‘Death with dignity’ bill is fatally flawed
February 20, 2015
Baltimore Sun
Letter to the Editor
As a born Marylander and disability advocate, I was disappointed to read the article on the proposed physician-assisted suicide legislation in Maryland (“Dying former official a focus of Maryland assisted suicide bill,” Feb. 14). I was particularly troubled by the article’s failure to acknowledge concerns from the disability community about assisted suicide.
People who need help with daily life, including people with terminal illness, aging individuals, and people with disabilities, are at high risk of depression and isolation. It is no coincidence that of the people who received “assistance in dying” under a similar Oregon law, 93 percent cited “loss of autonomy” as a motivation. Yet the legislation proposed in Maryland would not even require screening for depression, let alone effective care.