Questions remain as Death With Dignity law goes into effect

[babylonsister]

Questions remain as Death With Dignity law goes into effect
KIE RELYEA - THE BELLINGHAM HERALD


With less than two weeks remaining before the Death With Dignity Act goes into effect in Washington state, health care providers and patient advocates are busy explaining how the measure will work.

State officials on Friday, Feb. 20, finalized the guidelines for implementation of the new law. It begins March 5, a mere 120 days after Washington voters approved it Nov. 4 after a bruising campaign.

"There's a lot of scrambling going on by a lot of different organizations, including our own," said Robb Miller, executive director of patient advocacy group Compassion & Choices of Washington.

Washington is only the second state in the nation to pass such a law, which opponents see as physician-assisted suicide. It is similar to the Oregon measure that went into effect in 1998 after protracted legal battles.

Approved as Initiative 1000, the Washington measure allows terminally ill adults who are competent and have been told by their doctors they have six months or less to live to ask for a prescription for a lethal dose of medication, which they must be able to take themselves.

But the new law also allows health care providers and pharmacies to opt out, meaning they don't have to participate.

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http://www.bellinghamherald.com/255/story/802853.html

[dkofos]

1. I refuse to die in the same manner as my Mom & Dad.

I now have two states where I can die on my terms.

If I can put my beloved dog down, I should be able to do the same for myself.

[Warpy]

2. My mother begged me to help her die

I got her in to the doctor and on some heavy antidepressants and eventually the begging stopped, although she often said it was horrible having nothing to look forward to but death.

The antidepressants might have kicked in, but what really did the trick was the 2 month supply of sleeping pills my dad had hoarded and put next to her bed, within her reach if it all got too hard. She never used them and he fessed up about it after she died. I thanked him for doing that for her and suggested he keep a lethal dose for himself in the fridge. He did but never used it, either.

Just having an exit plan helped my mother get through her final few years with peace of mind. I think it also helped my dad.

Most people who get the drugs never use them. Having seen what my mother went through, I would never presume to judge any who do.

This law is compassion at its purest. Health professionals need to know that.