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Oregon's Assisted Suicide Vote: The Silver Lining
- Melinda A. Lee, MD; and
- Susan W. Tolle, MD
- Oregon Health Sciences University Portland, OR 97207 Acknowledgments: The authors thank all those who support the Center for Ethics in Health Care for making this work possible, and they specifically thank The Meyer Memorial Trust and The Open Society: Project on Death in America. The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent endorsement by our sponsors. Requests for Reprints: Melinda Lee, MD, Medical Service (111-A), Veterans Affairs Medical Center, PO Box 1034, Portland, OR 97207. Current Author Addresses: Dr. Lee: Medical Service (111-A), Veterans Affairs Medical Center, PO Box 1034, Portland, OR 97207. Dr. Tolle: Mail Code L-101, Center for Ethics in Health Care, Oregon Health Sciences Center, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Road, Portland, OR 97201.
In November of 1994, voters in Oregon approved a physician-assisted suicide initiative. Its passage shocked many members of the health care community. The measure was barred by an injunction weeks after the election and was later found unconstitutional in federal district court. It is not known if or when it will ever become law, and yet passage of the measure has produced benefits that were not entirely expected. Since the election, the health care community has focused unprecedented attention on improving the care of dying patients.
Ballot Measure 16, titled “The Oregon Death with Dignity Act,” was narrowly approved in the general election, with 51% of voters in favor and 49% opposed. The initiative was sponsored by a group called Oregon Right to Die and was strongly supported by the Hemlock Society and patients' rights advocates. During the campaign, the Roman Catholic Church and most Protestant denominations opposed the measure, as did the American Medical Association [1]. Weeks before the election, the Oregon Hospice Association and the Oregon State Pharmacists Association declared their formal opposition. The Oregon Medical Association debated the issue and decided to take a neutral stand on the measure; this reflected the division of opinion among its members. Thus, organized opposition by the health professions played a less prominent role against the Oregon assisted suicide initiative than it did against the unsuccessful initiatives to legalize both assisted suicide and euthanasia in Washington (1991) and California (1993).
Shortly after the election, a lawsuit was filed in …
This 100-word excerpt has been provided in the absence of an abstract.
