Life Matters: Doctor-Assisted Death by Suicide
“First, do no harm,” is no longer a universally accepted standard of medical practice. When Oregon and other states legalized doctor-assisted suicide, it was probably because they believed that people with intractable pain should be able to make that choice to end their suffering. But many studies have shown that assisted suicide requests are almost always for psychological or social reasons, such as depression, fear of being a burden, or a feeling of uselessness. After 15 years of legal assisted suicide in Oregon, there was NO documented case of that choice being made because of untreatable pain.
The “safeguards” require that an adult of sound mind voluntarily self-administer the drug. But since there is no requirement for witnesses when a patient takes the drug, there is no guarantee that the patient actually took the drug voluntarily. Family members may be motivated, by inheritance or freedom from the responsibilities of care for the patient, to coerce the decision or actually give the drug without the patient being aware of what they were taking. As for being of sound mind, 25% of patients given prescriptions for legal drugs were found to be depressed. Many others had anxiety. The doctors, however, are safeguarded. There is no peer review; no one evaluates cases. In fact the law requires the physician to record the underlying illness as the cause of death rather than record the actual cause of assisted suicide!
To access the brochure in 8.5 X 11 format,
click on these links: English Spanish
The brochure is available at the Hospitality Desk in the Church and in the Ave Maria Family Life Center.