Vote to give people choice in their death

• Published September 12, 2008

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Without a doubt, the most emotional -- and personal -- issue on the Nov. 4, general election ballot is Initiative 1000. Called "Death with Dignity" by supporters and "Assisted Suicide" by others, I-1000 would allow physicians to prescribe a lethal dose of drugs to terminally ill adults who are medically predicted to die within six months.

The Olympian's editorial board encourages a "yes" vote on Initiative 1000.

We acknowledge that this is one of those gut-wrenching issues that evokes strong emotion on both sides. Many voters will mark their ballots based on their own, very personal beliefs or their experience in dealing with the death of a loved one.

On balance, and based largely on the positive reports and lack of abuse in neighboring Oregon which has had a similar law on the books for 10 years, we believe Washington voters should give the terminally ill the option to end their life with dignity and respect.

Make no mistake. At the heart of this issue is personal choice. This initiative does not force death on anyone. It's an option that some will choose. Others will not. But each person is entitled to make the choice that fits his or her individual circumstance.

Even supporters are concerned -- rightfully -- about possible abuses. Will the right to die be used to abuse vulnerable populations? Will the disabled be targeted? Will greedy family members coerce their sick relatives to choose death to avoid depletion of bank accounts?

In Oregon, where voters have twice given their consent to physician-assisted suicide, there has been no reported abuse and no steps down the slippery slope to involuntary euthanasia that critics warn about.

No abuse

The Oregonian, the state's largest newspaper, took a critical look at the first 10 years of experience with the nation's only assisted suicide law and had this to say in January: "Opponents, including us, warned that the law could steamroller vulnerable patients into suicide, target the disabled and become a destination for terminally ill people seeking to die with doctor-prescribed drugs. In a decade of experience with the law, though, no such abuses have shown up."