to her siblings talking about assisted suicide months before her death.<br /><br />
Dennis Chamberlain is charged with murdering his wife of 48 years and apparently made no secret that he had death on his mind. According to Chamberlain's sister in law Janis Farran he, "would often send bizarre letters about this or that, but when Jean died they began to wonder if he was laying the groundwork for her murder."<br /><br />
Chamberlain wrote a letter stating some research he was doing on ending a life, but no one thought he'd actually do such a thing. Family members thought it was just another bizarre letter from their odd brother in law.<br /><br />
Farran says the letter came seven month before her sister Jean died. In the letter Chamberlain talked about books he was reading, including Final Exit which is a handbook on assisted suicide.<br /><br />
Farran said she was not immediately alarmed, "You just didn't think he would do such a thing. I just kind of thought what a strange guy who would write something like that you know, you just don't think anything like that would really happen," <br /><br />
Chamberlain was infamous for his peculiar writings says Farran, many in the family simply ignored him or returned the letters to him unopened.<br /><br />
"I did speak to another sibling about it and whether or not we should do anything about it and we both just thought well he's probably just writing a crazy letter. He'd always write letters to people with crazy stories and all that," explained Ferran.<br /><br />
Jean who'd suffered a stroke years ago died in February and her husband didn't contact police or doctors. He simply announced to family members that their sister was dead. Earlier this year police exhumed her body in part because of the letter and a search of Chamberlains internet history showed he had searched for information on gases and medicine that could not be detected in an autopsy.<br /><br />
Ferran is understandably upset by the news saying, "I'm just heartbroken that I didn't do more about it, oh my God, I never thought this would happen." <br /><br />
While there are second thoughts, there is also relief that Jean's alleged killer is behind bars. Ferran added, "I'm just so happy that this guy is not going to get away with it, I thought he was going to get away with it."<br /><br />
Although she had a stroke, Farran says her sister was not that sick. She says Dennis made her seem more ill than she ways and it set the stage for her death.<br /><br />
(Copyright 2014 Sinclair Broadcasting Group.)<br /><br />
Follow us on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/KUTV2News">@KUTV2News</a> and LIKE us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/KUTV2News">Facebook</a> for updates.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-546004144894460129.post-47484935363829061782014-01-27T23:02:00.000-07:002014-01-27T23:02:03.620-07:00"Is there a way to allow a person to end his life without making someone else a criminal?"<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.479999542236328px; text-align: right;">
By Margaret Dore, Esq.</div>
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">A legislator considering an assisted suicide law asked me this question: </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.479999542236328px; text-align: center;">"Is there a way to allow a person to end his life without making someone else a criminal?"</span><br />
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">
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<div>
This was my (slightly edited) response:<br />
<br />
People take their lives all the time. One of my cousins shot himself and another threw himself in front of a train. There was no criminality involved. Also, if people are in pain, palliative care laws allow medical personnel to give patients copious amounts of drugs, including up to sedation, which can hasten the patient's death. This is the principal of double effect. This is legal. For more information, read the <a href="http://choiceisanillusion.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/signed-stevens-aff-9-18-12-as-filed.pdf" style="color: #3d85c6; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Affidavit of Kenneth Stevens, MD</a>, page 3, paragraph 13.<br />
<br />
There is also palliative care abuse in which no one seems to be held accountable, except for maybe one case in California where doctors relied on a wealthy patient's daughters, who said that their father was really bad off and didn't want treatment, which was not the case. At least, that's what's claimed by the man's son. See William Dotinga, "<a href="http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/02/06/43641.htm" style="color: #3d85c6; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Grim Complaint Against Kaiser Hospital</a>," Court House News Service, February 6, 2012.<br />
<br />
I've had like 15-20 contacts in the past year by people upset about their family member<b> </b>being suddenly off'd<b> </b>by medical personnel and/or having DNR's put on family members/friends without the patient's consent. My caregiver friends also talk about guarding their patients in the hospital. Here are some letters from Montana. <a eudora="autourl" href="http://www.montanansagainstassistedsuicide.org/2013/04/dont-give-doctors-more-power-to-abuse.html" style="color: #3d85c6; text-decoration: none;">http://www.montanansagainstassistedsuicide.org/2013/04/dont-give-doctors-more-power-to-abuse.html</a><br />
<br />
