REJECTING THE RIGHT TO DIE

November 1999
		Congress has approved legislation that would penalize physicians who assist in suicides. The vote overrides an Oregon law from 1997 that allows doctors to prescribe lethal doses of painkillers for their patients.

Forum Introduction. Is effective legislation attainable? Was Oregon a good model? Is euthanasia legal? How do insurance agencies react to doctor-assisted suicide? Does a dying person have different rights? Manipulating a dying person's decision   Oct. 27, 1999: The House votes against assisted suicide. Nov. 24, 1998: Assisted suicide in Oregon. Browse the NewsHour's coverage of health.     Congressman Dave Weldon Oregon Department of Justice U.S. House of Representatives	Cheryl Lightfoot of Silver Spring, MD asks: If this legislation had not been passed, and lets hope it is overturned, was the Oregon bill a good model for other states to use? Republican Congressman Dave Weldon of Florida responds: Ms. Lightfoot, There is no good model for killing. The issue of physicians' assisted suicide has been incorrectly advertised as a "state's-rights issue." When in fact, all federally controlled narcotic drugs, which are the drugs used in physicians-assisted suicide, are correctly regulated at the federal level. The Pain Relief Promotion Act simply reiterates that fact. I think that, as a nation, we would want the federal government to control illegal substances. Any deviation in that, as physician assisted suicide would be, is in direct violation of a federal law. Furthermore, using a drug to end an individual's life is no different than using a gun- and certainly physician's would never be empowered to use a firearm. The Oregon bill is a good model for moving us down the road to where The Netherlands is today, where a patient sometimes wonders about the motives and goals of the physican entering the room. The Netherlands, which has legalized physician assisted suicide, has actually recently debated whether or not children as young as 12 years old should be permitted to opt for physician assisted suicide. If that is where you want to head as a nation, then the Oregon law is your model. The recent book, Forced Exit, should cause anyone caution in advocating physician assisted suicide. David Schuman, Deputy Attorney General, Oregon responds: As originally passsed, Oregon's bill had some ambiguities that have subsequently been clarified by amendment. One that remains, that other states would want to avoid, regards the degree to which the patient can receive assistance. For example, can a nurse help a patient who lacks strength to take a pill by putting it in the patient's mouth? What about patients who are incapable of swallowing? Another thing that other states might try that would make their statutes different from Oregon's would be to define what a "resident" of the state is. Oregon's statute limits participation to "residents" but does not define the term. Also, other states might want to incorporate more patient protections, for example a mandatory psychological examination (in Oregon such an exam is necessary only of one of the two doctors who certifies that the patient is terminal suspects that the patient is depressed or otherwise mentally incapacitated).