Californians seek peaceful deaths instead of violent methods

5/17/07
Compassion and Choices
http://www.compassionandchoices.org/aboutus/

Courageous terminally ill patients in California are imploring lawmakers to give them a chance for a peaceful death by passing AB 374.

Nancy Kelem, a 53-year-old mother of three diagnosed with terminal colon cancer, is asking legislators to grant her the safe, legal option of aid in dying, "AB 374 would give me a peaceful, dignified death that would not traumatize my family through violence, prolonged suffering or the stigma of illegal suicide." Louise Shaefer died on Mother's Day.

Terminally ill Californians have few legal choices to ease their end-of-life suffering and some, who find these options intolerable, resort to a violent end from a gun shot or other methods that devastate family members.

According to the Eureka Reporter, Humboldt County California Coroner's Office reports show that in 43 percent of the 141 suicides committed in the past five years, a chronic or terminal illness was a factor. A majority, 54 percent, died from a self-inflicted gun shot.

If those numbers were applied to the entire state, it's estimated that more than 700 seriously ill Californians end their suffering with a gun each year.

Safe, legal aid in dying ends desperate gun violence as a cure for suffering. In Oregon, 10 times as many patients request aid in dying as use it. An available option comforts patients and true suicide among the terminally ill disappears. AB 374 would cure the current harm and reduce the pervasiveness of such tragedies in California.

If you are a Californian, take a few minutes now to voice your support for AB 374.

Send your Assembly member a letter or e-mail. Make a telephone call. Tell lawmakers to Stop the Violent Deaths: Vote for AB 374!