Oregon bill to expand assisted suicide faces strong opposition

Oregon liberals wanting to expand assisted suicide aren’t finding much support.

Oregon Senate Bill 1003, which is sponsored by the Senate Judiciary Committee but no individual lawmakers, would loosen the requirements for assisted suicide in the state, shortening the waiting time from 15 days to only two days for patients who apply to receive lethal assisted suicide medication.

It would also allow physician assistants or nurse practitioners, not only doctors, to authorize patient requests for suicide.

Just two people spoke in favor of the legislation at a public hearing Monday, with eight speaking against it and 150 Oregonians submitting written testimony opposing it.

Dr. Paul Kaplan, a supporter, said it would benefit the state’s rural residents, who rely on physician assistants or nurse practitioners for medical care.

“There are very large areas of Oregon where there is not a doctor available for hundreds of miles,” Kaplan said, according to Oregon Live. “And so this service is literally not available to patients who live in those areas.” 

However, opponents argued patients should have to wait longer than two days to obtain medication, and physician assistants and nurse practitioners aren’t qualified to authorize life-ending treatments. 

Gresham resident Sharolyn Smith, who testified on behalf of Oregon Right to Life, said she has a terminally ill relative who struggles with the decision to live or die. 

“This bill makes it even easier for a broken health care system to suggest death as an answer,” Smith said. 

She added that her relative worries he is a burden. 

“The right to die has become a duty to die,” Smith said. 

Rep. E. Werner Reschke, R-Malin, argued the bill promotes a “culture of death.” 

Reschke’s mother died of Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal condition that results in the loss of muscle control, a few years ago. 

Yet, the lawmaker said his family treated his mother with love and care until the end. 

“Eventually, she couldn’t speak, but her mind was clear as day,” Reschke said. “And every day my dad sat at her bed and cared for her and loved her until the last day she couldn’t breathe anymore. Colleagues, that’s dignity.” 

Just 10 states allow assisted suicide. Oregon and Vermont are the only states that let non-residents travel to their respective states to use the law. 

Oregon requires assisted suicide patients to be at least 18 years old and have a diagnosis indicating they have less than six months to live. 

In Canada, assisted suicide is becoming increasingly common. It legalized assisted suicide in 2016; by 2022, it had become the country’s fifth-leading cause of death, rising from 1,000 annually to more than 13,000 per year.