New initiative sparks end-of-life debate

By Brad Shannon , The Olympian, Jan. 14, 2008

Former Gov. Booth Gardner and allies filed an initiative Wednesday that would let doctors prescribe lethal medications for terminally ill patients to help end their lives and suffering.

Washington voters rejected a broader assisted-suicide initiative in 1991, but Gardner said the new proposal is more tightly written, mirroring Oregon's, which he described as having a good track record.

Gardner said Jack Kevorkian no longer casts a shadow over "Death with Dignity" campaigns, as he did in 1991.

"The initiative is a compassionate, reasonable measure," said Gardner, who called it "my last campaign."

Gardner has Parkinson's disease, which has slowed his speech. He would not be eligible to use the powers in the measure because he is not terminally ill.

He was joined by a retired Methodist minister, a doctor and two women who spoke of their own relatives' deaths — one who was assisted by Oregon's law and one who wasn't.

The forces behind the "It's My Decision" campaign face opposition, including from Gardner's son, Doug. The son said he does not intend to be a formal part of the campaign against the initiative but has religious objections to the measure.

The leader of the Coalition Against Assisted Suicide is Democratic Sen. Margarita Prentice of Renton, a retired nurse. The coalition includes doctors, hospice workers and disability activists. They say the measure would provide a subtle encouragement for suicide and could put pressure on disabled people and others to end their lives prematurely.

Both sides were packed into the lobby of the Secretary of State's Office, where Death with Dignity backers filed their petition. The backers need 225,000 valid voter signatures by July 4 to qualify for the November ballot; they say they have 1,000 volunteers but won't rule out paid help if needed.

Two activists in wheelchairs, Duane French of Lacey and Joelle Brouner of Olympia, spoke against the law in a news conference that followed the one featuring Gardner.

French and Brouner said the law could create a coercion for some disabled people who are faced with difficulty getting palliative, or non-curative, care. French said some could be pressured by family or by economic forces into taking their lives.

"This will not serve patients well," said Dr. Patricia O'Halloran, who said the state medical association is against doctor-assisted suicide. She said the vast majority of people who would use the option are depressed, and Dr. Susan Rutherford of Redmond said she more than once has refused requests for life-ending medication from patients.

But supporters — including social worker and hospice volunteer Arline Hinckley, who has worked with terminally ill patients for more than 35 years — said Oregon's law has been used sparingly and has shown "absolutely no evidence of coercion or inappropriate application."

Others said it has protections to avoid abuses, including a requirement that two people attest to the afflicted person's competence to make the decision about hastening his or her death and that two doctors examine the patient to verify the condition.

Backers insisted on a careful wording to describe their proposal, calling it "aid in dying" and not assisted suicide. In campaign materials they said "lawmakers and physicians are increasingly recognizing there is a distinction between the act of suicide and the informed decision of a competent adult to hasten the dying process."

About two-dozen states have rejected such laws, but Oregon voters approved theirs in 1994. It took effect in 1997, surviving several legal challenges, and the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the law in 2006.

Julie McMurchie said her mother, Peggy Sutherland, had cancer and died in Portland last year, assisted by Oregon's law. Sutherland's pain was extreme, her bodily functions were failing, and she asked for relief, McMurchie said.

"Having this choice at the end of her life gave my mom great comfort," McMurchie said. "She was able to die on her own terms, surrounded by family and loved ones, clear and certain in her decision."

Nancy Niedzielski of Lynnwood said she pledged to her dying husband, Randy, that she would work for such a law in Washington. He died of brain cancer in 2000 after suffering horribly and "did not feel Washington state had the right to tell him how long he had to suffer."

Email this page to a friend Share on Facebook

Share on StumbleUpon Print this.

Print this page

Defend dignity. Take action.

You are the key to ensuring well-crafted Death with Dignity laws for all Americans. With your financial and volunteer help, the Death with Dignity National Center, a 501(c)(3), non-partisan, non-profit organization, has been the leading advocate in the death with dignity movement. Member contributions helped us pass a new Death with Dignity law in Washington, defend the Oregon law, and provide education and outreach programs for the vitality of the death with dignity movement.

Better Business Bureau accredited charity

Make a Donation

Your donation helps us continue to advocate for the right of the terminally ill to die with dignity.

Stay Connected

Additional ways to stay in touch:

About Death with Dignity

The greatest human freedom is to live, and die, according to one's own desires and beliefs. From advance directives to physician-assisted dying, death with dignity is a movement to provide options for the dying to control their own end-of-life care.

Death with Dignity National Center is the leader in this movement, successfully establishing, advancing and defending the landmark Oregon and Washington Death with Dignity Acts.

Learn more about our family of organizations.

Political Action Fund

The Death with Dignity National Center partners with the Oregon Death with Dignity Political Action Fund to conduct lobbying and political activities in order to achieve the enactment of Death with Dignity laws in other states.

Learn more about the Oregon Death with Dignity Political Action Fund.

Patients & Families

The Death with Dignity National Center was formed out of a profound commitment to the idea that personal end-of-life decisions should be made solely between a patient and a physician. We are pleased to provide you with support and information as you face the difficult challenges ahead.

Find resources for patients and families.

Research Center

We have compiled a comprehensive collection of legal briefs, journal articles, and newspaper clippings. We invite you to explore the wide array of information we have collected throughout our history.

Dive into the archives of the National Center.


email address *


zip code *