In Oregon, Other Suicides Have Increased with the Legalization of Physician-Assisted Suicide

By Margaret K. Dore, Esq.

Since the passage of Oregon’s law allowing physician-assisted suicide, other suicides in Oregon have steadily increased. This is consistent with a suicide contagion in which the legalization of physician-assisted suicides has encouraged other suicides. In Oregon, the financial and emotional impacts of suicide on family members and the broader community are devastating and long-lasting.[1]

Hall Declaration: " If Dr. Stevens had believed in assisted suicide, I would be dead"

I, JEANETTE HALL, declare as follows:

1.  I live in Oregon where assisted suicide is legal. Our law was enacted in 1997 via a ballot measure that I voted for.

2.  In 2000, I was diagnosed with cancer and told that I had 6 months to a year to live. I knew that our law had passed, but I didn’t know exactly how to go about doing it. I tried to ask my doctor, Kenneth Stevens, but he didn’t really answer me. In hindsight, he was stalling me.

3.  I did not want to suffer. I wanted to do our law and I wanted Dr. Stevens to help me. Instead, he encouraged me to not give up and ultimately I decided to fight the cancer. I had both chemotherapy and radiation. I am so happy to be alive!

4.  It has now been 17 years since my diagnosis. If Dr. Stevens had believed in assisted suicide, I would be dead. Assisted suicide should not be legal.

_/s/__________
Jeanette Hall

When Euthanasia Becomes Murder

http://www.intellectualtakeout.org/blog/when-euthanasia-becomes-murder

By Barry Brownstein

In the Netherlands an elderly woman suffering from dementia was held down against her protests as a lethal injection was administered by a doctor. In the days before her “euthanasia” she repeatedly said “I don’t want to die.” The doctor was cleared of wrongdoing.

Another elderly woman in the Netherlands was euthanized due to her supposed “unhappiness” about living in a nursing home. This despite testimony from the staff that she was often “content and friendly.”

Montana lawmaker revives bill to prohibit physician-assisted suicide

Senator Olszewski

http://missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/montana-legislature/montana-lawmaker-revives-bill-to-ban-doctor-assisted-suicide/article_6c0d6cda-0f0e-5bc7-8b05-86a4abcebbeb.html?platform=hootsuite

BOBBY CAINA CALVAN Associated Press Mar 22, 2017

HELENA – A Montana lawmaker has revived an attempt to outlaw physician-assisted suicides, this time with a twist: There's no mention of physicians or suicides.

But Republican Sen. Albert Olszewski, an orthopedic surgeon from Kalispell, acknowledged that the bill he introduced this week is a replacement measure for one that died in the House in a 50-50 vote. The measure needed at least half of all votes cast to advance.

"It died because one person mistakenly pushed the wrong button on the House floor," Olszewski said. "If that's true, then we'll give her an opportunity to redeem herself."

Resolution Addresses "Mistaken Assumption That Suicide Is a Rational Response to Disability"

Representative Brad Tschida

Representative Brad Tschida has introduced Joint House Resolution No. 14 to include people with chronic health conditions in Montana's Strategic Suicide Prevention Plan for 2017.  A key paragraph notes: 

Until recently, the Montana Strategic Suicide Prevention Plan was considering assisted suicide of the terminally ill as a separate issue from suicide prevention. The active disability community in Montana, however, has been vocal on the need for suicide prevention services for individuals with disabilities. . . . . Individuals with disabilities have a right to responsive suicide prevention services. 

There is a specific recommendation to "address . . . the mistaken assumption that suicide is a rational response to disability."

SB is 202 Dead.

On February 11, 2015, SB 202, seeking to legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia, was tabled in committee.  With the close of the legislature, the bill is now dead.

Under the bill, young adults with chronic conditions, such as diabetes, would have been "eligible" for assisted suicide and euthanasia.  The bill, if passed, would have created the following problems:

• The encouragement of people with years to live to throw away their lives.  
• The creation of new paths of elder abuse, especially for people with money (in the inheritance context).
• The empowerment of health care systems to steer patients to suicide, which is documented in Oregon, one of the few states where assisted suicide is legal. 
• An increase in other "conventional" suicides, including violent suicides by firearms, which is the case in Oregon. 

To view documentation regarding these problems, and other problems with legalization, please click here for the text; click here for the attachments

Thank you to everyone for your help to make the defeat of SB 202 possible.