Isn't euthanasia legal in the U.S.?

[Stop_the_War]

On CNN they were talking about Terri Schiavo and they said this man said removing her feeding tube would be "a step to legalizing euthanasia". I thought it was already legal, like abortion. :shrug:

[woo me with science]

1. As far as I know,

only Oregon allows assisted suicide. Someone correct me if I am wrong.

[Warpy]

4. That is the case, although it's done informally

by docs throughout the country as long as they have complete family support.

It's silly to link withdrawing life support with euthanasia, although hospice will step in and make sure Schiavo is kept sedated and comfortable while nature is finally allowed to take its course.

It's also necessary to point out that once the means are obtained in Oregon, few patients have chosen to use them. Often it's sufficient just to have adequate peace of mind, that an end is available when it just gets too hard to continue.

There is a huge difference between withdrawing heroics like tube feeding via machine and actively killing someone. There's a difference between supplying the means and administering them.

It's high time the busybodies on the right who are so terrified of a vengeful god that they don't want anybody on earth to die, ever, learn that there really are shades of grey and a lot of different issues within this question.

[no_hypocrisy]

2. There's euthanasia and then there's euthanasia by another name.

Oregon is the only state that will not prosecute euthanasia as a crime, provided it meets the specifics in the law. (Research by going to http://www.findlaw.com and clicking state laws/Oregon.)

Then there's euthanasia that isn't recognized as such. When a patient with a terminal illness or condition is in a hospital, it can "be arranged" for that patient to be administered certain amount of morphine, in the guise of pain control, but which in fact has the secondary effect markedly shortening mortality. In other words, a quicker and painless and certain death. I know because that's how my mother passed away. I didn't make the choice, nor did my mother, but it was the right decision and she would have endorsed it. This is euthanasia in effect without calling it an assisted death.

[smirkymonkey]

3. So wait, doctors and hospitals can just decide to bump you off

without your consent? Sure, morphine is a nice, painless way to go, but to administer a lethal dose to an unwitting patient puts the hospital on pretty shaky legal and moral ground.

Who decides? This is the crux of the issue regarding assisted suicide.

[no_hypocrisy]

7. No, the hospital and doctor didn't independently decide. My

father who was her medical power of attorney discussed options with the hospital and her physician and he made the request. And I reiterate, he did what my mother would have chosen if she could have done it herself.

[China_cat]

8. Who decides?

The insurance company. When you run out of benefits and your family runs out of money, you run out of time.

[smirkymonkey]

13. Yes, that's exactly what worries me about this issue, although

I am not opposed to assisted suicide under strict conditions (a lucid patient requesting it and backup non-hospital, non-insurance agency witnesses.)

[Cocoa]

5. Kevorkian was convicted of murder

wasn't he?

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[kaitykaity]

9. Euthanasia is NOT legal in Oregon.

Do your homework. It's called "Death with Dignity"
and it is not done TO anyone, which is part of
euthaniasia.

[CBGLuthier]

11. Maybe you should do some homework yourself

Euthenasia, from the greek for good death;

The act or practice of ending the life of an individual suffering from a terminal illness or an incurable condition, as by lethal injection or the suspension of extraordinary medical treatment.
A quiet, painless death.


Death with Dignity Law of Oregon

The Oregon Death with Dignity Act, a citizens' initiative, was first passed by Oregon voters in November 1994 by a margin of 51% in favor and 49% opposed. Immediate implementation of the Act was delayed by a legal injunction. After multiple legal proceedings, including a petition that was denied by the United States Supreme Court, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals lifted the injunction on October 27, 1997 and physician-assisted suicide then became a legal option for terminally ill patients in Oregon. In November 1997, Measure 51 (authorized by Oregon House Bill 2954) was placed on the general election ballot and asked Oregon voters to repeal the Death with Dignity Act. Voters chose to retain the Act by a margin of 60% to 40%.

The Death with Dignity Act allows terminally ill Oregon residents to obtain from their physicians and use prescriptions for self-administered, lethal medications. The Act states that ending one's life in accordance with the law does not constitute suicide. However, we have used the term "physician-assisted suicide" rather than "Death with Dignity" to describe the provisions of this law because physician-assisted suicide is the term used by the public, and by the medical literature, to describe ending life through the voluntary self-administration of lethal medications, expressly prescribed by a physician for that purpose. The Death with Dignity Act legalizes physician-assisted suicide, but specifically prohibits euthanasia, where a physician or other person directly administers a medication to end another's life.

While it may be true that the doctor is not allowed to administer the lethal dosage, they do prescribe the dosage.

This would certainly come under the textbook definition of euthenasia.

[kaitykaity]

12. Your next to last line says it all.

"The doctor is not allowed to administer."

I stand by my original post.

[CBGLuthier]

14. I still thinl you misunderstand the definiton of the word Euthenasia

Nothing about the word means only that one person kills another.

While that may be the most common useage the word also means;

An easy death; a mode of dying to be desired.

And that is what has been legalized in Oregon.

Purely a matter of semantics maybe.

[kaitykaity]

15. Euthanasia is a loaded word.

It conjures up crappy science fiction novels
about how when a member of society is no longer
productive, he or she is killed.

That's why I reacted so strongly.

We don't do that here.

[Padraig18]

10. Euthanasia is illegal, but 'benign neglect' isn't.

AFAIK, OR is the only state that allows assisted suicide, but I'm aware of no place that allows active euthanasia.

[Deep13]

16. No, it is not.

With the prior consent of the patient via a living will, a doctor may withhold treatment or sustainance. That is because the patient ultimately has a right to refuse treatment. No one may take action calculated to end a person's life. It may happen, but it is homicide, nonetheless.