Posted on: Thursday, March 4, 2004

EDITORIAL
Death with dignity isn't going away

Lawmakers don't reintroduce a death-with-dignity measure year after year just for the fun of it.

And this session is no different.

Since 1999, legislative hearings on physician-assisted suicide in Hawai'i have become increasingly filled with the terminally ill who are weary of pain and loss of control and fearful that they are overburdening the burned-out friends and relatives who take care of them.

There are also several organizations that lobby strongly in favor of death with dignity. Needless to say, many of their members are elderly.

And of course there's staunch opposition, ranging from religious to medical.

"I realize that it's an emotional issue, but there's a significant number of residents who support this legislation and they should be heard," said Rep. Scott Saiki, House majority leader.

Not only should they be heard at today's hearing before the House Judiciary Committee, but lawmakers should seriously consider advancing such legislation, despite Gov. Linda Lingle's objection that physician-assisted suicide is a "slippery slope."

This is not uncharted territory. Hawai'i's law would be modeled on Oregon's physician-assisted suicide law, which is chock full of safeguards. That law has survived a federal court challenge and a repeal effort, and was supported by a 1997 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in favor of states' rights to pass such a law.

Oregon is not deluged with suicides nor abuses of the law. On the contrary, physician-assisted suicides accounted for just 0.1 percent of all deaths in 2002, according to the most recent study available.

Importantly, experts say the law has forced Oregon's healthcare system to improve palliative care and pain management, which is a goal all in Hawai'i should share. If the death-with-dignity debate advances the quality of palliative care in the Islands, that alone would be a victory.

If physician-assisted suicide ever becomes law in Hawai'i, we'd bet that few will avail themselves of it. The will to live is more powerful than we know. But in the rare case when the will to die is stronger because of the magnitude of pain and lack of relief, compassion should be shown.