Washington

pages to show

  • Washington Home
  • Click to return to main site
  • 'Death With Dignity' Law Imperils the Poor
  • Act Allows Euthanasia

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

WA Case Medical Homicide

 State probe finds hospital 'sloppy' in man's death

http://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/local/article31786419.html
August 20, 2010

By Sheila Hagar, Walla Walla Union-Bulletin

WALLA WALLA -- A Washington state Department of Health investigation found procedural problems at Providence St. Mary Medical Center in a death that Walla Walla County Coroner Frank Brown has listed as a medical homicide.

The department launched its investigation when a caller to the state's complaint hotline alleged that a 60-year-old patient at the hospital died March 1 of accidental acute morphine overdose. The caller, who is not named in the report, pointed to a forensic pathologist's autopsy, health officials said.

Brown labeled the death "medical homicide," a decision agreed with by Dr. Carl Wigren, the forensic pathologist who performed the autopsy. Wigren is paid by the county for his services.
Read more »
Posted by Admin at 4:53 PM
Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest
Labels: homicide, hospice abuse, palliative care abuse

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Washington's Act Allows Euthanasia

By Margaret Dore, Esq., MBA

Washington's Death with Dignity Act, Chapter 70.245, RCW, allows a patient to "self-administer" a lethal dose to end his or her life. See e.g., RCW 70.245.010(11). On close examination, this term allows euthanasia.

Per the act, self-administer is defined as the “act of ingesting.” RCW 70.245.010(12) states:
“Self-administer” means a qualified patient’s act of ingesting medication to end his or her life . . .   (Emphasis added)
The act does not define “ingest.”  Dictionary definitions include:
[T]o take (food, drugs, etc.) into the body, as by swallowing, inhaling, or absorbing.” (Emphasis added). 
With these definitions, someone else putting the lethal dose in the patient’s mouth qualifies as proper administration because the patient will be “swallowing” the lethal dose, i.e., “ingesting” it. Someone else placing a medication patch on the patient’s arm will qualify because the patient will be “absorbing” the lethal dose, i.e., “ingesting” it. Gas administration, similarly, will qualify because the patient will be “inhaling” the lethal dose, i.e., “ingesting” it. With self-administer defined as mere ingesting, someone else is allowed to administer the lethal dose to the patient. 

Allowing someone else to administer the lethal dose to the patient is "euthanasia" under generally accepted medical terminology. The American Medical Association's Ethics Opinion 2.21 states: 
"Euthanasia is the administration of a lethal agent by another person to a patient . . . " (Emphasis added).
Washington's act allows euthanasia.
Posted by Admin at 8:09 PM
Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest
Labels: 70.245, American Medical Association, euthanasia, self-administer
Newer Posts Older Posts Home
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)
  CLICK HERE
  to return to main site

Seattle City Hall

Seattle City Hall
June 13, 2016

Issues by state & country

AK
AL
AR
AS
AZ
CA
CO
CT
DC
DE
FL
GA
GU
HI
IA
ID
IL
IN
KS
KY
LA
MA
MD
ME
MI
MN
MO
MP
MS
MT
NC
ND
NE
NH
NJ
NM
NV
NY
OH
OK
OR
PA
PR
RI
SC
SD
TN
TX
UT
VA
VI
VT
WA
WI
WV
WY
AUSTRALIA
CANADA
NEW ZEALAND
SOUTH AFRICA

FOUNDATION
END THE ABUSE
BACK TO MAIN SITE

Articles

  • Death with Dignity: What do we Advise our Clients?
  • Terminal Uncertainty
  • Washington's Act Allows Euthanasia

No Assisted Suicide

No Assisted Suicide
Demonstration at University of Washington Hospital - Seattle WA


Washington Sites

  • Official Washington State Assisted Suicide Website
  • Choice is an Illusion

Margaret Dore Blog

Margaret Dore Blog
Click banner to view site

Voices Against Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia

  • "I was afraid to leave my husband alone"
  • "It wasn't the father saying that he wanted to die"
  • "He made the mistake of asking for information about assisted suicide"
  • "If Dr. Stevens had believed in assisted suicide, I would be dead"
  • "Mild stroke led to mother's forced starvation"

Julie Brown

Washington Archive

  • ►  2022 (1)
    • ►  March (1)
  • ►  2021 (2)
    • ►  April (2)
  • ►  2019 (3)
    • ►  November (1)
    • ►  October (1)
    • ►  August (1)
  • ►  2016 (1)
    • ►  June (1)
  • ▼  2015 (2)
    • ▼  November (2)
      • WA Case Medical Homicide
      • Washington's Act Allows Euthanasia
  • ►  2014 (2)
    • ►  July (1)
    • ►  February (1)
  • ►  2011 (5)
    • ►  November (1)
    • ►  October (1)
    • ►  September (1)
    • ►  July (1)
    • ►  May (1)
©2019 Choice is an Illusion, a nonprofit organization. All rights reserved. Powered by Blogger.