Assisted suicide laws create discriminatory double standard for who gets suicide prevention and who gets suicide assistance: Not Dead Yet Responds to Autonomy, Inc.

References 

1. McKay v. Bergstedt, 801 P.2d 617 (Nev. 1990) at 625; Shapiro, “Larry McAfee, invisible man,” US News and World Report, Feb 19, 1990, at 60; Herr SS, Bostrom BA, Barton RS. No place to go: refusal of life-sustaining treatment by competent persons with physical disabilities. Issues Law Med. 1992;8(1):3-36; and Coleman D. Withdrawing life-sustaining treatment from people with severe disabilities who request it: Equal protection considerations. Issues Law Med. 1992;8(1):55-79.
2. See, e.g., Marilyn Golden, Why assisted suicide must not be legalized, http://dredf.org/assisted_suicide/assistedsuicide.html; March 24, 1997, NationalCouncil on Disability, Assisted suicide: a disability perspective, http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/1997/suicide.htm; and National Spinal Cord Injury Association position on Assisted Suicide, http://www.spinalcord.org/news.php?dep=1andpage=0andlist=780.
3. Gallagher H. Disability rights activist advocates for aid-in-dying, http://www.thebody.com/content/legal/art16723.html; P. Spiers 15th John K. Friesen Conference–Quality of life at the end of life: decisions and choices, http://www.sfu.ca/grc/friesen/2005/paul/; and Batavia AI. The ethics of PAS: morally relevant relationships between personal assistance services and physician-assisted suicide. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2001;12(suppl 2):S25-S31.
4. Brantley M. Autonomy promotes choice, supports right-to-die, iCan News Service, Aug 7, 2002, http://www.autonomynow.org/articles/iCan080702.html.
5. Amicus brief of the disability amici curaie: Not dead yet, adapt, disability rights education and defense fund, National Council on Independent Living and National Spinal Cord Injury Association in support of appellants the state of Montana AND Steve Bullock, http://www.cdrnys.org/images/files/montanabrieffnl.doc (accessed 12/16/09)
6. Baxter v. Montana, Cause No. ADV-2007-787, Dec. 5, 2008 (2008 Mont. Dist. LEXIS 482) at p. 17.
7. Id. at p. 18.
8. Id. at p. 20.
9. Id. at p. 21.
10. Magnusson RS. “Underground Euthanasia” and the Harm Minimization Debate, 32. J. L. Med. & Ethics. 2004.
11. In 2008, the Oregon Report found 5% of assisted suicide patients were concerned about pain, http://egov.oregon.gov/DHS/ph/pas/docs/yr11-tbl-1.pdf; Washington Post, August 11, 1996, quoting Michigan Hemlock Society's Janet Good: Pain is not the main reason we want to die. It's the indignity. It's the inability to get out of bed or get onto the toilet, let alone drive a car or go shopping without another's help.
12. Baxter v. Montana, Cause No. ADV-2007-787, Dec. 5, 2008, at p. 21.
13. Characteristics and end-of-life care of 401 DWDA patients who died after ingesting a lethal dose of medication, by year, Oregon, 1998-2008, Death With Dignity Act Annual Reports, http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/ph/pas/docs/yr11-tbl-1.pdf.
14. Id.
15. Breitbart W, Rosenfeld BD, Passik SD. Interest in physician-assisted suicide among ambulatory HIV-infected patients. Am J Psychiatry. 1996;153:238–242
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18. Baron CH, Bergstresser C, Brock DW, et al. Statute: A model act to authorize and regulate physician-assisted suicide. Harvard J. Legis. 1996;33:11
19. New Hampshire H.B. 304, Death With Dignity Act.
20. Douglas J. Edwards. Controversial Hemlock Society changes name, Sept. 1, 2003, http://www.allbusiness.com/health-care-social-assistance/nursing/671106-1.html; 15th John K. Friesen Conference–Quality of life at the end of life: decisions and choices, http://www.sfu.ca/grc/friesen/2005/paul/.
21. Robbie Brown. Arrests draw new attention to assisted suicide. New York Times, March 10, 2009, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/11/us/11suicide.html?_r=1andhp=andpagewanted=all; Paul Rubin. Death wish. Phoenix New Times, August 22, 2009, http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/2007-08-23/news/death-wish; and Portia Bruner, FOX 5 Special: Inside final exit network, March 18, 2009, http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/dpp/news/FOX_Special_Inside_Final_Exit_Network_031809.
22. Kaplan KJ, O'Dell J, Uziel O, et al. An update on the Kevorkian-Reding 93 physician-assisted deaths in Michigan: is Kevorkian a savior, serial-killer or suicidal martyr?. Omega. 1999-2000;40(1):209–228
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23. Barbara Coombs Lee. Assisted suicide cases highlight public support for physician aid in dying. Huffington Post, February 27, 2009, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/barbara-coombs-lee/assisted-suicide-cases-hi_b_170603.html.
