Oregon takes stock of 'right to die' law

292 patients have died with aid of physicians since the law went into effect in 1998, new figures show.

from the March 12, 2007 edition

Page 2 of 3

Page 1 | 2 | Page 3

According to the Field Poll, 70 percent of all adults in California (including 59 percent of Republicans) believe that mentally competent patients diagnosed as incurably ill should have the right to ask for and get life-ending medication. Gallup and other national polls show that a majority of Americans favor the procedure, although it depends how the question is asked – particularly whether the word "suicide" is used.

When asked if doctors should be allowed to help end the life of a patient who is suffering from what's been diagnosed as an incurable disease and wants to die, 75 percent of Americans say "yes," reports Gallup. But when asked if doctors should be allowed to help a patient commit suicide under the same circumstances, the approval rate drops to 58 percent.

The 2006 Field Poll in California found that most Protestants (65 percent), Roman Catholics (64 percent), and even those identifying themselves as born-again Christians (54 percent) favor a choice in ending one's life.

Like abortion, stem-cell research, and the Terri Schiavo case, physician-assisted suicide is a hot-button issue for many religious people. Last August, Sen. Sam Brownback (R) of Kansas introduced the "Assisted Suicide Prevention Act," which would prohibit doctors from prescribing federally controlled substances to help people take their own lives.

"When the law permits killing as a medical treatment, society's moral guidelines are blurred, and killing could gain acceptance as a solution for the chronically ill or vulnerable," Senator Brownback said at the time."Doctor-assisted suicide could actually create a financial incentive for insurance companies to encourage prematurely ending the lives of those in need of long-term care."

The United States Supreme Court has moved carefully on the issue. It upheld state bans on the procedure, ruling that assisted suicide is not a constitutionally protected right. But the high court also ruled that the Bush administration exceeded its authority trying to overturn the Oregon law by arguing that prescribing a lethal drug violates the federal Controlled Substances Act.

Under carefully proscribed laws, such as Oregon's, most doctors say it is ethical to help people diagnosed as terminally ill take their own lives, according to a 2005 national survey of 1,088 physicians.

1 | Page 2 | 3 | Next Page