Here's a letter from Washington State where assisted suicide is legal. The letter talks about doctors being quick with the morphine and also regarding the conduct of an adult son shortly after our assisted suicide law was passed ("an adult child of one of our clients asked about getting the pills [to kill the father]. It wasn't the father saying that he wanted to die"). <a href="http://www.montanansagainstassistedsuicide.org/2012/07/dear-montana-board-of-medical-examiners.html" style="color: #3d85c6; text-decoration: none;">http://www.montanansagainstassistedsuicide.org/2012/07/dear-montana-board-of-medical-examiners.html</a> Here's a letter from a wife about how she was afraid to leave her husband alone after a doctor pitched assisted suicide to her husband. <a eudora="autourl" href="http://www.montanansagainstassistedsuicide.org/2013/01/i-was-afraid-to-leave-my-husband-alone.html" style="color: #3d85c6; text-decoration: none;">http://www.montanansagainstassistedsuicide.org/2013/01/i-was-afraid-to-leave-my-husband-alone.html</a><br />
<br />
There is also the issue that people who say they want to die don't mean it, as with any suicide. See <a eudora="autourl" href="http://www.montanansagainstassistedsuicide.org/p/what-people-mean-when-they-say-they.html" style="color: #3d85c6; text-decoration: none;">http://www.montanansagainstassistedsuicide.org/p/what-people-mean-when-they-say-they.html</a><br />
<br />
I've had two clients whose fathers signed up for the Oregon/Washington assisted suicide acts. With the first case, one side of the family wanted the father to use the act and the other side didn't. He spent the last months of his life torn over whether of not he should kill himself. His daughter was also traumatized. He died a natural death. There is a Swiss study that you might be interested in, that 1 out of 5 family members were traumatized by witnessing the legal assisted suicide of a family member. See <a eudora="autourl" href="http://choiceisanillusion.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/family-members-traumatized-eur-psych-2012.pdf" style="color: #3d85c6; text-decoration: none;">http://choiceisanillusion.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/family-members-traumatized-eur-psych-2012.pdf</a><br />
<br />
In my other case, the father had two suicide parties and it's not clear that it was voluntary. My client, his son, was told that his dad had said "You're not killing me, I'm going to bed"). Regarding the next day, my client was told that his dad was already high on alcohol when he drank the lethal dose. But then the person telling him this changed his story. In Montana, Senator Jeff Essman, made a relevant observation regarding this point:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"[All] the protections [in Oregon's law] end after the prescription is written. [The proponents] admitted that the provisions in the Oregon law would permit one person to be alone in that room with the patient. And in that situation, there is no guarantee that that medication is self-administered.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
So frankly, any of the studies that come out of the state of Oregon's experience are invalid because no one who administers that drug . . . to that patient is going to be turning themselves in for the commission of a homicide."</blockquote>
<a href="http://www.margaretdore.com/pdf/senator_essmann_sb_167_001.pdf" style="color: #3d85c6; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Senate Judiciary Hearing on SB 167 on February 10, 2011</a><br />
<br />
I, however, doubt that a person in Oregon could be prosecuted. If you read the act carefully, there is no requirement of patient consent to administration of the lethal dose, and to the extent that's ambiguous, there's the rule of lenity. In Washington State, prosecutors are required to report assisted suicide deaths as "Natural" - no matter what - at least, that's what the regulation says: <a eudora="autourl" href="http://www.doh.wa.gov/portals/1/Documents/5300/DWDAMedCoroner.pdf" style="color: #3d85c6; text-decoration: none;">http://www.doh.wa.gov/portals/1/Documents/5300/DWDAMedCoroner.pdf</a> How can you prosecute someone for homicide if the death is required to be reported as "Natural?"<br />
<br />
Here in Washington, we have already had some informal proposals to expand the scope of our assisted suicide act. One in particular disturbed me. A <i>Seattle Times</i> column suggested euthanasia as a solution for people unable to support themselves, which would be involuntary euthanasia. See Jerry Large, "<a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/text/2017693023.html" style="color: #3d85c6; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Planning for old age at a premium</a>,"<i> </i>March 8, 2012, which states:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"After Monday's column, . . . a few [readers] suggested that if you couldn't save enough money to see you through your old age, you shouldn't expect society to bail you out. <i>At least a couple mentioned euthanasia as a solution</i>." (Emphasis added)</blockquote>
So, if you worked hard and paid taxes all your life and then your company pension plan goes belly up, this is how you want society to pay you back?<br />
<br />
As a Democrat, I see us as looking out for the little guy, not passing laws to protect perpetrators, healthcare systems, etc. from legitimate claims. I hope that you will vote against any effort to legalize assisted suicide/euthanasia.<br />
<br />
