Posted on: Tuesday, January 7, 2003

Group campaigns against physician-assisted suicide

By Lynda Arakawa
Advertiser Capitol Bureau

After last year's near passage of a physician-assisted suicide bill, a group of healthcare providers and others are launching an early campaign against the issue.

Members of the Hawai'i Partnership for Appropriate and Compassionate Care gathered yesterday to express their opposition to physician-assisted suicide, saying it will detract from efforts to care for the terminally ill and sufferers of intense pain and will victimize the elderly, sick and disabled.

The partnership, a project of the Hawai'i Medical Association and the Hawai'i Family Forum, has spent about $40,000 on an ad campaign.

"Legalization of physician-assisted suicide is the wrong answer," said Kenneth Zeri, president and chief professional officer of Hospice Hawai'i. "The answer is, we relieve the suffering. We don't kill the sufferer."

It is unclear whether a physician-assisted suicide bill will be introduced this session, which begins Jan. 15. Former Gov. Ben Cayetano introduced the legislation last year, and Gov. Linda Lingle has said she opposes the idea.

Last year's bill, which would have allowed terminally ill, competent people to obtain lethal prescriptions that they could take to end their lives, passed the House 30-20. It failed in the Senate by a 14-11 final vote on the last day of the session.

Proponents of physician-assisted suicide have said patients have a right to control the way they die and be relieved of their suffering. They also say there are ample safeguards to protect patients.