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NRL News
Washington
State’s
Assisted Suicide Law In Effect As Washington state’s physician-assisted suicide law went into effect March 5, pro-lifers urged doctors and hospitals to refuse to help people kill themselves. Although the law allows doctors to prescribe lethal doses of painkillers to patients, many have already stated they will not do so, according to the Associated Press (AP). “We are urging people to write to hospitals and ask their doctors to refuse to participate,” Dan Kennedy, CEO of Human Life of Washington, told NRL News. “Doctors and medical institutions should advocate for their patients, not assist in killing them. Institutions that refuse to permit the killing of their patients should be applauded for their stand.” Health care groups that have already opted out include Providence Health & Services, a Catholic organization that operates eight hospitals, and Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle, the AP reported. However, University of Washington health system and Group Health Cooperative will participate in assisted suicide, according to the AP. The law, approved by voters in November, provides that patients diagnosed as having less than six months to live can receive a lethal prescription from a doctor. Final rules issued by the Washington Department of Health February 20 also state that they must be certified as competent and have two doctors agree that their illness is “terminal.” The doctor would write the prescription and the patient would actually take the drugs on his or her own. The regulations are similar to Oregon’s euthanasia law, under which 341 people have killed themselves since 1998, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Human Life of Washington joined other groups in urging the health department to adopt more stringent requirements. At a hearing February 10, the health department considered several proposals to modify the rules for implementation of the law. However, most suggestions were rejected, including those from pro-life groups, the Post-Intelligencer reported. Kennedy said that they had urged that doctors be required to keep more comprehensive records about patients who receive the lethal drugs to provide for better tracking. In addition, the pro-life groups sought more oversight over the actual administering of the lethal drugs. Although the law states that the drugs must be “self-administered” by the patient, there are no provisions that would enforce this. “There is no requirement for a witness to be present at the death,” Kennedy told NRL News. “Once the prescription is written, the patient could be given the lethal dose without consent. When we have problems of elder abuse in this society, it’s just an invitation for such actions.” |