New Mexico city backs assisted suicide legislation

[Judi Lynn]

Source: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS


THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

DECEMBER 19, 2018 12:37 AM,

UPDATED 3 HOURS 7 MINUTES AGO

LAS CRUCES, N.M.
Las Cruces has become the latest New Mexico city to endorse the idea of allowing terminally ill patients to end their lives with help from doctors.

The Las Cruces City Council voted Monday in favor of a bipartisan resolution to support legislation that will be introduced during the upcoming session. Albuquerque has voiced its support along with a majority of Santa Fe councilors.

In 2016, the New Mexico Supreme Court declined to overturn the state's existing assisted suicide law, meaning that aiding such deaths remained a fourth-degree felony. A legislative effort to overturn the law in 2017 was unsuccessful.

. . .

The District of Columbia and several other states — California, Oregon, Colorado, Montana, Vermont, Washington, and Hawaii — allow assisted suicide.



Read more: https://www.islandpacket.com/news/health-care/article223298255.html

[elmac]

1. This should be a right nation wide

to die with dignity. I have seen people dying in painful misery with cancer, its cruel and religious nutjobs are the cruel MF's that fight it. One of the reasons I hate religion, AKA, cults.

[smirkymonkey]

4. I agree completely.

I wish more state legislators would push for this. The country is getting less religious, not more and that is especially true for younger people.

[The_jackalope]

2. I've always thought we should treat Grandma as least as well as we treat Fido.

And that includes not forcing her to endure agony at the end.

My wife had medical assistance in dying, and it was a complete blessing for everyone, including her.

[Cold War Spook]

5. My wife had medical assistance in dying.

What they did was increase her morphine. When that didn't work, they set it up so I could give her a dose every 15 minutes. When that didn't work they took off the locks and told me I could give her more whenever she need it. She died pretty quickly. Since she was under a doctors care there wasn't an autopsy.

[The_jackalope]

6. I'm in Canada, so it was entirely legal.

It was done in our living room by a doctor and nurse. They used a succession of anesthetics - midazolam, propofol and rocuronium. The process was utterly painless, and took about 20 minutes from the time they waked in the door. She went from full consciousness to death in about 5 minutes.

It was the most peaceful, graceful, compassionate and loving death imaginable. That really helped keep my burden of grief from becoming too heavy.

I'm glad you had the chance to be with her when she died, and to be part of the process. I just hope that the procedure becomes more fully legalized everywhere in the US so it doesn't have to be concealed.

[Jedi Guy]

3. Doctor-assisted suicide should be legal.

Patients should have the right to end their lives if they feel their quality of life has become unbearable. I can only imagine how some people suffer, and they should be able to opt for a painless, dignified exit.

That said, doctors should be able to opt not to assist if they feel it violates their oath to heal and not to harm. If they're not willing to do it, they should refer the patient to a physician who will, and do so expediciously, with no foot-dragging.