Assisted suicide bill at Utah state legislature holds false promises

Friday, Jul. 01, 2016

The movie “Me Before You” intends for viewers to be deeply moved by the story of a young, healthy man who has been suddenly diagnosed with a terminal illness and confined to a wheelchair choosing to end his life so that his newly found damsel in distress can live a better life without him and his disabled body, but with his money.  

The message of purported compassion from the movie is one Utah legislators will hear Wednesday, July 13, as proponents push to legalize suicide in Utah as a medical option for the terminally ill.  As in past legislative meetings, several false promises will be promoted in support of assisted suicide.

For instance, proponents will assert that “safeguards” in Oregon’s assisted suicide law protect patients from making decisions based on finances or depression.  They cite, as ample protection, provisions that require patients to receive psychiatric care if a doctor decides it’s needed, and stipulations that two doctors agree the patient should be treated through a lethal prescription.

The fact is these safeguards are designed to protect the physicians who prescribe the lethal medication, not the patient. For example, claims that the law provides mental health treatment for depression are belied by the Oregon experience, where referrals to psychiatric treatment are abysmally low, despite high rates of depression in terminally ill patients (25 percent to 77 percent, according to the National Institutes of Health). A referral for psychiatric evaluation is in the sole discretion of the physician prescribing the lethal medication, who may have never worked with the patient before and may be completely unfamiliar with the indicators that provide clues to their mental state.

The assisted suicide legislation that was proposed and defeated during the past two sessions in Utah required two weeks between the time a patient asks for the prescription and when he or she receives it. The two appointments, one to ask and one to receive, may be the full extent of the patient’s relationship with the prescribing doctor.

Despite the lack of familiarity between doctor and patient, the bills proposed in Utah thus far have not required any notice to family members that a person has received a lethal prescription.  This means the people who may see the signs of depression in the patient will have no idea their loved one possesses the means to kill him- or herself in their possession until it is far too late.

Proponents continue to declare that assisted suicide is not suicide because the participants do not want to die, while suicidal people do.  As psychiatrists and psychologists can attest, few suicidal individuals “want” to die.  Many see no other way to address the symptoms of their disease – whether it is PTSD, addiction, severe depression, or a terminal illness. Even proponents admit a large percentage of those who seek the prescription do so out of fear of what may happen, not out of pain or physical need. 

Ultimately, we must ask whether we want legislators to decide, as a matter of state law, when suicide is the best medical treatment for a disease. Under the proposed assisted suicide bills, the patient must be 18 or older and have a terminal illness. If this indeed becomes law, then what prevents legislators from deciding that a 17-year-old should have the same right? Or why would they not give the decision-making authority to a parent of a small child with cancer or a disability? This is the direction other countries with such laws have gone. Once we say that a person is better off dead than disabled, where do we draw the line on such “compassion”?

It is imperative that Catholics speak out against this public policy. Please email legislators on the committee. If you are available, consider attending the committee hearing July 13 at the Capitol in room 445 (top floor of the Capitol building). The meeting begins at 1:15. The agenda will be posted at le.utah.gov 24 hours beforehand, but plan to be there until at least 4: p.m.

 

To speak out against the proposed assisted suicide legislation, contact the Utah State legislators who are on the committee.

The following is a sample email that may be sent.

Dear Senator/Representative ______,

 Thank you for your service to Utah and your careful consideration of the public policy implications of legalizing assisted suicide in our state.  As you consider the issue at your July interim committee meeting, please consider Utah’s already high suicide rate and the horrendous message the state would send by saying that suicide is an answer to a problem.  The assisted suicide legislation proposed in the past two sessions also has the following issues:

 – Family members have no right to know that their loved one has sought and received a lethal prescription with the intent to commit suicide;

– Though a terminally ill person is highly likely to suffer from severe depression, there are no requirements in the bills for psychiatric testing or treatment;

– No drug is foolproof, yet no medical personnel is available at the time the drug is taken to assist if there are complications.

I am opposed to assisted suicide in Utah and hope legislators will continue to see how detrimental such a policy would be to our state.

Sincerely,

(your name)

 Sen. Evan J. Vickers, (R) Senate Chair evickers@le.utah.gov

Rep. Kay L. McIff, (R) House Chair (R), kaymciff@le.utah.gov

Sen. Allen M. Christensen, (R) achristensen@le.utah.gov

Sen. Luz Escamilla (D), lescamilla@le.utah.gov  

Sen. Mark B. Madsen (R), mmadsen@le.utah.gov 

Sen. Brian E. Shiozawa (R), bshiozawa@le.utah.gov 

Rep. Stewart Barlow (R), sbarlow@le.utah.gov

Rep. Melvin R. Brown (R), melbrown@le.utah.gov

Rep. Rebecca Chavez-Houck (D-bill sponsor), rchouck@le.utah.gov  

Rep. Craig Hall (R), chall@le.utah.gov

Rep. Sandra Hollins (D), shollins@le.utah.gov

Rep. Michael S. Kennedy (R), mikekennedy@le.utah.gov            

Rep. Paul Ray (R), pray@le.utah.gov      

Rep. Edward H. Redd (R), eredd@le.utah.gov 

Rep. Robert M. Spendlove (R), rspendlove@le.utah.gov

Rep. Raymond P. Ward (R), rayward@le.utah.gov