Thank you for writing me back.<br />
<br />
Margaret Dore</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-546004144894460129.post-45694187825005394822013-11-11T21:41:00.002-07:002013-11-11T21:41:39.360-07:00Quick Facts About Assisted Suicide<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-8195040781323910368" style="background-color: white; color: #303030; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4; position: relative; width: 470px;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">By Margaret Dore, Esq.*</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. Assisted Suicide</span></b></div>
<br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Assisted suicide means that someone provides the means and/or information for another person to commit suicide. When a physician is involved, the practice is physician-assisted suicide.[1]</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>2. The Oregon and Washington Laws</strong></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In Oregon, physician-assisted suicide was legalized in 1997 via a ballot measure.[2] In Washington State, a similar law was passed via another ballot measure in 2008 and went into effect in 2009.[3] </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>3. Throwing Away Your Life</b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Oregon and Washington laws apply to state residents predicted to have less than six months to live.[5] Such persons are not necessarily dying. Doctors can be wrong.[6] Moreover, treatment can lead to recovery. Consider Jeanette Hall, who was diagnosed with cancer and given six months to a year to live.[7] She was adamant that she would "do" Oregon’s law, but her doctor, Ken Stevens, convinced her to be treated instead.[8] She is still alive today, 13 years later.[9]</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana;">With legal assisted suicide, people with many quality years to live are encouraged to throw away their lives.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><br /></span><strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">4. A Recipe for Elder Abuse</span></strong><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Washington and Oregon laws are</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">a recipe for elder abuse. The most obvious reason is due to a lack of oversight when the lethal dose is administered.[10] For example, there are no witnesses required at the death; the death is allowed occur in private.[11] With this situation, the opportunity is created for an heir, or some other person who will benefit from the patient’s death, to administer the lethal dose to the patient without her consent. Even if she struggled, who would know?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana;">For more detail about Washington's law, which is similar to Oregon's law, read a short article by <a href="https://www.kcba.org/newsevents/barbulletin/BView.aspx?Month=05&Year=2009&AID=article5.htm" style="color: #3d85c6; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">clicking here</a>. </span><br /><br /><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5. Empowering the Healthcare System</span></b><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In Oregon, patients desiring treatment under the Oregon Health Plan have been offered assisted suicide instead. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The most well known cases involve Barbara Wagner and Randy Stroup.[12] Each wanted treatment.[13] The Plan denied their requests and offered to pay for their suicides instead.[14] Neither Wagner nor Stroup saw this scenario as a celebration of their "choice." Wagner said: "I'm not ready to die."[15] Stroup said: "This is my life they’re playing with."[16]</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Wagner and Stroup were steered to suicide. Moreover, it was the Oregon Health Plan, a government entity, doing the steering.[17] For more detail about the current situation, read the affidavit of Kenneth Stevens, by </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://maasdocuments.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/signed-stevens-aff-9-18-12.pdf" style="color: #3d85c6; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">clicking here</a>.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>6. Increased Suicide in Oregon</b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Oregon's suicide rate, which excludes suicides under its physician-assisted suicide law, has been "increasing significantly" since 2000.[18] </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Just three years prior, Oregon legalized physician-assisted suicide. This increased suicide rate is consistent with a suicide contagion in which removing the stigma from one type of suicide encouraged other suicides. </span><br /><br /><strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">7. Proposed Expansion in Washington State</span></strong><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Washington State legalized physician-assisted suicide in March 2009. Just three years later, there were already discussions to expand that law to direct euthanasia of non-terminal people. See, for example, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Brian Faller, "Perhaps it's time to expand Washington's Death with Dignity Act,</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><em style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Olympian</em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, November 