Massachusetts May Soon Change How the Nation Dies 439
Hugh Pickens writes "Lewis M. Cohen reports that this Election Day, Massachusetts is poised to approve the Death With Dignity Act, a modernized, sanitized, politically palatable term that replaces the now-antiquated expression 'physician-assisted suicide.' Oregon's Death With Dignity Act has been in effect for the past 14 years, and the state of Washington followed suit with a similar law in 2008. But the Massachusetts ballot question has the potential to turn death with dignity from a legislative experiment into the new national norm, because the state is the home of America's leading medical publication (the New England Journal of Medicine), hospital (Massachusetts General), and four medical schools (Harvard, Boston University, University of Massachusetts, and Tufts). If the act passes in Massachusetts, other states that have previously had unsuccessful campaigns will certainly be emboldened to revisit this subject. The initiative would allow terminally ill patients with six months or less to live to request from their doctor a prescription for a lethal dose of a drug. Doctors do not have to offer the option at all, and patients must make three requests, two verbal and one written. They must self-administer the drug, which would be ingested. The patients must be deemed capable of making an informed decision. 'It's all about choice,' says George Eighmey, a key player in instituting the Oregon law, defending it against repeal and shepherding it into reality. 'You decide. No one else can decide for you. No can can force you into it, coerce you into it or even suggest it to you unless you make a statement: "I don't want to live like this any more" or "I'm interested in that law out there, doctor, can you give me something to alleviate this pain and suffering."'"
What drugs and what protections from failure? (Score:2, Interesting)
Lot more dignity than a self-inflicted gunshot (Score:5, Interesting)
At least this will allow someone to go with their family around (and without the mess).
Of course, doctors have been doing this sort of thing "off the books" forever. When I was a kid and a certain person I knew was dying, his doctor gave him a orders not to let his nurse inject him with this particular syringe of morphine (wink, wink).
Terry Pratchett documentary: "Choosing to Die" (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:"Physicial assisted-suicide" (Score:4, Interesting)
It's antiquated because the last time someone really tried to push for it, he became a pariah to some people and a joke to others; which is why we needed a new term to introduce to people so that it doesn't carry the baggage of the previous attempts.
Re:Question: (Score:5, Interesting)
> Is it really that difficult to acquire a lethal dose of a drug without doctor assistance?
Yes.
To elaborate: It's difficult to acquire a lethal dose of a drug that is easy to administer and will result in guaranteed, peaceful death without little to no chance of (partial) survival. Sure you can drink bleach or try to OD on alcohol or acetaminophen/paracetamol or any number of things. But they can be quite unpleasant and/or leave you alive but even worse off.
> Or is this aiming to legally protect doctors who are assisting patients?
Less so, I'd wager. Realistically, people rarely ask questions if someone suffering and wishing to die dies in their sleep. Doctor: "They died in their sleep last night". Family: "Ah, well their suffering is over at least". Pretty much never: "I bet you turned their morphine up you bastard!". Of course, that really requires the patient to be literally on their death bed, but either way I think the point of this is entirely a way to reduce suffering of the terminally ill and not really about doctor liability.
Re:Lot more dignity than a self-inflicted gunshot (Score:5, Interesting)
One of my greatest regrets is not noticing when a doctor did this. They left the morphine drip machine unlocked and showed us how we must not turn it up. I was only 14, but I really wish I would have realized what they were trying to tell us at the time.
Off topic, sort of... (Score:5, Interesting)
Bringing it back to "death with dignity", noone will force it, or even suggest it, but LWOP prisoners should also be offered the same option...
(lol - spell check on Propofol offers "Foolproof")
Re:Question: (Score:4, Interesting)
Is there much of a difference between prescription opiates and street ones? Seems like everyday you hear more and more about the prescription ones being sold on the street or abused by radio personalities.
Briefly, yes. Not quite so briefly, it depends on your metabolism. The prescription opiates are usually encapsulated in a way that slows down their breakdown in your system, in an attempt to prevent them from being useful as a recreational drug, but other than that they're essentially the same. If you know what you're doing, chemically speaking, you can break down the encapsulation before taking the drug.
Drugs like codeine and oxycodone break down into morphine when exposed to your metabolic system. How much, and how quickly, depends on you. Some people digest the stuff very quickly so the effect wears of early, some digest it very slowly. The latter group is one of the reasons that they control the dosage that you can lay your hands on... people *have* lethally overdosed on codeine because they don't digest it very quickly, and so when they take one pill there's no effect within the half hour or so that they are told to expect it. So they take another. And another. And another. Eventually, the body starts breaking the stuff down, and they get a dangerous dose in a relatively short period of itme.
Legality of the war on drugs aside, if a person wants to commit suicide they will find a way. But methods like alcohol poisoning (suggested above) or overdose on illegal drugs are messy and unreliable, not even considering the very good point that was made here [slashdot.org]. Acquiring a lethal dose from a doctor is simply a way to guarantee that it'll be quick and painless, and legal. Most of the people who would consider taking advantage of something like this aren't really in a position to go out and buy drugs off the street anyway... this is an end of life/palliative care option.
Re:Question: (Score:4, Interesting)
Aside from that, legally accepted euthanasia protects the family and the deceased to make the proper insurance claims. All life insurance policies become void in case of suicide, but in case of legal euthanasia they should apply.