24. Amicus curiae brief by Montana residents with disabilities and Autonomy, Inc. (Autonomy, Inc. Brief), p. 2.
25. TimothyQuill E, et al. Sounding board: care of the hopelessly ill. N Engl J Med. 1992;327(1380):1381;([W]e acknowledge the inexactness of such prognosis [of imminent death]
26. Autonomy, Inc. brief, p. 14.
27. Mary Johnson, Right to life, fight to die, the Elizabeth Bouvia saga, Electric Edge, January/February 1997, http://www.raggededgemagazine.com/archive/bouvia.htm.
28. Death with Dignity Act Annual Reports, http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/ph/pas/ar-index.shtml.
29. Id.
30. For example, Oregon's Death With Dignity Act, the first year's experience, Department of Human Resources, Oregon Health Division, Center for Disease Prevention and Epidemiology, February 18, 1999, page 9; Seventh Annual Report on Oregon's Death with Dignity Act, March 10, 2005, page 16.
31. Gill CJ. Suicidal intervention for people with disabilities: a lesson in inequality. Issues Law Med. 1992;8:37;(When a culture values human life conditionally, suicide intervention becomes selective. Devalued populations fail to receive rigorous protection, assessment and treatment.)
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32. Washington v. Glucksberg, 521, 732 U.S. 702 (1997).
33. Autonomy, Inc. Brief, p. 21.
34. Autonomy, Inc. Brief, p. 1.
35. Autonomy, Inc. Brief, pp. 10-11. Anthony L. Back, et al., Physician-assistedsuicide and euthanasia in Washington State: patient requests and physician responses. JAMA. 1996;275:919, 924; Underground euthanasia, 32 J.L. Med. and Ethics at 486.
36. See footnote 30.
37. Sobsey D. Violence and abuse in the lives of people with disabilities: the end of silence acceptance? (1994); Abuse and women with disabilities; Margaret A. Nosek and Carol A. Howland (1998), National Online Resource Center on Violence Against Women, http://new.vawnet.org/Assoc_Files_VAWnet/AR_disab.pdf.
38. In the Supreme Court of the State of Montana, Case No. DA 09-0051, Amicus Brief of Margaret Dore Supporting the Appellants, pp. 8-9. http://www.aul.org/xm_client/client_documents/briefs/MTPAS/Margaret_Dore_MT_brief.pdf.
39. Id. at p. 9.
40. Dore brief, pp. 9-10.
41. Id. at p. 11.
42. Autonomy, Inc. Brief at p. 21.
43. Emanuel EJ, Fairclough DL, Emanuel LL. Attitudes and desires related to euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide among terminally ill patients and their caregivers. JAMA. 2000;284:2460-2468; Blank K, Robison J, Prigerson H, et al. Instability of attitudes about euthanasia and physician assisted suicide in depressed older hospitalized patients. Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 2001;23(6):326-332.
44. Autonomy, Inc. Brief, p. 13.
45. Id.
46. Gerhart KA, Kozoil-McLain J, Lowenstein SR, et al. Quality of life following spinal cord injury: knowledge and attitudes of emergency care providers. Ann Emerg Med. 1994;23:807–812Cushman LA, Dijkers MP. Depressed mood in spinal cord injured patients: staff perceptions and patient realities. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 1990;71:191-196
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47. Lincoln T. How I didn't die. June 16, 2009, http://notdeadyetnewscommentary.blogspot.com/2009/06/terrie-lincoln-how-i-didnt-die-part-1.html, aka Never take no for an answer, How we die, http://stories-2.com/HowWeDie/story?sid=4.
48. How we die, http://stories-2.com/HowWeDie/story?sid=4.
49. Singer Peter. Why we must ration health care, New York Times Magazine, July 15, 2009; Murray CJ. Quantifying the burden of disease: the technical basis for disability-adjusted life years. BMJ. 1999;319:1423–1425
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50. Council on Ethical and Judician Affairs. American Medical Association. Medical futility in end-of-life care: report of the Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs. JAMA. 1999;281(10):937–941
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51. See footnote 46.
52. Alex Cohen. Texas to review ‘futile care’ guidelines for doctors, National Public Radio, December 5, 2006, http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6581484.
53. Thursday, July 9, 2009, Disability advocates in California protest cuts to in-home services at Gov. Schwarzenegger's office, http://media-dis-n-dat.blogspot.com/2009/07/disability-advocates-in-california.html; Wednesday, May 27, 2009, Louisiana advocates plan protest of state budget cuts to disability services, From The Daily Comet: http://media-dis-n-dat.blogspot.com/2009/05/louisiana-advocates-plan-protest-of.html; June 22, 2009, Ryan Keith, Provider rally draws 5,000 to Capitol, The State Journal-Register (Illinois).
54. Bob Kafka replies to Robert Fine's defense of Texas futility, October 12, 2007, http://notdeadyetnewscommentary.blogspot.com/2007/10/bob-kafka-replies-to-robert-fines.html; Mary Ann Roser, Senators hear passionate arguments on ‘medical futility’ proposal, Legislation would require doctors to continue treating patients until another hospital is found, American-Statesman, Friday, April 13, 2007.