When I’m at my ‘most weak & vulnerable’, decrepit & meeting my own terms, I do not wish upon my family bearing witness to my tortured death & humiliation, themselves tortured in the process.
There is NO argument that can remove my right and, thus, the need exists for a legal alternative for my friends and/or family to carry out my wishes.
.02
“Right to die” WILL become “DUTY to die”. The camel’s nose, FRiend. Be careful what you wish for...
However, that's not what this legislation is about. It's about lethal drug overdoses prescribed by death-docs who aren't even qualified to diagnose depression.
And the only "protection" in all these laws --- which mirror Oregon's law --- is for the prescribing doctor, not the patient. The law protects the doctor from lawsuit, even if there's evidence of coercion on the part of a death-promoting heir (giving grim new significance to the saying "Where there's a will, there's a way.")
The drug-pushing doctor cannot be sued if he claims he acted in "good faith," a claim it is practically impossible to disprove in court, unless he actually took a bribe in front of a witness.
Anyone who wants to commit suicide on their own can do so, and 30 minutes' worth of mousing around on the Internet can tell you how.
But don't insist on "authorization" or "participation" from church or state or medico or politico. Surely in the name of autonomy, a would-be suicider can take care of business without insisting on corrupting the political, legal, and medical professions.
A self-respecting suicider (I am not recommending this) should be responsible for himself. This "legalized" "physician-assisted" crap just puts more death-dealing power in the hands of the State.
Sounds like a job for a lawyer, who doesn't have a conscience to hurt.