"I
hope that with the proposed bill, doctors will get the message that
they need to back off , to make sure that patients are freely choosing
what’s best for them, as chosen by them."
* * *
Dear Senator Padden, Members of the Law and Justice Committee and Senator Angel:
I
am a Registered Nurse. I am writing this letter in support of SB 5919,
which would make it clear that persons asking about assisted suicide
remain eligible to be told about options for cure or to extend life. I
hope that this law will provide protection for people like my brother,
Wes Olfert, who died a few years ago (2011) in Washington State.
When
he was first admitted to the hospital, he made the mistake of asking
about assisted suicide. I say a mistake, because this set off a chain
of events that interfered with his care and caused him unnecessary
stress in what turned out to be the last months of his life.
By
asking the question, he was given a "palliative care" consult by a
doctor who heavily and continually pressured him to give up on treatment
before he was ready to do so. It got so bad that Wes became fearful of
this doctor and asked me and a friend to not leave him alone with her.
I
hope that with the proposed bill, doctors will get the message that
they need to back off, to make sure that patients are freely choosing
what’s best for them, as chosen by them.
Please vote “yes” on SB 5919
Marlene Deakins, RN
Tuscon Arizona
