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Who We Are

The Coalition Against Assisted Suicide includes doctors, nurses, hospice workers, Democrats, Republicans, minorities, members of the disability community, and people of diverse religious views. If you'd like to join us, click on the button below.

 

What We Believe

Rheba de Tornyay
Dean Emeritus,
University of Washington School of Nursing:
"My husband survived for 28 months and died last year. But at the end, to my astonishment, I realized I could no longer support physician-assisted suicide. ...Much of my change stems from my discovery, common to surviving spouses, that life is precious to the end."

 

Read it yourself.

I-1000 proponents don't want you to know what's really in the initiative. It's dangerous and puts vulnerable Washingtonians at risk. Here's the full text of the initiative. (PDF) (Word)

Join the people against assisted suicide in Washington.

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In Washington, the Coalition Against Assisted Suicide has formed to combat Initiative 1000, the assisted suicide initiative on the November 2008 ballot.

What is I-1000?

I-1000 would legalize assisted suicide and redefine suicide as a medical treatment. It would allow doctors to order lethal drug overdoses to people with life-limiting illnesses, even if they are depressed.

What's wrong with I-1000?

I-1000 lacks real protection for people suffering from depression and mental illness.
People who are diagnosed with a life-limiting illness often become depressed. This depression is usually temporary and treatable. I-1000 does not require assessment or treatment for depression. [I-1000, Section 6]. Because the waiting period is only 15 days, a suicidal "cry for help" could be met with a bottle of lethal drugs, instead of encouragement and treatment.

I-1000 harms spouses and families.
Under I-1000, a spouse or family member need not be told about the lethal overdose. [I-1000, Section 8]. Families might never know the truth of how their loved one died.

I-1000 endangers vulnerable people.
I-1000's backers promote it as being about choice and individualized decision making. But as written, I-1000 does not empower patients. It provides an incentive for health plans to cut costs by steering people toward assisted suicide. I-1000 does not provide adequate safeguards to protect women, minorities, seniors and people with low incomes.
more information >>

What's wrong with Oregon's law?

Since Oregon passed its law in 1994, physician-assisted suicide and/or euthanasia proposals have been introduced in 21 states, some multiple times. Not one has passed.

In Oregon, the state health plan pays for assisted suicide but doesn't pay for some chemotherapy for people with cancer. I-1000 is similar to -- but more expansive than -- Oregon's problem-filled assisted suicide law.

Why I-1000 is more dangerous than Oregon's law.

I-1000 is written more broadly than Oregon’s law, has less accountability, more secrecy, and contains significantly less protection for everyone except a small group of pro- assisted suicide doctors and bureaucrats.
more information >>

Who opposes I-1000?

National and State Medical Associations oppose I-1000
Assisted suicide is opposed by the American Medical Association and state medical associations in 49 states, including Washington. (WSMA press release, July 2, 2008). The 9,000 member Washington State Medical Association “strongly opposes” I-1000. (WSMA Brochure, "I-1000 is not the Answer".)

Prominent Democrats and Republicans oppose I-1000.
Liberals and conservatives, pro-choice and pro-life people across Washington have joined together in opposition to Initiative 1000 because it is a dangerous law that goes too far.

Many prominent national and local disability rights organizations oppose I-1000.
Society often dismisses the value and quality of the lives of people with disabilities, making many disabled people vulnerable to pressure and manipulation. Many people with life-limiting illnesses also struggle with disabilities and are therefore vulnerable to assisted suicide.
more information >>

We don't need I-1000

The people of Washington can already choose to refuse any medical treatment they don't want. They can already choose to receive good end-of-life and hospice care, excellent pain control, and the relief of discomfort. The people of Washington need quality end-of-life care, not the lethal drug overdose I-1000 prescribes.

Proponents of I-1000 argue that it is a humane step toward improving healthcare. Suicide is, however, not a medical "treatment." Patients have a right to care, not suicide. In the words of Professor Rheba de Tornyay:

"Do we want a potentially dangerous law that fewer than 50 people a year use in Oregon? ... Or do we want to spend our resources assuring the preservation and expansion of Medicare and private insurance hospice benefits to promote a peaceful end so that all our citizens might truly experience death with dignity?"

© 2008 Coalition Against Assisted Suicide - PO BOX 11794 - Olympia Washington 98508

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