Posted on 10/11/2008 12:39:04 PM PDT by wagglebee
ScienceDaily (Oct. 8, 2008) — One in four terminally ill patients in the State of Oregon who opt for physician assisted suicide have clinical depression and the Death with Dignity Act may not be adequately protecting them, concludes a study published on the British Medical Journal website.
In 1997, the State of Oregon passed the Death with Dignity Act that allows physician assisted dying for terminally ill patients.
The extent to which potentially treatable psychiatric disorders may influence patients' choices to hasten death is hotly debated. There are several safeguards in the Act to ensure patients are competent to make the decision to end their life. This includes referral to a psychologist or psychiatrist if there is concern that a patient's judgment might be impaired because of mental illness.
(Excerpt) Read more at sciencedaily.com ...
In other words, KILLING a depressed person is preferable to helping them.
Pro-Life Ping
Freepmail wagglebee to subscribe or unsubscribe from the moral absolutes ping list.
FreeRepublic moral absolutes keyword search
Oregon Ping
Isn’t murdering a depressed person by lethal injection “cruel and unusual punishment?”
Only 1 in 4 terminally ill patients is clincally depressed? That intuitively seems like an underestimate.
Maybe the deathmongers figure that a sodium pentathol overdose is cheaper that Prozac. < /sarc>
I beg to disagree with that statement. I’m an RN and I work in Behavioral Health. All of our patients that are mentally ill have written in their various diagnosis’s they are depressed and are treated with drugs and therapies for depression.
The Psychiatrists recognize their depression, even in Alzheimer’s patients, who often recognize they’re a prisoner of their own minds, even when they are completely end stage they are depressed and are treated for this.
Then how come NONE of the assisted suicide victims in 2007 were examined by a psychiatrist or psychologist prior to their death warrants being issued?
I wonder about that statement, how good is the reference? What were the circumstances? I’d have to see the records. I don’t trust that.
Do you trust the British Medical Journal?
Need help committing suicide?
Can you drive a truck?
Call Ahmed Kamel al-Gibiri at (503) 293-6554.
Who would have thunk it? In Oregon?
 |
Please notify me via FReepmail if you would like to be added to or taken off the Oregon Ping List.
How do you know this? I didn't get that from the story.
She believes that depression does not necessarily impair judgement and says that in the Netherlands what is most important is that the patient makes an informed decision. She concludes: "we should focus on trying to 'protect' patients from becoming depressed in the first place, rather than focus on protecting patients from assisted suicide."
You know, I think this is an important point. Depression is a miserable disease. One might well be ready to call it quits after decades of fighting it. Who's to say one shouldn't? And we absolutely should be doing more towards prevention of this and other mental illnesses.
The story was excerpted, read the fourth paragraph.
Oh, there it is. I missed it the first time I read it. Thanks.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