16, 2011. More disturbing for me,</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.4;">on March 8, 2012, there was a </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.4;">Seattle Times</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.4;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.4;">column suggesting euthanasia as a solution for people unable to support themselves, which would be involuntary euthanasia. See Jerry Large, "Planning for old age at a premium,"</span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.4;"> The Seattle Times</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.4;">, March 8, 2012 at </span><a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/text/2017693023.html" style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.4; text-decoration: none;">http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/text/2017693023.html</a> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.4;">("After Monday's column, . . . a few [readers] suggested that if you couldn't save enough money to see you through your old age, you shouldn't expect society to bail you out.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.4;"> </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.4;">At least a couple mentioned euthanasia as a solution</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.4;">.") (Emphasis added). </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.4;">I never heard anyone talk like this before our law was passed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.4;">Don't make our mistake.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span>____<br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana;">* <em>Margaret Dore is an attorney in Washington State where assisted suicide is legal. She is also President of Choice is an Illusion, a nonprofit corporation opposed to assisted suicide. For more information, see </em><a href="http://www.margaretdore.com/" style="color: #3d85c6; text-decoration: none;"><em><span style="color: #2288bb;">www.margaretdore.com</span></em></a><em> and</em><a href="http://www.choiceillusion.org/" style="color: #3d85c6; text-decoration: none;"><em><span style="color: #2288bb;">www.choiceillusion.org</span></em></a><em> </em></span><em></em><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">[1] Compare: American Medical Association, Code of Medical Ethics, Opinion 2.211, available at <a href="http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/physician-resources/medical-ethics/code-medical-ethics/opinion2211.page" style="color: #3d85c6; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #2288bb;">http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/physician-resources/medical-ethics/code-medical-ethics/opinion2211.page</span></a></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">[2] The Oregon and Washington laws are similar. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For a short article about Washington’s law, see Margaret K. Dore, "'Death with Dignity': What Do We Advise Our Clients?," King County Bar Association, Bar Bulletin, May 2009, available at<a href="https://www.kcba.org/newsevents/barbulletin/BView.aspx?Month=05&Year=2009&AID=article5.htm" style="color: #3d85c6; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #2288bb;">https://www.kcba.org/newsevents/barbulletin/BView.aspx?Month=05&Year=2009&AID=article5.htm</span></a></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">[3] Id.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">[5] See ORS 127.800 s.1.01(12) and RCW 70.245.010(13).</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">[6] See e.g., Nina Shapiro, "Terminal Uncertainty: Washington’s new "Death With Dignity" law allows doctors to help people commit suicide—once they’ve determined that the patient has only six months to live. But what if they’re wrong?," 01/14/09, available at<a href="http://www.seattleweekly.com/2009-01-14/news/terminal-uncertainty" style="color: #3d85c6; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #2288bb;">http://www.seattleweekly.com/2009-01-14/news/terminal-uncertainty</span></a> </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">[7]<em> </em>See Jeanette Hall, Letter to the editor, "She pushed for legal right to die, and - thankfully - was rebuffed, Boston Globe, October 4, 2011 ("I am so happy to be alive!), available at<a href="http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/letters/articles/2011/10/04/she_pushed_for_legal_right_to_die_and___thankfully___was_rebuffed/" style="color: #3d85c6; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #2288bb;">http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/letters/articles/2011/10/04/she_pushed_for_legal_right_to_die_and___thankfully___was_rebuffed/</span></a> Kenneth Stevens MD, Letter to the Editor, "Oregon mistake costs lives," The Advocate, the official publication of the Idaho State Bar, Sept. 2010, (scroll down to last letter at<a href="http://www.margaretdore.com/info/Stevens.pdf" style="color: #3d85c6; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #2288bb;">www.margaretdore.com/info/Stevens.pdf</span></a> ).</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">[8] Id.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">[9] Per her telephone call today.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">[10] The Oregon and Washington Acts can be viewed in their entirety <a href="http://public.health.oregon.gov/ProviderPartnerResources/EvaluationResearch/DeathwithDignityAct/Pages/ors.aspx" style="color: #3d85c6; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2288bb;">here</span></a> and <a href="http://apps.