Students discuss doctor-assisted suicide

By Maurice O. Ndole
The Collegian

Fresno State students discussed their opinion about a case in the Supreme Court that may give doctors the right to assist terminally ill patients in ending their lives.

Oregon versus Gonzalez was taken to the Supreme Court on President Bush’s administration’s request to change seeking to change Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act passed by Oregon voters in 1994.

Senior health administration major Laura Ruiz said the Supreme Court should allow doctors and terminally ill patients to make the decision.

“Doctors should have the right as long as the guidelines are met,” Ruiz said. “I hear they should have two doctors make the decision and the patient has to request at least twice.”

Before a patient qualifies to receive the death medication, certain steps have to be followed, according to the Oregon State Web site.

Two doctors must be consulted. By law, the doctors referred to as the “attending physician,” the patient’s primary doctor, and the “consulting physician,” a doctor who reviews the primary doctor’s decision to terminate the patient’s life must review the patient’s records.

Before a decision is reached, the patient has to be reviewed and it must be determined whether he or she meets the acceptable standards by the courts, psychiatrists and psychologists of being capable to make a decision to end his or her life.

Health science major Laura Gil said such a law was too risky.

“I don’t think doctors should be allowed to end lives. It would scare me because people can take advantage of it,” Gil said.

Gil, however, said if the law passed, the decision should be strict and restricted to a few doctors.
The Oregon procedure is tight.

The attending physician, the patient’s primary doctor, writes the prescription for medication to end life of a qualified patient and sends it with the patient’s written consent to the state registrar for approval.

A copy is sent to a consulting physician, a doctor who certifies that the prescription is correct.

Before making the final decision, the patient attends counseling from a licensed psychiatrist or psychologist to ensure the patient is not suffering from a mental condition, impairing their judgment. The session is also used as another opportunity for the patient to change their mind.

Four freshmen said the Supreme Court should favor the law and allow terminally ill patients to end their lives.

“If the disease is not treatable, then why keep them?” liberal studies freshman Lyan Lin asked.

Lin said terminally ill patients deserved to die in dignity and their illness invaded their privacy and took away their pride.

Freshmen music major James Tidwell, Steve Lauber, a freshman psychology major, and Katie Gutierrez, who is undeclared, expressed the similar sentiments as Lin.

“If the patient wants, it should be done,” Lauber said. “It’s a moral thing, but doctors have to follow their ethics.”

Oregon adopted the law after voters approved it in 1994. More than 200 people have since used the law to end their lives in Oregon.

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