Washington: Bellingham widow persuades hospice to inform patients of Death wih Dignity law

Description: [of the article from The Bellingham Herald]

This report begins: The day following her husband's painful death from esophageal cancer on April 21, Audrey Roll-Shapiro learned of the new state law that would have allowed him to obtain a lethal dose of medication to hasten his dying.

Outraged, the Bellingham resident sent a letter to Whatcom Hospice - the agency had come to their home in March to care for Norman Shapiro in his final days - asking why information about the law, called Death With Dignity, was not mentioned to them.

"The efforts of the very attentive, loving hospice staff did not alter his extreme discomfort and pain as he died. It simply went on too long," she wrote in her April 29 letter to Richard Hammond, manager of Whatcom Hospice. "Why were we never made aware that we/he had a choice of a more mercifully quickened ending? … He was unquestionably in pain, severe discomfort, ready to leave, fighting to leave."

Later in the report: Whatcom Hospice has always provided a written statement to patients and their families that notes it "does not offer treatment intended to prolong or shorten the dying process," Hammond said in an e-mail interview.

But on Aug. 19, officials announced a change to that written statement. The material given to those admitted to hospice now includes a paragraph that references the law and points to resources for patients who want to use the measure, including patients' doctors.

The reporter notes that: The new paragraph also makes it clear that PeaceHealth and Whatcom Hospice will not participate in Death With Dignity. "Our belief is that life is sacred and that intentionally ending one's life is not something that we would support. It's being consistent with Catholic teaching," said Ross Fewing, director of ethics at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center.

[There are other related stories in the Links section below.]

Links:

To read the full article click on one of these links, both of which go to the same destination. A short link is provided for the convenience of readers. Also, readers may search and browse past and future advisories on the web (see bottom.)

  • http://tinyurl.com/2f7d3yd

  • http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2010/08/29/1585039/bellingham-widow-persuades-hospice.html

    Also see:

  • Baltimore: Euthanasia Debate Has A Local Twist [WYPR]
    http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wypr/news.newsmain/article/0/1/1694329/WYPR.News.in.Maryland./Euthanasia.Debate.Has.A.Local.Twist

    WYPR's Sarah Richards interviews Larry Egbert and Jerry Dincin of the Final Exit Network. The concluding paragraphs: For Larry Egbert, that caring came in the form of helping those who so wished end their lives.

    "It's been a very loving kind of work."

    The Georgia case involving Egbert and three other Final Exit members is set for motions on November 9th. Egbert says he's hoping the case will be dismissed because he believes his right to a speedy trial has been violated. If the case reaches the Supreme Court, it could help clarify an issue that is still deeply polarizing in the United States.

  • August Death with Dignity Recap [Death with Dignity National Center]
    http://www.deathwithdignity.org/2010/08/30/august-death-dignity-recap/

    August has been a month of awakening for the Death with Dignity movement and end-of-life discussions. Here are some of the highlights:

    Two well-timed articles about the importance of end-of-life discussions are creating quite the buzz. Atul Gawande's New Yorker article from the beginning of the month kicked off the discussion, and was soon followed by an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine about how palliative care extends life in patients with terminal lung cancer. These two articles set off a firestorm of responses on blogs, news sites as well as radio and television programs.

    The Vermont Democratic gubernatorial race is still too close to call. The voting results will be official tomorrow, and there will likely be a recount. The two leading candidates, separated by 192 votes, are committed to passing Death with Dignity legislation modeled on the Oregon law.

    New York recently passed their Patient Right to Palliative Care Information Act which is modeled on California's 2008 Terminal Patients' Right to Know End-of-Life Options Act. New York's new law sparked a bit of conversation about the legal aspects of the law and the next steps for quality end-of-life care.

    The Journal of Medical Ethics published a London study about a how doctor's religion relates to discussing end-of-life care options with their patients. The study found doctors who identify as "strongly" or "very strongly non-religious" were twice as likely to discuss end-of-life options which include palliative sedation than their "strongly" religious counterparts.

    Pew Research Center found older adults are adopting social media at an accelerated rate, and we joined the discussion too! Please find the Death with Dignity National Center on Twitter and Facebook, and effortlessly keep up on daily information and musings.

Source:

Relyea, Kie. "Bellingham widow persuades hospice to inform patients of Death wih Dignity law". The Bellingham Herald. Sunday, Aug. 29, 2010. <www.bellinghamherald.com/2010/08/29/1585039/bellingham-widow-persuades-hospice.html>. The Bellingham Herald, 1155 N. State St., Suite 200, Bellingham, WA 98225, U.S.A.

Tags:

Tags (or keywords) briefly indicate some major topics of the report.

  • Death With Dignity Act

  • hospice

  • Washington

  • U.S.A.

ID:

The EuthaNEWSia ID for this advisory is: enid201008300691.
Mailed: Monday, August 30, 2010 14:47:29 -0600
at Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Etcetera:

EuthaNEWSia is a free Canadian news advisory service covering end-of-life issues such as right to die, assisted suicide, and euthanasia. EuthaNEWSia is produced by the Right to Die Society of Canada which works toward a good death for all, including open, regulated and equitable access to euthanasia and assisted suicide. The editor is Michael Dawson <editor@euthanewsia.ca>. 

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