Channel 3 News - WCAX TV
December 3, 2004

Death with Dignity?

BURLINGTON - "People are uncomfortable talking about death but it's a fact of life," said Sally Schober.

The 81-year-old thinks people with terminal illnesses, less then six months to live, should be able to legally end their life, with the help of a doctors prescription. She is not sick now but wants the option if it happens.

"It's the kind of thing I felt I should have control of, not other people."

The only state to allow physician assisted suicide is Oregon. Vermont Lawmakers looked at a similar bill last year, but opted instead to have the issue studied. The findings of the report came out today.

Phil Hoff is with the group, End of Life Choices Vermont, "The report is overwhelming in support of this kind of legislation."

The report finds that in Oregon over the past seven years people have not been coerced into shortening their lives. And that it is not an escape used by depressed patients.

"It's voluntary nobody is forcing anyone to do anything, they go out of their way to make sure it is voluntary that it is initiated by the person it can't be initiated by anyone else," says Hoff."

My concern is what they have not included in the report," says Dr. Robert Orr. He is part of a group called the Vermont Alliance for Ethical Health Care. He opposes the Oregon law and the move to pass a similar measure in Vermont.

"The only people they talked to from Oregon are people who are supportive of physician assisted suicide."

Orr says he thinks there have been abuses of the system not mentioned in the report. He is also concerned about this new potential role for doctors.

Orr, "So my job is to help people during the dying process, not to help them die."

But advocates say armed with this new report they will reintroduce a so called death with dignity bill. They are optimistic it will pass.

"Those who want it and need it should have it," says Schober.

Governor Jim Douglas would not say what he would do if a so called death with dignity bill reaches his desk, he wants to see how it would be worded first.

But he says he is not in favor of having people in the medical profession hasten death in any way.

Since the Oregon law was enacted seven years ago, 171 people have used the option to end their life.