Assisted suicide initiative likely to make ballot

Supporters of an assisted suicide initiative said Wednesday they've submitted about 320,000 voter signatures to state election officials, which should be enough to easily win a spot on Washington's fall ballot.

Initiative 1000 is shaping up as this year's marquee ballot measure, with the opposition battling a well-connected "yes" campaign led by Democratic former Gov. Booth Gardner. Initiative supporters already have raised more than $1.1 million, and opponents have raised about $88,000.

Washington's proposed "Death with Dignity" initiative mirrors Oregon's law - the only assisted suicide law in the U.S. - which took effect in 1997 after a lengthy court fight. If approved by voters, I-1000 would allow terminally ill people to legally obtain lethal prescription drugs for ending their own lives.

Any patient requesting the fatal medication would have to make two oral requests, 15 days apart, and submit a written request witnessed by two people, including one person who is not a relative, heir, attending doctor, or connected with a health facility where the requester lives.

Two doctors would have to agree on the diagnosis of a terminal disease - giving the patient six months or less to live - and declare the patient "is competent, is acting voluntarily, and has made an informed decision."

Gardner, who is suffering from Parkinson's disease, has declared I-1000 his final campaign.

Gardner's neurological disease is incurable, but is not considered fatal, meaning he would not qualify for assisted suicide if the initiative becomes law. But Gardner says his worsening condition has made him empathize with terminally ill people who want control over their final days.

At a rally Wednesday on the state Capitol steps, Gardner predicted victory in November. "We've crossed the first hurdle, and we've crossed it cleanly, with room to spare," he said. "And I think we're going to go all the way. I'd bet on it."

Opponents of the initiative, however, say it doesn't provide enough safeguards against abuse, and could unnecessarily lead people without the means to pay for long-term treatment toward taking their own lives. Advocates for the disabled in particular say that approving assisted suicide could be a first step toward euthanasia.

"When the state sanctions death, it erodes a moral standard that says the lives of all Washingtonians are valuable," said Joelle Brouner with the group Not Dead Yet of Washington.

In an AP-Ipsos poll conducted nationally last year, 48 percent of those polled said that it should be legal for doctors to prescribe drugs to help terminally ill patients end their own lives; 44 percent said it should be illegal.

That poll showed religious faith was a strong factor in views on the subject. Only 34 percent of those who attend religious services at least once a week favored the idea, while 70 percent of those who never attend religious services approved.

Washington voters rejected a physician-assisted suicide law in 1991.

Gardner said the political landscape has changed significantly since then, including 10 years of experience with Oregon's system. Still, Gardner said experience in other states indicates that early support in polls for I-1000 could be chipped away as the campaign wears on.

Forty-nine people in Oregon died under the terms of the assisted suicide law last year, according to a report by the Oregon Department of Human Services. Since it went into effect, the state says more than 340 patients have used the law to end their lives.

Most suffered from cancer, and the most common reasons expressed were loss of autonomy, loss of dignity and a decreasing ability to participate in activities they enjoyed.

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On the Net:

I-1000: http://www.yeson1000.org/

Coalition Against Assisted Suicide: http://noassistedsuicide.com/