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=70.245" style="color: #3d85c6; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2288bb;">here</span></a>.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">[11] Id.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">[12] See Susan Donaldson James, "Death Drugs Cause Uproar in Oregon," ABC News, August 6, 2008, at<a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=5517492&page=1" style="color: #3d85c6; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #2288bb;">http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=5517492&page=1</span></a>; "Letter noting assisted suicide raises questions," KATU TV, July 30, 2008, at<a href="http://www.katu.com/news/specialreports/26119539.html" style="color: #3d85c6; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #2288bb;">http://www.katu.com/news/specialreports/26119539.html</span></a> ; and Ken Stevens, MD, Letter to Editor, "Oregon mistake costs lives," <em>The Advocate</em>, the official publication of the Idaho State Bar, September 2011, to view, scroll down to bottom of second page here:<a href="http://www.margaretdore.com/info/September_Letters.pdf" style="color: #3d85c6; text-decoration: none;"><u><span style="color: blue;">http://www.margaretdore.com/info/September_Letters.pdf</span></u></a></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana;">[13] Id.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana;">[14] Id.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana;">[15] KATU TV at note 12</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana;">[16] ABC News at note 12</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">[17] See also Affidavit of Ken Stevens MD (Leblanc v. Canada), with attachments, available at<a href="http://maasdocuments.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/signed-stevens-aff-9-18-12.pdf" style="color: #3d85c6; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #2288bb;">http://maasdocuments.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/signed-stevens-aff-9-18-12.pdf</span></a> </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">[18] <i>See</i> "Suicides in Oregon: Trends and Risk Factors," Oregon Department of Human Services, Public Health Division, September 2010, page 6, ("Deaths relating to the death with Dignity Act (physician-assisted suicides) are not classified as suicides by Oregon law and therefore excluded from this report"), available at<a href="http://www.blogger.com/%28%C3%96%C3%839" style="color: #3d85c6; text-decoration: none;"><u><span style="color: blue;">http://epcdocuments.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/or_suicide_report_001.pdf</span></u></a></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">See also Oregon Health Authority, News Release, "Rising suicide rate in Oregon reaches higher than national average," September 9, 2010, ("suicide rates have been increasing significantly since 2000") available at</span><a href="http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/news/2010news/2010-0909a.pdf" style="color: #3d85c6; text-decoration: none;"><u><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/news/2010news/2010-0909a.pdf</span></u></a><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">[19] A</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">vailable at <a href="http://www.theolympian.com/2011/11/16/1878667/perhaps-its-time-to-expand-washingtons.html" style="color: #3d85c6; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #2288bb;">http://www.theolympian.com/2011/11/16/1878667/perhaps-its-time-to-expand-washingtons.html</span></a></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-546004144894460129.post-84882948082336191402012-09-04T16:58:00.000-06:002012-09-04T16:58:44.133-06:00Cost of Financial Exploitation Study and Infographic Released for Utah Victims<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">From the National Institute of Health List Serve: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Utah is pleased to release the new Cost of Financial Exploitation Study on
Utah Elders. This new study calculates the cost of exploitation to seniors, the
State, and financial institutions in 2010. The study finds a 50% increase
in the cost of financial exploitation from 2008. The average victim in Utah is
exploited out of $85,253. If the victim has dementia/organic brain disorder
that average loss increases to $128,288.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To read the full report and accompanying infographic 'stealing from
grandma' please go to <a href="http://www.dhs.utah.gov/">www.dhs.utah.gov</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Jilenne Gunther, M.S.W., J.D.<br />Legal Services Developer<br />State of
Utah<br />Division of Aging & Adult Services<br />195N. 1950W. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Salt Lake City, UT 84116<br />Ph: (801) 538-4263<br />Fax: (801)
