Memorandum to Members of Congress and the President of the United States: Reject DC Act 21-577

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• Stop Assisted Suicide;
• Stop Euthanasia;
• Prevent Legal Elder Abuse;
• Preserve Government Transparency and Integrity; &
• Don't Let the District of Columbia Become Corrupt Like Oregon.

By Maragaret Dore, Esq., MBA, January 12, 2016

I. INTRODUCTION

I am an attorney in Washington State where assisted suicide and euthanasia are legal.[1] Our law is based on a similar law in Oregon. Both laws are similar to Act 21-577 (“The Act”).[2]

The Act Creates a New Path of Elder Abuse, Which Is Legal

By Margaret Dore, Esq, MBA

Elder abuse is already a problem in the District of Columbia. Failing to reject the Act will make a bad situation worse. See below.

Few States Allow Assisted Suicide

By Margaret K. Dore, Esq., MBA

"Physician-assisted suicide is no
longer legal in New Mexico."

In the last six years, five states have strengthened their laws against assisted suicide: Arizona, Louisiana, Georgia, Idaho and Ohio.[1]

Last year, the New Mexico Supreme Court overturned a decision recognizing a right to physician aid in dying, meaning physician-assisted suicide.[2] Physician-assisted suicide is no longer legal in New Mexico.

The Act Applies to People with Years or Decades to Live

By Margaret Dore, Esq., MBA

William Toffler, MD

The Act applies to persons with a “terminal disease,” meaning those predicted to have less than six months to live.[1]  Such persons may actually have years or decades to live.  This is true for three reasons:

A. Treatment Can Lead to Recovery

In 2000, Oregonian Jeanette Hall was given a terminal diagnosis of six months to a year to live, which was based on her not being treated for cancer.[2] Hall made a settled decision to use Oregon’s law, but her doctor convinced her to be treated instead.  In a 2016 declaration, she states:

This July, it will be 16 years since my diagnosis.  If [my doctor] had believed in assisted suicide, I would be dead.[3]