- "Eligible" persons may have years, even decades, to live.
- The bill is stacked against the patient and a recipe for abuse.
- "Using" the law can be traumatic for patients and their families.
Tuesday, July 19, 2016
Dore Memo Opposing Assisted Suicide Bill
Labels:
Assisted Suicide,
Euthanasia
Thursday, July 14, 2016
Press Release: Bill Will Allow "the Perfect Crime," Encourage People "to Throw Away Their Lives"
For print version, click here.
Salt Lake City, UT -- Attorney Margaret Dore, president of Choice is an Illusion, 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).
"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."
Labels:
Assisted Suicide,
Crime,
Euthanasia,
Margaret Dore
Thursday, July 7, 2016
Testimony of Kenneth Stevens MD Opposing Assisted Suicide
To view testimony as a pdf, click here.
1. I strongly urge you to Vote No on HB 264, which seeks to legalize physician assisted suicide in Utah
Photo of me and my patient Jeanette Hall, 15 years after I talked her out of assisted suicide in Oregon |
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.
Sunday, June 19, 2016
Monday, March 2, 2015
Don’t pass death with dignity act
http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/2236819-155/letter-dont-pass-death-with-dignity
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).
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, click here).
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.
I hope that you can keep assisted suicide out of Utah.
Don't make Washington's mistake.
Margaret Dore
Seattle
Labels:
Assisted Suicide,
HB 391
Sunday, March 1, 2015
Problems with H.B. 391
By Margaret Dore, Esq., MBA
H.B. 391 seeks to legalize physician-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.
Problems include:
1. HB 391, if enacted, will encourage people with years to live to throw away their lives.
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 https://choiceisanillusion.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/a-2270-3r-memo-12-02-14.pdf "Eligible" patients can also have years to live because doctors can be wrong. See https://choiceisanillusion.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/terminal-uncertainty.pdf and https://choiceisanillusion.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/signed-john-norton-affidavit_001.pdf
2. HB 391, if enacted, will allow health care providers/institutions to use coverage incentives to steer patients to suicide.
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: https://maasdocuments.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/dr-stevens-affidavit_001.pdf
3. Legalization is a recipe for elder abuse.
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?
4. Increased suicide
In Oregon, other suicides have increased with the legalization of physician-assisted suicide. See http://www.choiceillusion.org/2014/03/the-high-financial-cost-of-regular.html 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 http://www.standard.net/Health/2014/05/22/Utah-suicide-rate-soars
5. Washington's similar law.
For a short article about Washington's similar law, please go here (non-lawyers tell me they like it): https://www.kcba.org/newsevents/barbulletin/BView.aspx?Month=05&Year=2009&AID=article5.htm
Labels:
Assisted Suicide,
Euthanasia,
Jeanette Hall,
Ken Stevens MD,
Oregon,
Steerage,
Washington
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