LET’S INCLUDE MORE OF THE DYING
IN DEATH WITH DIGNITY LAW
Choices for Compassionate Ending of Life (CCEoL) is a campaigning group with the sole aim of making Oregon’s pioneering Death With Dignity
Act more available in modern times.
After two hard-fought citizen ballot initiatives, the Oregon law took effect in l998 and has since helped many of its residents get doctor-assisted dying when their terminal illness became unbearable.
The six US states (+ DC)which have since passed assisted dying laws have largely copied the Oregon model. But CCEoL today wants the Oregon law widened in these ways:
* Allow patients who cannot swallow to be given a injection at their request;
* Reduce the waiting period from 15 days to seven and eliminate the ‘six-month likely to die’ provision.
* Permit patients with an irreversible degenerative illnesses to have doctor-assisted dying. (Only terminal illness allowed in the current law.)
CCEoL respects the safeguards in the existing law but argues that it is now time to make the law more widely available to eligible persons who are suffering.
CCeOL is working with Oregon legislators to
make careful changes, and these are
currently (May 2019) under debate. Public support for these particular compassionate improvements is badly needed.
CCeOL is an Oregon nonprofit founded by Bruce Yelle, of Florence. Derek Humphry, who launched the original Oregon law campaign in l986, is a board member.
WEB https://www.endchoices.com/
****
