An end to the suffering
House vote could give
Vermont patients the choice
by
Rep. Malcolm Severance
Vermonters respect the values of
compassion, self-determination and personal freedom. We all want to be in
control of our lives. So it is no surprise that a recent poll by Zogby
International showed that 78% of Vermonters want greater control over how we
die, and support proposed legislation (H.168) called the Vermont Death With
Dignity Act. This strong majority supports giving mentally competent,
terminally ill Vermonters, with less than six months to live, the option to
seek medication to end their suffering, should it become intolerable. This
support comes from all corners of the state, regardless of age, education,
religion or party affiliation. It comes from a strong majority of Vermonters
who self-identify as Republicans, Independents, liberals, conservatives,
Catholics, Jews, and Protestants.
The Vermont Death With Dignity Act begins with the presumption that as
individuals we decide how we live and how we die. It is not a decision for
hospital administrators to make for us—and certainly not for any government to
decide. How many of us have had a family member or friend whose final days were
spent without the comfort, compassion, control and respect we all want and
deserve at the end of life?
The Vermont legislation is modeled on a law that’s been in effect in Oregon for
eight years. At the request of seventy legislators, including proponents and
opponents alike, a thorough study was performed on the Oregon experience by the
Vermont legislature’s nonpartisan legal advisor. Their report demonstrates
there is no evidence of problems with the Oregon law and lays to rest the
fear-based claims and innuendo of those who oppose this legislation.
In Oregon only the patient can initiate a request for medication: neither
doctors nor family members can do so. Also, the law is replete with safeguards:
for example, the patient’s doctor -- and a second, consulting physician -- must
agree that the patient is competent, within six months of death, and under no
external pressure to request the medication. If either physician believes the
patient suffers from a psychological condition or depression, the patient must
be referred for counseling before medication can be prescribed.
The Death With Dignity Act also mandates that every patient be informed of all
feasible alternatives, including the best options for pain management and
hospice care. The patient is in control at every step and remains under no
obligation to take the medication even after it has been prescribed. Finally,
the patient must be physically able to take the medication unassisted – it
cannot be administered by anyone else.
Those who would deny Vermonters this dignity of choice and control refuse to
look into the hollow eyes of a dying person and say they will deny them the
right to decide when to end their suffering on their own terms. This small
minority of opponents is entitled to their own beliefs, yet their apparent goal
is to impose their own personal and religious views on the rest of us.
Vermonters deserve better. We deserve the Vermont Death With Dignity Act. Here
is a brief summary of the legislation and its safeguards.
·
The patient’s doctor must
determine that the patient is competent, within six months of
death, and under no external pressure to request the medication.
·
A second, consulting
physician must verify the patient’s diagnosis, prognosis and competency, and
must attest that the patient is acting voluntarily and not being coerced.
·
If either physician believes
the patient suffers from a psychological condition or depression, the patient
must be referred for counseling before medication can be prescribed.
·
The patient must be informed
of all feasible alternatives including pain control and hospice care.
·
Only the patient can
initiate a request for medication under the law -- neither doctors, family members, trustees, or anyone else can initiate
a request.
·
In order to receive a
prescription for medication, a patient must make a verbal request and a written
request, and then reiterate the verbal request after a fifteen day waiting
period.
·
The witnesses must attest
that the patient is of sound mind, acting voluntarily and is not being coerced.
·
The patient must be
physically able to take the medication unassisted – it cannot be administered
by anyone else.
·
The patient may rescind the
request at any time and in any manner, and remains under no obligation to take
the medication even after it had been prescribed.
The Oregon
experience continues to disprove all the conjectural and speculative arguments
against Death With Dignity. Pain management, hospice care, and palliative care
are better in Oregon than in most other places in the United States, and
actually have improved significantly since Death With Dignity was enacted there
eight years ago. Although few individuals use the medication in Oregon, many
thousands gain peace of mind from knowing that the option is available should
their suffering become intolerable. Dying Oregonians retain the dignity of
making their own choices. Knowing they are in control, they are able to focus
on enjoying and living their lives, rather than being tortured by the specter
of an unbearable death.
This Act will provide an important freedom and will not force anyone down a
particular path. As proven by Oregon’s experience under the Death With Dignity
Act, the process is patient initiated, patient driven, and patient
implemented. Doctors should listen to
their patients and lawmakers should respect the will of the people. The Death With Dignity Act will bring peace of
mind to thousands of Vermonters who will find great comfort in knowing that
they have an option to retain control over their final days.
I hope that all our lawmakers will recognize that nearly four out of five
Vermonters support Death With Dignity legislation and will keep an open mind on
this important bill. I hope my colleagues in the legislature will give
Vermonters the option, should we ever become terminally ill, to have the
freedom to make our own choices about leaving life in peace and with dignity.