PRESS RELEASE - March
10, 2005
OREGON'S PHYSICIAN ASSISTED SUICIDE YEAR 2004
- SEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT -
Many Areas of Concern
Members of Physicians for Compassionate Care express regret
that 37 of our fellow Oregonians needlessly died by overdoses
of barbiturates in 2004. These overdoses were prescribed
by a few dozen Oregon doctors-many of whom are actively promoting
assisted suicide. For example, it was reported in today's
The Oregonian that Dr. Crumpacker of CID has participated
directly or indirectly in more than 100 doctor-assisted suicide
deaths.
Furthermore, our members lament the continued shroud of
secrecy that restricts everyone from really knowing what
is happening. Specifically, we have many serious concerns
about the latest report on doctor-assisted suicide in Oregon
published by the Oregon Department of Human Services. The
concerns are about both the information in the report as
well as the report itself. These include:
- Inadequate and sloppy reporting-The filing of an incomplete
Attending Physician's Compliance Form, and witnessing of
signatures on a patient request form were reasons why one
case was referred to the Oregon Board of Medical Examiners
for investigation. What is the outcome of that investigation?
- Inadequate evaluation-Sadly, psychiatric evaluation was
performed for only 5% of those dying of assisted suicide
in 2004, the same percentage as for the 2003 year. People
who feel their continued living has no meaning deserve
psychiatric evaluation and help. The guidelines
of Guidebook for Health Care Professionals regarding the
Oregon Death with Dignity Act "strongly recommend mental
health consultation for any person desiring a prescription
under the Act". (www.ohsu.edu/ethics/guidebook/chapter9.pdf) Why
aren't patients getting this help? Have some Oregon
doctors devalued their patients' lives?
- Inconsistent reporting-There is no information regarding
the number of doctors writing prescriptions for those who
died from ingesting lethal drugs during 2004, whereas that
information was previously provided for the 2003 year.
- Many prescriptions by a few doctors-For the first time
the annual report divulges information regarding the numbers
of prescriptions written by physicians. It is obvious
that some doctors are very involved in assisted suicide
in Oregon by writing a lot of assisted suicide prescriptions. Of
the 40 physicians who wrote the 60 prescriptions in 2004,
28 wrote one prescription, 9 wrote 2 prescriptions, one
wrote 3 prescriptions, one wrote 4 prescriptions, and one
wrote 7 prescriptions.
- No real monitoring-What happens at the time of ingestion
of the barbiturates? We don't know? How could we? In
2004 the prescribing doctor was present at the time of
ingestion for only 6 of the 37 deaths (16%). As
we have said in previous years, this information is obtained
second or even third hand -predominantly from non-physicians
present.
- Who's telling the truth?-While this annual report states
that 6 patients had the prescribing physician present at
the time of taking the drugs, George Eighmey of Compassion
in Dying (CID) has publicly reported that the patient's
physician was present at the time of taking the medication
for 8 of the 29 CID clients who died in 2004. Which
is the correct number of doctors present, 6 or 8? The
CID people appear to be controlling the information about
assisted suicide in Oregon.
- Complications (both reported and unreported)-This year's
report revealed three patients with vomiting complications. While
these likely occur in up to 20% of cases, these are complications
that the CID people have repeatedly claimed would never
happen. Are patients being told the truth by CID
suicide advocates about this risk (or other risks) of massive
overdoses of sleeping pills?
- Secrecy about drugs and route of administration-Pentobarbital
is the most commonly used (68%) barbiturate used for assisted
suicide. This drug is only available in a liquid
injectable formulation. Is it being injected? Is
it being misused by giving it orally? If
Seconal is used, where is it coming from? Seconal
is not currently available in the United States.
- Mixing issues-Pain can be controlled by modern medicine. Assisted
suicide being used for untreatable pain has not been reported. Yet
CID suicide advocates continue to promulgate intractable
pain as a reason to promote assisted suicide.
- Inadequate background information-The report failed to mention
a 2004 study in Oregon that indicated that those dying
between June 2000 and March 2002 were approximately twice
as likely to be in moderate or severe pain or distress,
as compared to patients dying during the time from November
1996 to December 1997. Oregon's assisted suicide law became
operational in January 1998. (This was reported by Fromme
et al, "Increased family reports of pain or distress in
dying Oregonians 1996 to 2002" in Journal of Palliative
Medicine, 2004: 7:431-442.) Oregonians deserve to
know the truth-assisted suicide has not improved pain control
in terminal patients in Oregon.
Finally, this annual report did not include the recent case
of Mr. David Prueitt who proved the reality that dying by
overdose is not easy, comfortable and certainly not dignified. After
Mr. Prueitt's failed assisted suicide in February 2005 (he
awoke after 65 hours of coma), "he chose to die naturally." "He
wisely did not choose to attempt assisted suicide again." says
Dr. Kenneth Stevens, a cancer doctor in Portland, Oregon. "Physician
assisted suicide is not needed and is not natural."
Physician assisted suicide is not medicine. It is
contrary to and is not compatible with the doctor's proper
role in caring for patients.
For further information call Dr. Kenneth Stevens, Professor
and Chairman of Radiation Oncology, OHSU at (503) 481-8410
or page him at 503-599-4439, email at stevensk@ohsu.edu |
