Assisted Suicide
* Re “Assembly Panel OKs Bill on Assisted Suicide,” April 21: The California legislators have finally taken up the issue of physician assistance in dying, and it was gratifying to learn that it has passed its first hurdle toward giving all Californians the right to a peaceful and humane death.
However, as expected, there was the usual opposition, rehashing the same arguments used against the Oregon Death With Dignity Act a few years ago.
On Feb. 16 the New England Journal of Medicine reported on Oregon’s first year’s experience with its law. They found that there were no reports of abuse, no rush to request suicide, no one requesting to die because of financial difficulties and all participating patients died peacefully without complications. In other words, the fears and warnings presented by the opposition never came to pass.
Because the California Death With Dignity Act is modeled after the Oregon law, we can rest assured that this will be a good law, just as Oregon’s is today.
ROY T. KOBAYASHI
Fullerton
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