538-4395</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-546004144894460129.post-15873926902985092842012-08-31T18:32:00.001-06:002012-08-31T18:32:48.709-06:00New England Journal of Medicine Article Misleading<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #303030; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Dear Editor:</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #303030; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">I am a lawyer in Washington State, one of two states where assisted-suicide is legal. The other state is Oregon, which has a similar law. Lisa Lehmann's article, "Redefining Physicians' Role in Assisted Dying," is misleading regarding how these laws work.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #303030; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">First, the Oregon and Washington laws are not limited to people in their "final months" of life.[1,2] Consider for example, Jeanette Hall, who in 2000 was persuaded by her doctor to be treated rather than use Oregon's law. She is alive today, twelve years later.[3]</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #303030; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Second, these laws are not "safe" for patients.[4][5] For example, neither law requires a witness at the death. Without disinterested witnesses, the opportunity is created for the patient's heir, or someone else who will benefit from the patient's death, to administer the lethal dose to the patient without his consent. Even if he struggled, who would know?<x -tab="-tab"> </x></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #303030; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Third, the fact that persons using Oregon's law are "more financially secure" than the general population is consistent with elder financial abuse, not patient safety. Do not be deceived. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #303030; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">* * *</span></b></span></div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #303030; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #303030; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #303030; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">[1] Margaret K. Dore, "Aid in Dying: Not Legal in Idaho; Not About Choice,"<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>The Advocate,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i>official publication of the Idaho State Bar, Vol. 52, No. 9, pages 18-20, September 2010, available at </span><a eudora="autourl" href="http://www.margaretdore.com/pdf/Not_Legal_in_Idaho.pdf" style="color: #3d85c6; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">http://www.margaretdore.com/pdf/Not_Legal_in_Idaho.pdf</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">.</span></span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #303030; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #303030; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">[2] Kenneth Stevens, MD, Letter to the Editor, "Oregon mistake costs lives," <i>The Advocate,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i>official publication of the Idaho State Bar, Vol. 52, No. 9, pages 16-17, September 2010, available at</span><a eudora="autourl" href="http://www.margaretdore.com/info/September_Letters.pdf" style="color: #3d85c6; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">http://www.margaretdore.com/info/September_Letters.pdf</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #303030; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #303030; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">[3] Ms. Hall corresponded with me on July 13, 2012.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #303030; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #303030; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">[4] See article at note 1. See also Margaret Dore, "Death with Dignity": A Recipe for Elder Abuse and Homicide (Albeit Not by Name)," at 11 Marquette Elder's Advisor 387 (Spring 2010), original and updated version available at<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a eudora="autourl" href="http://www.choiceillusion.org/p/the-oregon-washington-assisted-suicide.html" style="color: #3d85c6; text-decoration: none;">http://www.choiceillusion.org/p/the-oregon-washington-assisted-suicide.html</a> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #303030; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #303030; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">[5] Blum, B. and Eth, S. "Forensic Issues: Geriatric Psychiatry." In<i>Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry, Seventh Edition,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i>B. Sadock and V. Sadock editors. Baltimore, MD: Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins, pp. 3150-3158, 2000. </span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-546004144894460129.post-60190385621548857332012-01-19T15:52:00.000-07:002012-01-19T15:52:14.403-07:00Ken Stevens MD: "legalizing assisted suicide can result in decreased patient choice"<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Assisted Suicide</span></b><br />
<a eudora="autourl" href="http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/opinion/53280042-82/suicide-patients-assisted-oregon.html.csp"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/opinion/53280042-82/suicide-patients-assisted-oregon.html.csp</span></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Updated Jan 19, 2012 01:01AM <br />
<br />
Patty Henetz' "Do Utahns have the right to choose how they die?" (Tribune, Jan. 8) refers to the legalization of assisted suicide in Oregon. Utahns should understand that legalizing assisted suicide can result in decreased patient choice. <br />
<br />
