This is based on the theory, posed by citizens, that certain individuals afflicted with terminal illnesses should have the legal right to hasten their death.
As a result, individuals that acquire these disabilities often view death as an extremely viable solution.
The target population that the Oregon Death with Dignity statute involves are those that are terminally ill. There are both long and short-term effects of the statute on the rest of the population, as well as the target population. Oregon has the fourth highest rate of elder suicide in the United States, and the statute appears to be a short-term solution to a long-term problem. The statute gives physicians the long-term power to judge whether a particular suicide is rational, based on the physician's evaluation of the individual's quality of life. The short-term effect of the statute is that federal resources previously used to care for the elderly and terminally ill will be freed up to be allocated toward other uses. Since the statute effects the population in question, the public will not take any action to change the mindset of these ill individuals. Rather, their "right-to-die" will be supported. The long-term effect of the statute is that no physician will be charged with manslaughter for facilitating an assisted suicide, or prosecuted under drug laws. More importantly, doctors will once again be in control of making all of the health care decisions. Those that probably do not really want to die will assess...
Citizens in support of lowering health care costs are also supporters, for the elderly and terminally ill population appear to be sucking up health care resources that those with a "right-to-life" could benefit from.
As a result, the number of physician-assisted suicides will continue to grow, and the disability supporters will protest and try to bring awareness to the general public. The last part of David Gil's Social Policy Framework is the identification of alternatives to the current policy being developed. In an analysis of current alternatives to the Oregon Death with Dignity statute, one can determine that the name of the act itself is problematic, for it suggests that these individuals cannot die with dignity on their own.
A possible alternative would be to leave the power of the statue in the hands of the public, not the physicians.
Bibliography
Gil, D. (1976). A Framework and Synthesis of Social Policies. Unraveling Social Policy:
Theory, Analysis, Political Actions towards Social Equality. Cambridge, MA: 31-56.
Gil, D. (1992). Unraveling Social Policy. (5th Ed.) Rochester, VT: Schenkman.
