Physician Assisted Suicide is A Scam.

First and foremost, palliative care, the correct terminology for best medical practices performed by extensively trained and specialized physicians who treat the terminally ill, is very effective and efficient in controlling intractable pain in the terminally ill; and, in properly treating and helping these fragile patients face death pain-free, with dignity. A palliative physician recently shared with me that she had never personally experienced a patient who could not be managed by using a correct course of pain medication or palliative pain management. The pain medication, and pain management is state of the art in America. No terminally ill patient should ever suffer in this age of palliative expertise.

Yet, physician assisted suicide advocates; usually financially and philosophically backed by every major insurance company in America, insists that terminally ill patients suffer intractable pain tantamount to a tortuous death. Thus, should be given the right and choice to participate in a physician assisted death, with dignity and peace.

These uninformed fear monger advocates, preach a myth. Truly, there is no such thing as physician assisted suicide. In the eyes of the American Medical Association (AMA), such an act could never be carried out by a licensed, AMA physician. An assist in the taking of a life, terminal or healthy, would constitute an abomination to the practice and philosophy of medicine. The AMA issued an ironclad, strong, written statement that unequivocally proclaims that they are forever opposed to assisting terminally ill patients in life-ending suicide measures.

Yet, through cleverly termed and manipulated laws, good citizens are fooled into believing two untruths. First, that they will receive the help of a licensed physician at the time they choose to end their life; and, that the medication induced death will be a peaceful exit.

Regarding the first myth, as stated above, the AMA does not endorse, nor will it ever endorse a member physician to take a life. Regarding the second myth; if the patient is successful in finding a physician to write a prescription for a lethal dose of medication, there will be no professional administering of the medication by a licensed physician. The medication will be administered and supervised at home by an appointed friend or family member.

The sad truth, learned by many unfortunate Oregonians, is that the medication can cause sever nausea, convulsions or combative behavior. If vomited, the death can be prolonged and tragic, or unsuccessful, resulting in extend comatose ICU stays. The medicine has caused numerous side effects and resulted in unnecessary trauma for both the terminally ill patient as well as attendant family and/or friends, with many tragic outcomes. Untold numbers of emergency resuscitations, paramedic interventions, ambulance rides, emergency room lifesaving procedures and expensive and painful ICU stays have resulted for an untold number of terminal Oregonians who suffered complications from the prescribed lethal dose of medication.

The stories of these failures are suppressed in the media. Presently, Oregon has no tracking method or recording method to account and track the numerous failed suicide attempts suffered by the terminally ill. The gruesome stories surface, are told among shocked, traumatized and saddened relatives, but are suppressed only to vanish from the media. Real events, too horrific to imagine have occurred and continue to occur. The insurance companies of America keep the lid on the stories so that the practice can eventually be practiced in every state in the union, because in spite of failures, they feel they still save a huge amount on those terminally ill patients who are successful.