I have been a cancer doctor in Oregon for more than 40 years. The combination of assisted-suicide legalization and prioritized medical care based on prognosis has created a danger for my patients on the Oregon Health Plan (Medicaid).<br />
<br />
The plan limits medical care and treatment for patients with a 5 percent or less likelihood of surviving five years. Patients in that category who have a good chance of living another three years and who want to live cannot receive surgery, chemotherapy or radiation therapy. However, the plan will cover the patient's suicide. <br />
<br />
Oregon law says only patients with no more than six months to live are eligible for voluntary suicide, but the plan nonetheless offers suicide to patients in this category. <br />
<br />
The mere presence of legal assisted suicide steers patients toward suicide. One patient was adamant to use the law. I convinced her to be treated. Eleven years later she is thrilled to be alive. <br />
<br />
Kenneth Stevens, M.D.<br />
<br />
Sherwood, Ore.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-546004144894460129.post-56712096940388168612012-01-14T20:27:00.000-07:002012-01-14T20:27:42.697-07:00What People Mean When They Say They Want to Die<div class="post-header"><div class="post-header-line-1"></div></div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-517101978560388048"><div align="center"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">(originally published as a Statement for the BBC)</span></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="right"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: xx-small;">For a print version, <a href="http://www.margaretdore.com/pdf/What_people_mean_001.pdf"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">click here</span></a>. </span></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">by William Toffler, MD</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">______________________________________________</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There has been a profound shift in attitude in my state since the voters of Oregon narrowly embraced assisted suicide 11 years ago. A shift that, I believe, has been detrimental to our patients, degraded the quality of medical care, and compromised the integrity of my profession. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Since assisted suicide has become an option, I have had at least a dozen patients discuss this option with me in my practice. Most of the patients who have broached this issue weren't even terminal. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of my first encounters with this kind of request came from a patient with a progressive form of multiple sclerosis. He was in a wheelchair yet lived a very active life. In fact, he was a general contractor and quite productive. While I was seeing him, I asked him about how it affected his life. He acknowledged that multiple sclerosis was a major challenge and told me that if he got too much worse, he might want to “just end it.” “ It sounds like you are telling me this because you might ultimately want assistance with your own assisted suicide- if things got a worse,” I said. He nodded affirmatively, and seemed relieved that I seemed to really understand. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I told him that I could readily understand his fear and his frustration and even his belief that assisted suicide might be a good option for him. At the same time, I told him that should he become sicker or weaker, I would work to give him the best care and support available. I told him that no matter how debilitated he might become, that, at least to me, his life was, and would always be, inherently valuable. As such, I would not recommend, nor could I participate in his assisted-suicide. He simply said, "Thank you."</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The truth is that we are not islands. How physicians respond to the patient’s request has a profound effect, not only on a patient's choices, but also on their view of themselves and their inherent worth.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When a patient says, "I want to die"; it may simply mean, "I feel useless." </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When a patient says, "I don't want to be a burden"; it may really be a question, "Am I a burden?" </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When a patient says, "I've lived a long life already"; they may really be saying, "I'm tired. I'm afraid I can't keep going."</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And, finally, when a patient says, "I might as well be dead"; they may really be saying, "No one cares about me." </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Many studies show that assisted suicide requests are almost always for psychological or social reasons. In Oregon there has never been any documented case of assisted suicide used because there was actual untreatable pain.[6] As such, assisted suicide has been totally unnecessary in Oregon. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sadly, the legislation passed in Oregon does not require that the patient have unbearable suffering, or any suffering for that matter. The actual Oregon experience has been a far cry from the televised images and advertisements that seduced the public to embrace assisted suicide. In statewide television ads in 1994, a woman named Patty Rosen claimed to have killed her daughter with an overdose of barbiturates because of intractable cancer pain. This claim was later challenged and shown to be false. Yet, even if it had been true, it would be an indication of inadequate medical care- not an indication for assisted suicide. