![]() ![]() |
Ken Stevens |
I am a cancer doctor in Oregon where physician-assisted suicide is legal. This letter responds to the editorial by Dr. Flegel and Dr.Fletcher, "Choosing when and how to die: Are we ready to perform therapeutic homicide?" (June 25 2012)
In Oregon, the combination of assisted-suicide legalization and prioritized medical care based on prognosis has created a danger for my patients on the government run Oregon Health Plan (Medicaid).
The Plan limits medical care and treatment for patients with a likelihood of a 5% or less 5-year survival. My patients in that category, who say, have a good chance of living another three years and who want to live, cannot receive surgery, chemotherapy or radiation therapy to obtain that goal. The Plan guidelines state that the Plan will not cover "chemotherapy or surgical interventions with the primary intent to prolong life or alter disease progression." The Plan WILL cover the cost of the patient's suicide.
![]() |
Barbara Wagner |