A chat with Death with Dignity

Since saturday April 16th was National Healthcare Decisions Day, I thought I'd speak with Melissa Barber from Death with Dignity.

What is Death with Dignity?


Our organization provides information, education, research and support for the preservation, implementation and promotion of Death with Dignity laws which allow a terminally ill, mentally competent adult the right to request and receive a prescription to hasten death under certain specific safeguards. We promote Death with Dignity laws based on our model legislation, the Oregon Death with Dignity Act, as a stimulus to nationwide improvements in end-of-life care and as an option for dying individuals.

Our most recent success was when the voters of Washington state passed the second such US law in 2008. We led the effort, helped write the law, and laid the groundwork necessary for this successful campaign.

What is the biggest misconception about Death with Dignity?

Probably the biggest misconception about Death with Dignity has to do with terminology and what is and isn't allowed under the Oregon and Washington laws.

What we advocate for:
Death with Dignity/Physician-Assisted Death: Under the Oregon and Washington Death with Dignity Acts, terminally ill patients who are mentally competent to make their own medical care decisions may request a prescription of medication to hasten their deaths. These patients must also be able to self-administer and ingest the medication.

What we don't advocate for:
* "Assisted Suicide" more accurately refers to criminals like William Francis Melchert-Dinkel.
* "Suicide" is also inaccurate. A terminally ill patient making a request under the Oregon or Washington law is doing so to hasten an already inevitable and imminent death; therefore, the act cannot properly be equated with suicide. None of the moral, existential, or religious connotations of "suicide" apply when the patient's primary objective is not to end an otherwise open-ended span of life but to find dignity in an already impending exit from this world. Individuals who use the law may be offended by the use of "assisted suicide," because they are participating in an act to short the agony of their final hours, not killing themselves. It is the cancer (or other underlying condition) which is killing them.
* Euthanasia often refers to the act of painlessly but deliberately causing the death of another who is suffering from an incurable, painful disease or condition. It is commonly thought of as lethal injection.

I know with hospice, or at least the hospice program I volunteered for, a patient has to be given 6 months or less to enter hospice care.  What about Death with Dignity?  At what point is a person legally able to make this decision?

In order to make a request for medication under the Oregon and Washington Death with Dignity Acts, the patient must have received a terminal diagnosis with six months or fewer to live.

Are there any other states considering this legislation?

In December 2009, Montana's Supreme Court ruled there was nothing in the state law which prohibited a physician from honoring his or her terminally ill, mentally competent patient's request by prescribing medication to hasten the patient's death. During this year's legislative session, three bills were introduced in Montana regarding Death with Dignity. One, modeled on the Oregon and Washington laws would have codified the Supreme Court ruling and outlined in which circumstances the medication could be prescribed. The other two were aimed at overturning the court's ruling. All three bills failed to pass. Physician-assisted death is still legal in Montana, but the state doesn't currently have a standard of practice for physicians to follow regarding their patients' requests. I believe they'll try to codify the state's Supreme Court ruling the next chance they get in the legislature.

After careful research and polling, we've found the next likely state to pass a Death with Dignity law will be in New England, and that's where we're currently focusing our efforts. Right now, we're working with a grassroots group in Vermont to enact a law through the state's legislative process.

You can also see other legislative efforts related to end-of-life care on our site: http://www.deathwithdignity.org/advocates/national/


Okay readers, I would like to hear what you think.  It's never too early to begin this conversation.  As an FYI, HBO will air “How to Die in Oregon” on May 26th at

April is Donate Life Month

I've talked about organ donation on this blog before, but this time it is personal.  I've always been an organ donor.  Whenever I've gone to the DMV, I indicate my intentions on my driver's license.  I've also told my family this fact because if I'm dead, I won't be around to say, "Hey, can you make sure that someone gets my eyes, my liver, my skin or maybe my heart?"

But, according to statistics, not a lot of people are organ donors, especially in Texas, and I'm wondering why?  Does it have to do with the whole, if I bury my head in the sand and not think about death, it won't happen to me mentality? Are people afraid to make that committment because of a superstitious fear that they're inviting the Grim Reaper into their lives by planning for their end of life wishes?  Or do people fear that they won't receive the best care in the emergency room if they're a donor?  I found the following information on the Texas Organ Sharing page to answer some of those fears.

  • Emergency room doctors are there to save lives and will do everything possible to save one’s life.
  • One’s celebrity or financial status does not play a part in the decision. Organs are allocated based on a variety of medical and logistical factors including blood type, size of organ needed, waiting time, distance between donor and recipient, degree of immune system match and medical urgency, among others.
  • All major religions, including Catholicism, support organ and tissue donation as one of the highest expressions of compassion and generosity. Pope Benedict has stated that to give one’s organs means to give expression to a true, deep act of love for one’s neighbor.
  • Donation does not interfere with funeral arrangements. A donor can have an open casket funeral.
  • Anyone can be a potential donor, regardless of age or medical history. The good news is that a single donor can save or improve the lives of more than 50 people.
I know death is a super personal issue, but I'm writing about it because I think it's time we all started thinking and talking about it.  Death and taxes, people.  Which of these inevitable aspects of life would you rather discuss? 

So, here's the dealio.  I'd like for you to be brave and discuss right here on my blog your thoughts about organ donation.  If you don't feel comfortable, simply vote in my poll.  But, I'm hoping we can get a discussion going.  This issue might not be of importance to you right now so you're not thinking about it. But it might be when you least expect it.

I know when we think of charity, we think of dropping a buck or two into the Salvation Army bucket during the holidays or sending a check to our favorite cause, but organ donation is free.  We're all going to die at some point, so why not give the ultimate gift of life?

Thoughts?

And the Winner is...

Chernoblog!
Thanks to everyone who posted on my blog. You rock! 
I wrote all your names down on a piece of paper, crumpled them up and let my son draw a name from his Nasa hat. 

And the second winner is Life.  9 voted for Life and 5 for Death.  (That's according to my informal poll.) Thanks also to the peeps who voted there.

Have a great Sunday!