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Astonishingly, there is not even inquiry about the potential gain to family members of the so-called "suicide" of a "loved one." This could be in the form of an inheritance, a life insurance policy, or, perhaps even simple freedom from previous care responsibilities. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Most problematic for me has been the change in attitude within the healthcare system itself. People with serious illnesses are sometimes fearful of the motives of doctors or consultants. Last year, a patient with bladder cancer contacted me. She was concerned that an oncologist might be one of the "death doctors." She questioned his motives—particularly when she obtained a second opinion from another oncologist which was more sanguine about her prognosis and treatment options. Whether one or the other consultant is correct or not, such fears were never an issue before assisted suicide was legalized. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In Oregon, I regularly receive notices that many important services and drugs for my patients-even some pain medications-won't be paid for by the State health plan. At the same time, assisted suicide is fully covered and sanctioned by the State of Oregon and by our collective tax dollars.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I urge UK leaders to reject the seductive siren of assisted suicide. Oregon has tasted the bitter pill of barbiturate overdoses and many now know that our legislation is hopelessly flawed. I believe Great Britain, the birthplace of Dame Cicely Saunders, and the Hospice movement, and a model to the rest of the world, deserves better. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On May 12, 2006 </span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-546004144894460129.post-13341230099907227262012-01-14T18:13:00.000-07:002012-01-14T18:13:50.319-07:00"The mere presence of legal assisted-suicide steers patients to suicide"<div class="widget Blog" id="Blog1"><div class="blog-posts hfeed"><!-- google_ad_section_start(name=default) --><div class="date-outer"><div class="date-posts"><div class="post-outer"><div class="post hentry"><a href="" name="6118553185177143692"></a><div class="post-header"><div class="post-header-line-1"></div></div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-6118553185177143692"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">November 27, 2011</span><b><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To Massachusetts Medical Society </span></b><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dear House of Delegates Officers and Other Interested Parties:<br />
<br />
I understand that the Massachusetts Medical Association will be voting on changing its policy against physician-assisted suicide. I have been a cancer doctor in Oregon for more than 40 years. The combination of assisted-suicide legalization and prioritized medical care based on prognosis has created a danger for my patients on the Oregon Health Plan (Medicaid).<br />
<br />
The Plan limits medical care and treatment for patients with a likelihood of a 5% or less 5-year survival. My patients in that category, who say, have a good chance of living another three years and who want to live, cannot receive surgery, chemotherapy or radiation therapy to obtain that goal. The Plan guidelines state that the Plan will not cover “chemotherapy or surgical interventions with the primary intent to prolong life or alter disease progression.” The Plan WILL cover the cost of the patient’s suicide.<br />
<br />
Under our law, a patient is not supposed to be eligible for voluntary suicide until they are deemed to have six months or less to live. In the well publicized cases of Barbara Wagner and Randy Stroup, neither of them had such diagnoses, nor had they asked for suicide. The Plan, nonetheless, offered them suicide.<br />
<br />
In Oregon, the mere presence of legal assisted-suicide steers patients to suicide even when there is not an issue of coverage. One of my patients was adamant she would use the law. I convinced her to be treated. Eleven years later she is thrilled to be alive. Please, don’t let assisted suicide come to Massachusetts.<br />
<br />
[Support for this letter regarding Barbara Wagner and Randy Stroup can be found in these articles: <span style="color: #3d85c6;"> <a href="http://www.katu.com/news/26119539.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">http://www.katu.com/news/26119539.html</span></a></span> & <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=5517492&page=1" target="_blank"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=5517492&page=1</span></a> My patient’s letter in the Boston Globe describing her being alive 11 years later can be read here: </span><a href="http://articles.boston.com/2011-10-04/bostonglobe/30243525_1_suicide-doctor-ballot-initiative" target="_blank"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">http://articles.boston.com/2011-10-04/bostonglobe/30243525_1_suicide-doctor-ballot-initiative</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"> </span> ] <br />
<br />
Kenneth R.Stevens, Jr., MD<br />
Sherwood, OR </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Professor Emeritus and former Chair, Radiation Oncology Department, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon</span> </div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com