Does legalization of physician-assisted suicide improve the quality of end-of-life care?
Oregon has widespread availability and high utilization rates for hospice services. Their advances in hospice/end-of-life care began in 1990, but the law allowing physician-assisted suicide didn’t go into effect until 1997. Supporters of legalization of physician-assisted suicide in Vermont suggest that if our state legalizes PAS, our utilization of hospice services and quality of end-of-life care will improve. However, some research data raises significant questions about this assertion. “If we want to improve Vermont’s end-of-life care, we would do well to imitate those who have already achieved the goal we seek. The model for this effort is Oregon.” James Brooks, Barre, in letter to editor, June 11, 2004 “Increased Family Reports of Pain or Distress in Dying Oregonians: 1996-2002” by Erik Fromme, MD; Virginia Tilden, RN, Linda Drach, MPH, Susan Tolle, MD (Oregon Health Sciences University and Oregon Department of Human Services). Journal of Palliative Medicine 2004; volume 7, Number
