Personal and political: Duane French and Jonathan Turlove

If Initiative 1000 passes, Washington will become the second state to allow terminally ill adults to receive a prescription for lethal drugs.

By Adam Wilson | The Olympian • Published October 12, 2008

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For Jonathan Turlove and Duane French, both of whom work in Olympia, the issue isn’t just political; it’s personal. Turlove’s mother used Oregon’s assisted-suicide law to end her life after a 10-year battle with cancer, and he supports Washington’s proposed law. But French, who lost the use of his legs 40 years ago, says the law poses a threat to him and others with disabilities. Both stated their cases about how voters should approach the issue.

This is French's story

State employee Duane French of Olympia, who lost the use of his legs and most of the movement in his arms after jumping into a shallow river at age 14, told a crowd of business people in Lacey recently that his grandfather once remarked that French would "be better off dead."

French, 54, disagrees. He has become an executive at a state agency in Olympia and works as an activist against assisted suicide. He says that Washington's Initiative 1000, which voters will decide on in November's election, poses a significant threat to people with disabilities.

He recently sat in a cafe in downtown Olympia, a documentary film crew tracking him, and told The Olympian why I-1000 is a matter of discrimination.

"I think it poses a significant threat to people with disabilities. I want to do everything I can to educate the public about why I think it is important. I think it's dangerous public policy," French said.

Under I-1000, people with disabilities would not qualify for lethal drugs, nor would people with progressive but not fatal diseases such as Parkinson's disease, which afflicts the initiative's main sponsor, former Gov. Booth Gardner.

But French said the initiative undermines basic protections by making suicide acceptable under circumstances that are comparable to disabilities.

"When they talk about autonomy, usually what they talk about is independence, and bodily functions, and all those things that are associated with a person with a disability," he said.

The most common reasons cited for using Oregon's law are not pain or fear, but a loss of autonomy, the ability to enjoy life, and dignity.