Assisted-suicide bills falter in 4 states

Concerns about pain control lead to a hospice lobbying effort that stalls a physician-assisted suicide ban in North Carolina. Three other states consider legalizing it.

By Andis Robeznieks, AMNews staff. May 19, 2003.

Physician-assisted suicide bills were introduced in four states this year, galvanizing doctors on both sides of the issue to get involved in the law-making process.

Three of the bills (in Arizona, Hawaii and Vermont) called for legalizing the practice, while a North Carolina bill (introduced by two physician legislators) called for banning it.

"Nothing moved past the chamber of introduction," said National Conference of State Legislatures policy associate Rachel Tanner. "There were a lot of bills introduced; none of them moved anywhere."

In North Carolina, family practitioner and Republican state Sen. James Forrester, MD, said he had "worked his buns off" trying to get his anti-assisted suicide bill passed.

Dr. Forrester, who co-sponsored the bill with Democrat and retired pediatrician William Purcell, MD, said he thought there was wide support for the bill, but opposition is coming from an unexpected source: the local hospice in Raleigh, the state's capital city.

"It may be that I could get the bill passed without hospice support, but I don't want to do that," he said, adding that his wife serves on the board of the local hospice in their hometown. "I'd like to get them involved and get something everyone can agree to."

Ned Yellig, MD, medical director of the Hospice of Wake County in Raleigh, was heartened to hear his opposition has had an impact.

The bill "puts physicians who work with patients at the end of life at risk," he said. "We are afraid that the physicians entrusted with making sure people die in comfort may be less aggressive with pain control or palliative sedation."