"Choice" Is An Illusion: Oregon Page Updated

The Oregon page has been updated to include an article on the new helium hood bill. To view that article, click here.

ISSUES BY STATE AND COUNTRY

AK	AL	AR	AS	AZ	CA	CO
CT	DC	DE	FL	GA	GU	HI
IA	ID	IL	IN	KS	KY	LA
MA	MD	ME	MI	MN	MO	MP
MS	MT	NC	ND	NE	NH	NJ
NM	NV	NY	OH	OK	OR	PA
PR	RI	SC	SD	TN	TX	UT
VA	VI	VT	WA	WI	WV	WY
AUSTRALIA				CANADA
NEW ZEALAND
FOUNDATION
END THE ABUSE

Bait and Switch

In 1997, Oregon became the first US state to legalize assisted suicide. In 2008, Washington State enacted a similar law.

Both laws were passed by ballot measures in which voters were promised that only people with less than six months to live would be allowed to "self-administer" a lethal dose.

Once passed, however, the laws were applied to people with years to live. This is because the six months to live is determined without treatment.

Consider, for example, Jeanette Hall, who was talked out of assisted suicide in Oregon. Her doctor convinced her to be treated for cancer instead of taking a lethal dose. Today, 18 years later, she is thrilled to be alive.

As for self-administration, Oregon's law doesn't even use the term. Do a word search, it's not there.

In Washington State, the term is used, but specially defined to allow someone else to administer the lethal dose to the patient, which is euthanasia as traditionally defined.

The Oregon & Washington laws are a bait and switch.

Why Choice is an Illusion?

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Oregon Page Updated